Little Raccoons Day Nursery Holloway

Little Raccoons Day Nursery Holloway is a full-day-care setting for children from three months to five years, based across two floors on Tollington Way. Its strongest practical asset is the large outdoor garden, while its latest full inspection provides reassuring evidence of an improving nursery. Ofsted rated it Good in May 2024, following Requires Improvement in June 2023 and Inadequate in February 2023.

Children were arriving enthusiastically, settling confidently and quickly joining activities in May 2024. The same evidence records creative play indoors and outdoors, caring staff, healthy meals and effective safeguarding. This is a nursery with several concrete strengths, but families should also examine the two improvement points: making the key-person approach consistently effective and improving interactions so quieter children stay engaged.

Rooms and Ages

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and the current provider record lists 50 registered places. The Holloway page says the premises cover two floors. Families comparing provision for a baby, toddler or pre-school child can use a visit to understand the current group organisation and how movement between groups is managed.

Learning and Named Experiences

Creativity, exploration and cooperative play are central to the stated approach, whose curriculum documents identify the EYFS Framework. In parent terms, EYFS builds learning around children's development through play, observation and planned next steps rather than classroom-style lessons. The May 2024 evidence gives useful branch-specific examples: children explored natural materials, used a home corner and activity kitchen for imaginative play, joined songs and stories, and developed early mathematics through counting, shape sorters and construction.

Yoga is a particularly distinctive part of the May 2024 experience, used to teach relaxation and attentive listening while developing vocabulary and pronunciation. The entrance-hall library also gives children a place to share favourite books with parents and siblings. These details make the educational offer more tangible than a broad curriculum statement alone.

Outdoor and Community Life

The branch describes its garden as wonderfully large. In May 2024 children prepared for outdoor play in all weathers, putting on coats and boots before splashing in puddles, riding bikes and negotiating balancing blocks and a wheel circuit. They also made regular outings to the local library and shops. Together, the garden and neighbourhood visits provide both energetic physical play and contact with the local community.

The provider assigns each child a key person, with updates shared face to face and through the Famly app. Published app updates can include activities, milestones, food and sleep. For a new starter, the provider offers up to three settling sessions, increasing from one hour to three hours, usually in the week before the child's start date.

Staff were caring and nurturing in May 2024. Children approached adults for reassurance, and activities were adapted so children could participate. Targeted support extended for children with special educational needs or disabilities, children learning English as an additional language and those receiving additional funding. Staff used observations, assessments and the statutory check around age two to inform teaching and support.

There is an important qualification. The May 2024 recommendations asked leaders to keep supporting staff so key-person work consistently promotes progress, and to strengthen interactions during group activities and spontaneous play so quieter children remain focused. Those are sensible points to explore, especially for a child who takes time to speak up in a group.

Children were served healthy, nutritious meals in May 2024, and they developed independence by serving their own food and pouring their drinks at mealtimes. A qualified chef cooks meals fresh on the day with dietary requirements and allergies considered, although it states that it does not cater for Halal or Kosher diets.

Sessions and Attendance

The published operating day is 7:30am to 6:30pm. Full days run across that window; morning sessions are 7:30am to 12:30pm; afternoon sessions are 1:30pm to 6:30pm; and pre-school sessions run from 8:45am to 3:45pm. The minimum attendance requirement is of two full days or four sessions. It operates for 51 weeks, closing during Christmas week, with separate inset days published for staff development.

Getting There

The nursery is at 91-93 Tollington Way, London N7 6RE, off Holloway Road and the A103. Families relying on a particular journey can test it at their normal drop-off time.

Funding and Paid Extras

The branch publishes 15-hour and 30-hour funded childcare, including the working-families entitlement from nine months where eligible. The separate two-year-old entitlement is excluded from the branch offer. Funded hours are stretched across 52 weeks rather than delivered over 38 term-time weeks, and can be arranged as full days, pre-school days or morning and afternoon sessions in published combinations.

Food and consumables for funded attendance are charged separately, but the provider describes these charges as voluntary and allows families to provide packed food instead. Private-hour inclusions and the exact treatment of different funded age groups should be confirmed through a current provider-specific quotation. Eligibility and a funded place are not guaranteed by the published information.

• Group organisation: Use a visit to establish which floor and group your child would use, who their key person would be and how transitions between groups work.
• Quieter children: The May 2024 improvement point concerned engagement during group activities and spontaneous play. Explore what has changed and observe how staff draw less vocal children into play.
• Attendance commitment: The published minimum is two full days or four sessions, which may not fit a family seeking a single weekly session.
• Funded-place extras: Ask for a current written breakdown of food, consumables and any other extras for your chosen funded pattern, including the packed-food alternative and dietary arrangements.

Little Raccoons Holloway combines a large garden and long operating day with unusually specific inspected experiences, including yoga, an entrance library and regular local outings. The Good judgement in May 2024 represents clear improvement, while the remaining recommendations give families focused questions rather than vague cautions.

It should suit families looking for full days, paired morning or afternoon sessions, or pre-school-day patterns across most of the year, especially where outdoor activity and regular app communication matter. Families wanting very light attendance, published room-by-room detail, Halal or Kosher catering, or term-time-only funded delivery should examine the practical fit carefully before committing.