Finding the perfect early learning spot for your little one can feel like a maze in this busy city. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed trying to track down the best preschool in London for my child while balancing a hectic work schedule.
You naturally want a warm, safe environment that sparks their curiosity and gets them ready for primary school. To make your life easier, I looked at the top early education spots in town to help you find the right fit.
How much does preschool cost in London?
The cost of preschool and nursery in London is £80 to £100+ per day for full-time care, with monthly bills typically ranging from £1,200 to £2,000, depending on the child’s age, funding eligibility, and location.
How We Reviewed
- Educational Philosophy: I focused heavily on the teaching models used by each early education provider. This ensures the school balances child-led curiosity with structured development to prepare kids for future classrooms.
- Financial Support: Childcare can be quite expensive, so I checked if these centers accept government funding programs. It’s crucial to find places that offer flexible payment terms or standard allowances to ease your monthly bills.
- Health and Nutrition: Young kids need clean spaces and healthy food to thrive during their busy days. I prioritized schools that offer fresh onsite catering and maintain excellent hygiene ratings across their facilities.
- Schedule Flexibility: Busy working parents need drop-off and pick-up windows that actually fit their daily routines. I looked for centers offering extended care options and reliable year-round operating schedules.
1. Young England Kindergarten
Website: youngenglandkindergarten.co.uk
Address: St Saviours Hall, St.George’s Square, Pimlico
Contact: (020)-7834-3171
Schedule: Monday – Thursday: 8:45 AM – 3:30 PM | Friday: 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM
When I visited Young England Kindergarten, I could immediately feel the wonderful family community vibe.
Because it’s independently run by a family, the environment gives off a much warmer feel than big corporate chains.
Based on what I’ve heard from local parents, securing a spot here requires early registration due to their massive popularity.
But beyond registration, everything after appears to be seamless. To help with this transition, they do a great job easing those initial jitters for new kids with a very gentle approach.
I also really like that they gladly accept both standard and extended government funding. This financial support makes their charming setup much more affordable for eligible working families.
However, you won’t want to register late if you plan on enrolling here. They cap their numbers strictly, so missing the deadline usually means you aren’t getting in at all.
Customer Reviews
Caring and very involved
My son attended YE in 2021 and I can’t praise this nursery enough. This is a wonderful place with caring and very involved staff, activities are varied and engaging and the facilities are spotless. My son had special needs and the nursery was very supportive and eager to include him in everything. He grew and learned a lot during that time while making beautiful friendships, we left because of a house move but wish he could have stayed longer!
- T D | Google Review
Great quality management
This is a fantastic Kindergarten Centre. The management, in collaboration with all members of staff, manages to create a positive sense of belonging with all stake holders which benefits all learners. Children learn through play throughout the day, and make the most out of both indoor and outdoor activities. The overall sense of order further testifies the good quality day-to-day management of the centre.
- Pravo117 | Google Review
2. Little Angels Nursery
Website: littleangels247.com
Address: 3 Perkins Square
Contact: (020)-3576-0144
Schedule: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Little Angels Nursery takes cleanliness to another level to keep your kids safe. They do weekly deep cleans and even steam toys on Fridays, which is incredibly reassuring during flu season.
I love their unique approach to healthy eating for toddlers. Instead of just being served plates, kids actually engage with the food through fun mini cooking classes.
Fees are good as well. Being able to stretch government-funded hours across the full year is a massive lifesaver. This flexibility ensures very consistent care for your busy working schedule.
However, keep in mind that you can’t bring any outside food to ensure allergy safety. To add to that strictness, they enforce a mandatory three-day minimum attendance that must include a Monday or a Friday.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic confidence-building and learning
Little Angels offers a small, informal family environment for children which suited our little one who was a little timid when I first returned to work. Two years on, our child’s confidence has developed fantastically well, making important first friendships with peers. He’s speech & counting is excellent and his imagination has developed too . The range of food is fantastic and our little one has thrived in the preschool area particularly.
- Sara Maloney | Google Reviews
Wonderful, caring environment for children
We had a great experience with Little Angels. Our son has been with them from the age of 7 months to almost 5 years. We have experienced the baby room, toddler room, and pre-school. Little Angels provides a family-like environment with loving staff, fresh homemade meals, and many learning and development opportunities. The nursery is always clean and well-maintained, with plenty of toys, games, and books. Additionally, there is a little park/playground next to the nursery, which adds to the wonderful experience for the children.
