Northcote Gardens, KU Northct Rd, Bridge Ln - which nursery? Post Reply

[SabineMum]

Hi,

Having narrowed down my search to these three nurseries I would be interested to get some current views on these (some of the posts re these nurseries on this site are now a little too old) before I go and visit them next week.

Many thanks

[Bubs]

I used Bridge Lane for my first daughter, and Northcote Gardens for my second. I liked them both.

Bridge Lane: wonderful garden area, truly caring staff (all long standing - and still remmeber my older girl if we happen to walk past), family feel, some good extra activities, a little chaotic feeling / looking, some staff's English isn't perfect but we only noticed this on the daily sheets, not in day-to-day dealings.

Northcote Gardens: much smaller outside place, probably a little more structured, daily trips up to the common, parents socials, more activities when the children are older (French, ballet, music). Admin / financial side let them down a little (lots of errors), very friendly and hands-on owners.

Really liked them both ! Go with your instinct xx

[firsttimerSW11]

I have a child starting in KU, Northcote Road in May. All I'd say is that if you are looking for a full time place you will need to book it in about a year in advance. It's about £1700 per month which I think is extortionate but par for the course around Northcote Road unfortunately.
I have no experience of it per se since my child hasn't started yet but certainly on the tour it looked fabulous, all brand new and the staff seem absolutely lovely. The manager seemed very popular with all the kids.

[Kate&Nell]

We used KU for 5 weeks as a temporary nursery as we were moving house. It was the first nursery my daughter has been too (9 months) and she really seemed to love it. The baby room does have a slightly chaotic feel to it as they can have a max of 21 babies in there at any one time but she loved all the activity and noise going on around her. The food seemed good, and they gave me a nice report after every day. All the girls gave her loads of cuddles and hugs and were very sweet to her.

After now having moved to The Gardens on Standen Road, Southfields, there is a very different feel. There are fewer children per room (12/room) and it all seems alot calmer, but although I think she really likes it there too I am sure she would have been very happy had she stayed at KU.

Two very different nurseries, both great.

[mumoftwoboys]

Hi

It pains me to post this but I have just found out that KU (Wandsworth Common) has just had it's OFSTED report and it has gone from Good (2) to Inadequate (4) in 11 months!!

My son has (thankfully) left as he has just started school but if you are considering this nursery I recommend you read the report and speak to the nursery about it and what their plans are to address the issues.

We are so disappointed with this report as we thought it was a great nursery and our son was so happy there. But having read the report we feel rather 'coned' by the place and wonder what exactly was going on there over the last year.

[sw11newby]

My little one attends KU Northcote Road and I am very happy with it. The facilities and staff are fab and she has a great time there.

Trust your gut and I would also advise you factor in the location / convenience as it is surprisingly time consuming getting little people anywhere sometimes!