Food
Breakfast, home cooked lunch and tea, fruit and snacks are included for ages 0-3 years. For 3+ years, meals/snacks are charged at £10.00 per day on days free hours are attended.
Arc Nursery
Ofsted: Good
(Jun 2024)
Number of places
59 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2024
Local authority
Southwark
About this day nursery
Arc Nursery provides high-quality weekday childcare in Southwark, SE1, for children aged 3 months up to 5 years. As a not-for-profit charity with a strong family ethos, the nursery focuses on cultivating curious, kind, and confident children, preparing them for school.
The facility boasts a detached two-storey building with both a ground floor outdoor garden and a natural roof garden, providing children with opportunities for outdoor play, mud kitchen activities, planting, and caring for resident animals. Located conveniently near London Bridge and Borough stations, Arc Nursery integrates the parent community to create a supportive and engaging environment.
They offer subsidised places and a sibling discount to ensure affordability while maintaining excellent care and education, adhering to a distinct set of principles in early years childcare provision.
Our ethos
Arc Nursery, a not-for-profit charity, focuses on cultivating curious, kind, and confident children by providing a supportive and engaging environment with ample opportunities for outdoor play and learning. They operate under a strong family ethos and adhere to a distinct set of principles in early years childcare.
What it's like
Children enjoy their time at this friendly and welcoming nursery. They leave their parents with ease and settle quickly into their day. Practitioners know their key children well and skillfully settle new babies. Children show high levels of confidence and display positive attitudes to learning, constantly engaged in activities and play.
Charitable StatusNot-for-profitOutdoor & Roof GardenFamily EthosSubsidised Places
Pricing & funding
The nursery offers full-day care only, with a recommended minimum of two days per week. Fees are billed monthly in advance and are structured by age bands. Fees include meals, snacks, nappies, wipes, and outings, though over 3s are charged a daily meal fee on funded days.
Funding accepted
15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
- Meals/Snacks (3+ years, on funded days)£10.00 / day
- Registration Fee£100.00
- Daily fee for Babies (0-2 years) - 2 days/week£121.22 / day
- Daily fee for Babies (0-2 years) - 3 days/week£116.33 / day
- Daily fee for Babies (0-2 years) - 4 days/week£107.76 / day
Good to know
- A non-refundable £100 registration fee and a £300 settling-in fee apply.
- Fees are invoiced monthly in advance and payable via bank transfer.
- A refundable deposit is required within seven days of accepting a place.
- Fees include meals, snacks, milk, nappies, wipes, sunscreen, and trips.
- Children over 3 are charged £10.00 per day for meals and snacks when using funded hours.
- Offers a 15% sibling discount on the eldest child and three swap days per year for sickness or holiday.
Key facts
Opening hours
8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except inset days, public holidays & between Christmas & New Year.
Age range
3 months to 5 years
Term time / All Year
All Year
Session types
Full day care
Established
2002
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Arc Nursery
Last inspected 19 June 2024 · Katie Smith
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
What it's like to attend
Children enjoy their time at this friendly and welcoming nursery. They leave their parents with ease and settle quickly into their day. Practitioners know their key children well and skillfully settle new babies. Children show high levels of confidence and display positive attitudes to learning, constantly engaged in activities and play.
Inspector highlights
- Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery and effective oversight of daily management.
- All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their development.
- Practitioners understand the importance of promoting children's language and communication skills, using various methods to support them.
- Children's physical development is supported well with daily indoor and outdoor activities and access to various equipment.
- Children benefit from sessions from outside agencies, such as yoga, music and movement, and sports.
Areas to develop
- 1support children further to develop their independence consistently.
- 2support practitioners to use behaviour management strategies consistently to build on children's understanding of behaviour expectations, in particular the younger children.
Inspection #10349163 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress in their development. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) supports children well, helping practitioners create and carry out care plans with key children and working closely with parents and other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and dieticians, to ensure a consistent approach.
Outdoor space
Children's physical development is supported well. Practitioners ensure that all children benefit from daily activities indoors and outdoors to strengthen their muscles. For example, babies have plenty of space indoors and outdoors to move freely and they access equipment to support pulling themselves up, taking steps and climbing. Older children access outdoor spaces with a range of resources, such as bikes and climbing apparatus, and they learn to navigate steps.
Parent Reviews of Arc Nursery
4.8
(25)
Niki N
8 months ago
My daughter has been going to Arc since she was one year. She loves it a lot and the staff is very very nice. It feels like you are leaving your child with family.
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Ella
3 years ago
I cannot rave about the Arc enough. My daughter has been attending for 1 1/2 years and absolutely loves the facilities, the staff, the friends she has made and even eats all the food! The staff are incredible and show such care and interest in all the children. I really appreciate the information and updates the parents are given, along with the progress reports on my child. As the nursery is run by the board of parents it really feels like a community.
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Tom Wood
5 years ago
We're really happy with the Arc nursery ever since our son started over a year ago when he was only 9 months. After visiting several other local nurseries, the Arc stood out for the friendly, enthusiastic staff, happy atmosphere and children. We've been amazed by the energy of the staff and the range of indoor and outdoor (great roof garden!) activities the children get up to each day. Our son gets all his messy play done during the week so I don't feel the need to do it at home! When our son started, the management had just been replaced and the nursery returned to 'good' but the care we've seen has been nothing but 'excellent'. More than anything, I feel I can trust the staff at the Arc genuinely care about the children and they focus on a great experience, not just the paperwork and processes.
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Raymond Upham
5 years ago
After exploring a lot of the local nurseries, The Arc ended up being an easy choice. The staff are all extremely professional and focus on child-led, fun, experimental learning. Our daughter started at around 13 months and has thrived in both rooms, building great relationships with staff and children alike. Very happy with our experience over the last 17 months. Would add that the professionalism and flexibility of the staff in staying open to look after key worker's children and to continuously adapt to the evolving pandemic has been exemplary.
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Susanne Traudt
5 years ago
The Arc is a great nursery and our daughter is very happy there since the beginning. The staff are truly passionate about their work with the children and care a lot. Also they have rooftop terrace with rabbits which is a big plus In Central London. The meals are prepared every day from scratch as they have their own chef on site. I truly recommend The Arc and can only praise this non profit organisation.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Arc Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: October 2009
- June 2024Good
- May 2019Good
- December 2018Inadequate
- July 2018Inadequate
- January 2014Outstanding
- March 2013Good
- October 2009Good
Frequently asked about Arc Nursery
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