--- title: "1st Place at the Elephant Day Nursery, London | Ofsted: Good" url: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an description: "1st Place at the Elephant, a day nursery in London — rated Good by Ofsted and 4.3/5 from 12 reviews. See fees and opening hours. Compare nearby nurseries." lang: en-GB --- Nursery Advice: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/ Claim Your Nursery: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/claim # 1st Place at the Elephant Ofsted: Good (May 2025) · 4.3 (12 Google reviews) · 15 Hampton Street, LONDON, SE17 3AN · Southwark Number of places 100 places Age range 0–4 yrs Last inspected May 2025 Local authority Southwark ## About this day nursery 1st Place at the Elephant is a nursery located in London, SE17 3AN, offering early years education within a supportive community framework. As part of a charitable organisation, any surplus funds generated are reinvested into enhancing nursery services and supporting the broader community through their Best Start Family Hubs. The day nursery prioritises transparency, with all fees being inclusive of freshly prepared meals, snacks, formula for babies, and nappies, alongside covering the cost of any trips. They embrace the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and draw inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach, fostering a unique and child-centric learning environment. Beyond childcare, 1st Place also offers extensive family support, including various free courses for parents and carers, Stay & Play sessions, and specialised workshops addressing topics like infant feeding and parental wellbeing. Our ethos 1st Place at the Elephant embraces the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and draws inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach, fostering a unique and child-centric learning environment. As a nursery within a charitable organisation, they are committed to transparency and reinvesting surplus funds into enhancing nursery services and supporting the broader community. What it's like Children thrive at this welcoming and inclusive nursery where staff provide a well-thought-out, ambitious curriculum and children make good progress. Outdoor learning features strongly, with regular forest school visits and gardening activities that support creativity, risk management and exploration. Charity-run Inclusive fees (meals, nappies, trips) Reggio Emilia inspired Extensive family support Forest School ## Pricing & funding Funding accepted 15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs) 30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs) Tax-Free Childcare Pricing on request This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability. ## Key facts Opening hours Monday-Friday: 8am-6pm Term time / All Year All Year Registered with Ofsted 2023 Ofsted Inspection ## Ofsted rating for 1st Place at the Elephant Last inspected 13 May 2025 · Laura Brewer; Jo Geoghegan Safeguarding effective Overall effectiveness Good Quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good What it's like to attend Inspector highlights - Children make good progress from their starting points. - A well-thought-out, ambitious curriculum with strong emphasis on creativity and expression. - Outdoor learning is a key part of daily routines, including regular forest school visits. - Stimulating and varied indoor and outdoor environments with carefully selected resources. - Strong partnership with parents and proactive support, including guidance for home and outings. Areas to develop - 1 review the toileting arrangements to further support children's privacy - 2 focus staff supervision more precisely to ensure consistency in high-quality interactions across the staff team and to address any gaps in staff knowledge. Inspection #10382822 · Source: Ofsted View full Ofsted report (https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50279262) Inclusion & environment ## How they support every child SEND provision The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good; staff work in partnership with parents and make timely referrals to ensure children receive the specialist support they need. Outdoor space Outdoor learning features strongly in daily routines, including regular visits to the forest school where children develop skills and learn to manage risks. In the outdoor area, children take part in growing and planting activities such as tomatoes and aubergines, water plants, explore soil and engage in imaginative play mixing soil with water. ## Google Reviews of 1st Place at the Elephant 4.3 (12 Google reviews) Kate Newman 8 months ago Really great nursery with staff that go above and beyond to care for and develop children. My daughter had three extremely happy years here. I would highly recommend 1st Place to anyone looking for a nursery that offers a great start to the foundational years. Read on Google (https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m6!14m5!1m4!2m3!1sCi9DQUlRQUNvZENodHljRjlvT2xwdlNGVnJjRzk2WldWck56VldkaTFWTTNCMVlsRRAB!2m1!1s0x487604827fb86ba1:0x2c526bc1d0a5e96f) Ruthy a year ago This is a really lovely nursery. My daughter is very happy and well looked after here, all the staff are brilliant. Lots of fun and creavity at the heart of everything. Magic. Read on Google (https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m6!14m5!1m4!2m3!