The Muswell Hill Day Nursery and Preschool in Tetherdown

Andy ARK

a year ago

We’ve had our fair share of nursery experiences (5 in total) due to multiple kids, house moves & renovations. In my opinion, The Muswell Hill Day Nursery in Tetherdown is average at best – but at no point was my son ever actually happy to go. His new nursery he pretty much skips in. Tetherdown is not a bad place, and the staff are amicable, but it feels more like child supervision, than an exciting and stimulating place for a child. The positives It’s new & clean. The food is of a good standard, with extensive CCTV monitoring for child safety. The nursery has long hours of supervision. There are a few members of staff who shine. The negatives. Indoors – The kids spend a huge amount of time inside. Some of the internal rooms have minimal access to natural light. They are airless and during warmer periods rely heavily on AC units to try and freshen the air. There is a huge reliance on the ‘inside/outside’ room – effectively a room inside with some toys / bikes. There seemed to be minimal use of the outside garden and no trips. His new nursery has forest school once a week! It feels like it was easier for the staff to take them downstairs than the effort of taking them outside. If we looked at the nursery app, my son spent day after day inside. Staff – sadly they seem to struggle to retain the dynamic talent. Some of the hiring decisions and heavy reliance on unqualified support staff we were a little surprised by. We had little continuity of our key carer, with frequent changes, and there were numerous times over several years where we had no idea who our key worker was! Compared to other nurseries this staff dynamism was really noticeable. Communications – this deteriorated heavily over the 2 years we were there. In other nurseries there’s been near daily updates with photos and notes on ‘the app’ – here we went weeks without pictures or any information really on what they were up to. The staff have the potential to convey the energy of a place and that this is about to be an amazing day of fun and adventure for your child – sadly you never ever got this sense here – it was a place of safe supervision. If that’s all you need, then it’s fine, but there is a lot of potential for improvement and it’s not cheap. We were happy to move him.

C Romano

4 years ago

I felt very reluctant to send my son to nursery until I came across The Muswell Hill Preschool – it was the only nursery I visited that I felt excited about sending my baby at only 11months old. I thought it was the right place for us from our initial show due to the staff's professionalism and dedication – besides the great environment. This only confirms after starting, and I can genuinely believe Bowie feels respected, loved, safe and inspired with fun. He loves the food as well, besides having an egg allergy, which the staff takes very seriously! The team have made our son very settled, respecting his adjustment time, and he adores his key worker and the support team. We are pleased to work together with the nursery, giving Bowie the same message at home and the nursery in terms of validating his feelings, respecting his time and letting him lead the way whenever possible. We are delighted we found them and hope to have our son there for the rest of his nursery duration.

Aidan McDonald

4 years ago

We couldn't have asked for a better place for our little one to start their educational journey. He has been at Muswell Hill Preschool for over a year now, he has great mentors, activities all day in an encouraging, safe and secure space. If you're in the area, look no further.

Alpa Thakkar

a year ago

To all the staff at graygates day nursery , Just wanted to say thank u . I enjoyed my stay at the nursery.managers lovely and approcable children and top.and a happy place to bring your child thank u to all

Corey Dontino

in the last week

I am writing as a concerned parent to raise several issues regarding the current management at Muswell Hill Day Nursery, specifically in relation to Manager Feryal Yuksel. On a recent occasion, Ms. Yuksel arrived approximately 32 minutes late to open the nursery. This resulted in a number of parents and young children being left waiting outside, which was both inconvenient and distressing—particularly given the age of the children and the unpredictability of the weather. What was equally concerning was the lack of acknowledgment or apology upon arrival. Parents were not greeted, nor was the delay addressed. Additionally, I have become aware that snack time has been removed without any prior communication to parents. This is a significant part of the children’s daily routine, and any changes of this nature should be clearly communicated in advance. When I approached Ms. Yuksel to raise this concern, I found her response dismissive. Rather than addressing the issue directly, she appeared more focused on questioning how I had obtained the information. More broadly, there has been a noticeable decline in the nursery’s environment since Ms. Yuksel assumed the managerial role. There appears to be a reduction in staff, and several families have chosen to withdraw their children. This raises serious concerns about the overall stability and quality of care being provided. As a parent, I expect a safe, communicative, and professionally managed environment for my child. Unfortunately, recent experiences have not met these expectations. I urge you to investigate these concerns and take appropriate action to ensure standards are upheld.