- Elena Klimova | Google Reviews
3. Little Agnes Nursery
Website: littleagnes.co.uk
Address: 1 Spring Mews, Tinworth St
Contact: (020)-7820-1932 | [email protected]
Schedule: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
If you want genuine bilingual immersion, I appreciate that Little Agnes Nursery uses a strict one-person, one-language system. This setup means their native French teachers only speak French to the kids throughout the day.
Parents also consistently rave about the fresh meals prepared daily in their kitchen. The nutrition aspect here is pretty solid.
They also blend Montessori-inspired independence with curiosity-driven play, letting children smoothly lead their own learning.
After calling them about costs, I found out they offer fantastic financial perks to help out their community. You can easily apply for sibling savings, extended leave relief, and a discount for medical employees.
Just remember that they aren’t very flexible with their payment terms. You’re required to pay fully in advance each month via direct debit, and babies under two must attend at least three days a week.
Customer Reviews
Amazing and diverse range
The team at Little Agnes have really supported my little boy and our family with his development. They are very attentive, keep little ones stimulated with such an amazing and diverse range of activities. We have never regretted our nursery choice once (same can’t be said for other parents in the locale sadly). I would wholeheartedly recommend Little Agnes and will definitely send any future siblings there.
- Louisa Robinson | Google Review
Absolutely amazing carers and staff
We love Little Agnes! Absolutely amazing carers and staff, very affectionate and reliable. Everyone in the nursery is caring and friendly, the kind of environment you’d want for your child as the first place to be outside of your home. The nursery doesn’t have their own private garden but that doesn’t stop them to take kids for multiple outings every single day. In a way it works out well as the kids explore so many parks around the area. The nursery was very patient in grooming the personality of our little one in early years. I’d highly recommend if you are considering it. Well done Paty and staff!
- Ankit Soni | Google Reviews
4. Les Petites Etoiles Bilingual Montessori
Website: lpe.uk
Address: St George’s House, Crayford Rd
Contact: (020)-7099-0452
Schedule: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
After visiting Les Petites Etoiles Bilingual Montessori, I saw how smoothly they mix French and English into everyday play. This creates a fun learning environment, almost as fun as indoor playgrounds!
I also like that they introduce Mandarin to give children a valuable early start in global communication.
Moreover, they offer an impressive four-course organic meal served every day. These healthy lunches perfectly complement their structured learning frameworks and independent Montessori principles.
They’re also supportive of working families in the area. Because they stay open for most of the year, they readily accept working family funding codes to ease the financial burden.
The main downside is their incredibly strict enrollment commitment policy. You must sign up for a full term initially, and if you don’t give a long notice before leaving, you’ll pay heavy penalty fees.
Customer Reviews
Excellent bilingual daycare and nursery
This is one of the best daycare nursery / pre-school in the area for families sensitive to providing a bilingual education. The both curriculums, activities, trained staff are all excellent. The “family-sized” environment adds a human touch and provide great attention to children which makes the difference for early years. Big plus is the quality of homemade/organic food.
- Eléonore McCandless | Google Reviews
Extremely supportive
Our daughter spent two wonderful years at LPE. The teachers are extremely supportive, the lessons are thoughtful and well constructed and the environment is excellent. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
- Tommy Ricketts | Google Reviews
5. Phileas Fox Nursery School
Website: phileasfoxnursery.com
Address: St Mary’s Square
Contact: (020)-7723-2106 | [email protected]
Schedule: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Phileas Fox Nursery School’s second language immersion tracks stood out. Children can learn French, Mandarin, or Russian alongside English directly from qualified native instructors.
I love that they maintain incredibly low class ratios and provide a dedicated app for digital progress tracking.
Plus, they serve award-winning organic catering daily to keep the kids perfectly fueled.
The staff provides exceptional guidance to help families smoothly transition into top primary schools later on. To foster this growth, they operate in a beautifully balanced environment that provides individual freedom alongside structured daily routines.
However, if you need part-time care, this probably isn’t the right fit for your schedule. They demand a strict minimum of five morning sessions every week, so you can’t enroll your child for just one or two mornings on an occasional basis.
Customer Reviews
Foundation has set up
So many thanks to Miss Gemma, Evgenya to be so accommodating with little carmen! It was great to see how lovely they were and how much our daughter learnt the time she spent there!highly recommended and a gem in central london
- Enrque Morales | Google Review
Caring and welcoming teachers
Phileas Fox is an excellent nursery. We had both our children attend over 3.5 years. The staff and teachers are both caring and welcoming. However what sets this nursery apart from others is the language immersion. They offer a 50-50 approach, meaning the children spend half a day in English and the other half in one of the languages offered. We chose French and despite not speaking French at home, this foundation has set up our children to continue with the bilingual programs into school. We highly recommend this nursery!
- Aneeb Sharif | Google Review