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnTURRazczZ2xnRRAB!2m1!1s0x487604827fb86ba1:0x2c526bc1d0a5e96f) Sue Tuttlebury 2 years ago Staff at 1st Place are phenomenal. My son adores his 'adults' and excitedly asks if he is going to nursery every day. The extra activities organised are fantastic, Inc. Forest School, trips to fun museums, visits from or to the different emergency services. We, and he, could not be happier. Thank you 1st Place Read on Google (https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m6!14m5!1m4!2m3!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUNqLWJ6NWhRRRAB!2m1!1s0x487604827fb86ba1:0x2c526bc1d0a5e96f) notty a year ago Hands down, this has to be one of the best nursery in Southwark. We visited serval nurseries and when we went for a viewing, my guts was telling me this is the one for our son. 1st place elephant is the right fit for my family and I. We can’t wait for our second son to start when I return back to work. I absolutely love the outings, such as forest school, galleries, musicals, visiting farms and the list goes on. The staffs are so professional and super helpful. Our son adores all his nursery teachers. Lastly, 1st place nursery provides this app called blossom for parents and it’s a game changer. It has all the information that I need to know when he’s at nursery, such as, what he ate, if there’s any incident or accident, the activities he did and that includes pictures of him carrying out his work. In all, this is a great space for young mind to flourish and I would recommend it for parents to take their children there. Read on Google (https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m6!14m5!1m4!2m3!1sChZDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUNMcWFMdWRBEAE!2m1!1s0x487604827fb86ba1:0x2c526bc1d0a5e96f) Ruth Francis a year ago My children had a wonderful experience at 1st Place with caring grown ups looking after them and engaging activities that followed their interests. I highly recommend to anyone looking for pre-school care in the area. Read on Google (https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m6!14m5!1m4!2m3!1sChdDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSUR6ajhMdnZ3RRAB!2m1!1s0x487604827fb86ba1:0x2c526bc1d0a5e96f) Reviews from Google for 1st Place at the Elephant. See all on Google Maps (https://maps.google.com/?cid=3193733565932497263&g_mp=CiVnb29nbGUubWFwcy5wbGFjZXMudjEuUGxhY2VzLkdldFBsYWNlEAIYBCAA) Inspection history Most recent inspection 13 May 2025 Good Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published. View full Ofsted report (https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50279262) ## Frequently asked about 1st Place at the Elephant ### What ages of children does 1st Place at the Elephant take? ### Does 1st Place at the Elephant have an Ofsted rating? ### What does the staff team at 1st Place at the Elephant offer? ### Is 1st Place at the Elephant a private nursery? ### How does the outdoor area at 1st Place at the Elephant support learning? ## Nearby day nurseries in LONDON Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to 1st Place at the Elephant. - Ofsted: Good 0.2 mi ### Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle London · SE17 1EN 4.9(9 Google reviews) https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/little-bear-s-in-elephant-and-castle-se17-1en-2500613 - Ofsted: Good 0.3 mi ### Hurley Pre-School Kennington · SE11 4PB 5.0(6 Google reviews) https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/hurley-pre-school-se11-4pb-144055 - Ofsted: Good 0.3 mi ### Kido Elephant Park London · SE17 1FN 3.8(6 Google reviews) https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/kido-elephant-park-se17-1fn-2567271 - Ofsted: Good 0.3 mi ### SRC Community Nursery London · SE17 3RJ 4.3(16 Google reviews) https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/src-community-nursery-se17-3rj-107458 - Ofsted: Outstanding 0.4 mi ### Toad Hall Nursery School London · SE11 4UF 4.7(14 Google reviews) https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/toad-hall-nursery-school-se11-4uf-144720 - Ofsted: Good 0.4 mi ### Rockingham Community Pre-school Playgroup London · SE1 6QN https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/rockingham-community-pre-school-playgroup-se1-6qn-107642 See all nurseries in LONDON →: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/search?q=LONDON ### Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details. Claim listing (https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/claim?nursery=1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an) ### Share this nursery Send to a partner, friend or family member. Share on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/?text=1st%20Place%20at%20the%20Elephant%20%E2%80%94%20on%20Nursery%20Advice%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an Share on Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/dialog/send?