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kGems Day Nursery - Islington

Ofsted: Good
(Aug 2025)
·
5.0(10 parent reviews) ·85 St. Pauls Road, Islington, N1 2NA · Islington
Number of places
49 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Aug 2025
Local authority
Islington

About this day nursery

kGems Day Nursery in Islington provides a nurturing and stimulating environment where children aged 3 months to 5 years embark on their learning journey. Located near Highbury & Islington station, the nursery focuses on fostering curiosity, confidence, and independence through a blend of structured activities and free play.

The dedicated team, equipped with qualifications ranging from Level 2 to 6 in Early Years, prioritises strong partnerships with families, hosting regular parent socials and 'stay-and-play' sessions to encourage community connection. The daily routine incorporates fresh, nutritious meals and snacks, including a 'Fruit Market' initiative to promote healthy eating habits.

Children also benefit from regular outings to local parks, libraries, and museums, enriching their understanding of the world. The nursery offers specifically designed rooms catering to both babies and toddlers/preschoolers, with activities tailored to each age group's developmental needs.

Toddlers are supported in developing emotional regulation through mindful meditation and emotion coaching, while preschoolers engage in activities that prepare them for school, focusing on literacy, numeracy, and exploration. The nursery also emphasises ongoing professional development for its staff in areas such as paediatric first aid, safeguarding, and SEND inclusion.

Our ethos

kGems Day Nursery fosters curiosity, confidence, and independence through a blend of structured activities and free play. They prioritise strong partnerships with families and support emotional regulation through mindful meditation and emotion coaching for toddlers, while preschoolers are prepared for school with a focus on literacy, numeracy, and exploration.

What it's like

Children quickly settle and form strong bonds with staff, who are nurturing and provide praise, raising children's self-esteem. Staff have high expectations, and all children, including those with SEND, make good progress with tailored learning experiences. Children develop positive attitudes towards learning and are well-prepared for their next stage of learning, including school.

Strong parent partnershipsFocus on healthy eatingRegular community outingsTailored age-group activitiesSchool readiness

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)
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

Food

Meals and snacks provided, including breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and tea. 'Fruit Market' initiative to encourage healthy eating.

Opening hours

Mon – Fri: 8:00am to 6pm (51 weeks), with an early start of 7:30am available

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2023

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for kGems Day Nursery - Islington

Last inspected 21 August 2025 · Tracey Murphy

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

Children quickly settle and form strong bonds with staff, who are nurturing and provide praise, raising children's self-esteem. Staff have high expectations, and all children, including those with SEND, make good progress with tailored learning experiences. Children develop positive attitudes towards learning and are well-prepared for their next stage of learning, including school.

Inspector highlights

  • Children's learning is sequenced well, with staff planning activities that build on existing knowledge and skills.
  • Leaders recognise how to support children who may have SEND, ensuring staff are aware of strategies like Makaton and working with other professionals.
  • Children have effective communication, language, and literacy skills, supported by staff eager to describe activities and read stories.
  • Staff carry out hygiene routines with care and respect, promoting children's emotional security.
  • Leaders regularly review the effectiveness of education and the environment, implementing training plans and fostering a positive culture of continuous development.

Areas to develop

  • 1review staffing arrangements to ensure children always benefit from consistently high-quality practice
  • 2develop staff interactions to increase children's attention and focus on learning during activities.
Inspection #10412318 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents speak highly of the nursery, staff and management.

They comment that communication is very good, so they know what their children have been doing and what they can do to help their children develop further.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children are making good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders recognise how to support children who may have SEND, ensuring that all staff are aware of the strategies in place to support children, such as the use of Makaton signing to support children's communication skills. Staff also work closely with other professionals, including speech and language therapists and local authority advisers, to implement collaborative plans for children, benefiting them from a shared approach to their learning.

Outdoor space

Older children understand the procedure as they prepare to go on a trip to the local park, which supports their physical skills and learning about the local community. Children thoroughly enjoy open-ended play, such as exploring and looking for spiders and spider webs in the garden.

Parent Reviews of kGems Day Nursery - Islington

5.0
(10)
Alexa Philpot
9 months ago

A truly wonderful nursery! All of the staff are warm, caring and professional and our child absolutely loves it here. The space is clean and bright with excellent resources! They go on regular outings and have lots of incredible events too. Communication is exceptional with daily updates and photos and it is wonderful to read about what our child is learning each day. Our child has made incredible progress in all areas since beginning here, but most importantly is happy and very well cared for. 10/10!

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Gerardo Serrador
9 months ago

We’ve had such a great experience at this nursery. The staff are kind, supportive, and really engaged, and our toddler has settled in really well. We’ve noticed such positive changes and always feel reassured knowing they’re in such good hands.

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Chris Royle
9 months ago

Great team at KGems. We lived in the area for a year and our daughter attended from 6mo, soon after the nursery opened. Really convenient location, friendly and attentive staff, and nice quarterly events to meet other parents. Definitely seemed to be one of the more spacious nurseries in the area

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Emily Oliver
11 months ago

I live abroad in the United States and had a family emergency in London. I needed reliable childcare at very short notice. My son was used to being in a nursery. KGems Islington were able to accommodate my son who was 10 months at the time. He was there about 2 months. I found the staff very caring and warm, they did tons of activities including plenty of outdoor time, my son also loved the food which was very fresh and varied. He made huge strides in his development during his time there. Overall we had a great experience, I will always be grateful for KGems being able to accommodate us at such short notice, and providing an outstanding environment for my son.

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Sandra Niland
a year ago

The team at Kgems Islington are incredible! Our son settled instantly when he joined at 2.5years ( he cried at 90% of his previous nursery drop offs). He loves the team, is learning so much, they're supporting his development so well. They go out everyday, which is brilliant exercise for him and are great educational & fun experiences for him. They tailor projects to suit his interests and they're helping him broaden his food as he can be quite picky. Lately he doesn't want to come home so that's a true testament to how wonderful it is there! We feel such peace of mind knowing he's been cared for so well there.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for kGems Day Nursery - Islington. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

21 August 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

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