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an&app_id=140586622674265&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an Share on X: https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=1st%20Place%20at%20the%20Elephant%20%E2%80%94%20on%20Nursery%20Advice&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an Share on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an Share on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an&title=1st%20Place%20at%20the%20Elephant Share on Telegram: https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryadvice.co.uk%2Fnursery%2F1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an&text=1st%20Place%20at%20the%20Elephant%20%E2%80%94%20on%20Nursery%20Advice This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more (https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/about-our-data) Nursery Advice — home (https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/) The independent UK nursery directory. Built with Ofsted data, kept current weekly. For parents - Search nurseries: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/search - Parent Hub: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/parent-hub - Saved nurseries: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/saved - Compare: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/compare For nurseries - Promote Your Nursery: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/for-nurseries - Claim a listing: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/claim - Nursery dashboard: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/owner - Sign in: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/auth Browse by location - London: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries/london - South East: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries/south-east - North West: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries/north-west - West Midlands: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries/west-midlands - Yorkshire: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries/yorkshire-and-the-humber - See all regions →: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries About - About us: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/about-us - Editorial policy: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/parent-hub/editorial-standards - Contact us: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/contact - Blog: https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/blog - Data sources: Ofsted MI, GIAS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590427415951 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nurseryadvice-co-uk Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/NurseryAdvice/ Ofsted data & reports Inspection reports, ratings and provider details displayed on this site are sourced from Ofsted (https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/) and contain public sector information published under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). Nursery Advice is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ofsted or any government body. © 2026 Better Search Limited (company no. 17209315), trading as Nursery Advice. All rights reserved. Contact: hello@nurseryadvice.co.uk. Terms of service (https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/terms)Privacy policy (https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/privacy)Made for parents. ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "name": "Nursery Advice", "url": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk", "description": "Search and compare UK nurseries. Ofsted ratings, fees, opening hours, Google reviews and inspection history — all in one place.", "inLanguage": "en-GB", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/search?q={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "Nursery Advice", "url": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk", "description": "Search and compare UK nurseries. Ofsted ratings, fees, opening hours, Google reviews and inspection history — all in one place.", "logo": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/__l5e/assets-v1/18ee05cb-93ee-4d8a-b535-85644088f16f/nursery-advice-social-share.png", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/nurseryadvice" ], "contactPoint": { "@type": "ContactPoint", "contactType": "customer support", "email": "hello@nurseryadvice.co.uk", "areaServed": "GB", "availableLanguage": [ "English" ] } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#webpage", "url": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an", "name": "1st Place at the Elephant Day Nursery, London | Ofsted: Good", "description": "1st Place at the Elephant, a day nursery in London — rated Good by Ofsted and 4.3/5 from 12 reviews. See fees and opening hours. Compare nearby nurseries.", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/#website" }, "about": { "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#nursery" }, "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#breadcrumb" }, "speakable": { "@type": "SpeakableSpecification", "cssSelector": [ "h1", "[data-speakable]" ] } }, { "@type": "ChildCare", "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#nursery", "name": "1st Place at the Elephant", "url": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressCountry": "GB", "streetAddress": "15 Hampton Street", "addressLocality": "LONDON", "postalCode": "SE17 3AN" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#webpage" }, "email": "bbwcfc@1stplace.uk.com", "sameAs": [ "https://www.1stplace.uk.com" ], "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 51.491567, "longitude": -0.101122 }, "areaServed": [ { "@type": "City", "name": "LONDON" } ], "audience": { "@type": "PeopleAudience", "suggestedMinAge": 0, "suggestedMaxAge": 4 }, "award": "Ofsted: Good", "aggregateRating": { "@type": "AggregateRating", "ratingValue": 4.3, "reviewCount": 12, "bestRating": 5, "worstRating": 1 }, "review": [ { "@type": "Review", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": 5, "bestRating": 5, "worstRating": 1 }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate Newman" }, "reviewBody": "Really great nursery with staff that go above and beyond to care for and develop children. My daughter had three extremely happy years here. I would highly recommend 1st Place to anyone looking for a nursery that offers a great start to the foundational years.", "datePublished": "2025-09-10T20:05:31.651084370Z", "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@type": "Review", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": 5, "bestRating": 5, "worstRating": 1 }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ruthy" }, "reviewBody": "This is a really lovely nursery. My daughter is very happy and well looked after here, all the staff are brilliant. Lots of fun and creavity at the heart of everything. Magic.", "datePublished": "2025-03-13T22:36:52.598620Z", "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@type": "Review", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": 5, "bestRating": 5, "worstRating": 1 }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sue Tuttlebury" }, "reviewBody": "Staff at 1st Place are phenomenal. My son adores his 'adults' and excitedly asks if he is going to nursery every day. The extra activities organised are fantastic, Inc. Forest School, trips to fun museums, visits from or to the different emergency services. We, and he, could not be happier. Thank you 1st Place", "datePublished": "2024-04-23T18:22:33.993884Z", "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@type": "Review", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": 5, "bestRating": 5, "worstRating": 1 }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "notty" }, "reviewBody": "Hands down, this has to be one of the best nursery in Southwark. We visited serval nurseries and when we went for a viewing, my guts was telling me this is the one for our son. 1st place elephant is the right fit for my family and I. We can’t wait for our second son to start when I return back to work. I absolutely love the outings, such as forest school, galleries, musicals, visiting farms and the list goes on. The staffs are so professional and super helpful. Our son adores all his nursery teachers. Lastly, 1st place nursery provides this app called blossom for parents and it’s a game changer. It has all the information that I need to know when he’s at nursery, such as, what he ate, if there’s any incident or accident, the activities he did and that includes pictures of him carrying out his work. In all, this is a great space for young mind to flourish and I would recommend it for parents to take their children there.", "datePublished": "2024-06-20T21:47:21.690073Z", "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@type": "Review", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": 5, "bestRating": 5, "worstRating": 1 }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ruth Francis" }, "reviewBody": "My children had a wonderful experience at 1st Place with caring grown ups looking after them and engaging activities that followed their interests. I highly recommend to anyone looking for pre-school care in the area.", "datePublished": "2024-06-13T09:56:11.110075Z", "inLanguage": "en" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Nurseries", "item": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nurseries" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "London", "item": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/search?region=London" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "1st Place at the Elephant", "item": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an" } ] }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://www.nurseryadvice.co.uk/nursery/1st-place-at-the-elephant-se17-3an#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What ages of children does 1st Place at the Elephant take?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The setting takes children aged 0 to 4 years." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does 1st Place at the Elephant have an Ofsted rating?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The current overall grade is Good, awarded on 13/05/2025." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What does the staff team at 1st Place at the Elephant offer?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Staff support children with special educational needs and disabilities through partnership with parents and timely referrals for specialist help." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is 1st Place at the Elephant a private nursery?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It is registered as childcare on non-domestic premises and operates as full day care." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does the outdoor area at 1st Place at the Elephant support learning?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Outdoor learning is part of daily life, with regular forest school visits and activities that build risk awareness. Children grow and plant tomatoes and aubergines, water plants, explore soil, and take part in imaginative play with soil and water." } } ] } ] } ] ```