The Playhouse Nursery, located in a peaceful residential area of Muswell Hill / Colney Hatch, provides a nurturing and stimulating "home-from-home" environment for children aged 6 months to 5 years. This OFSTED-registered and privately owned nursery offers high-quality, affordable childcare from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday.
The nursery emphasises learning through play, adhering to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework to foster children's social, emotional, and physical development in an enjoyable manner. Facilities at The Playhouse Nursery include bright indoor and outdoor play spaces, complemented by a unique, purpose-built indoor soft play area that encourages physical activity, imaginative play, and social interaction daily.
The dedicated and experienced team is committed to ensuring every child feels happy, secure, and valued, contributing to a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all families. The nursery offers comprehensive care, including all extra-curricular activities, meals, milk, nappies, wipes, and snacks prepared by an on-site chef (excluding formula milk).
The Playhouse Nursery is conveniently located a short drive from Muswell Hill and New Southgate Railway Stations, and they encourage prospective families to arrange a visit to explore their facilities and meet the team.
Our ethos
The Playhouse Nursery is a family-run business that prioritises providing a safe, friendly, and comfortable environment for children and adults alike. They aim to create an atmosphere where children feel respected and can learn to respect others. Through diverse creative experiences, the nursery enhances children’s ability to socialise, be creative, express themselves, and develop. They are committed to providing a high-quality programme that is continuously improved following the guidelines of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
What it's like
Staff warmly welcome children into this homely setting, building strong attachments and ensuring children feel safe and secure. They embed routines consistently and use strategies to support all children, including those with more than one language, to learn new words and speak confidently. Diversity is celebrated and embraced, with staff teaching children about similarities and differences and giving them a sense of belonging.
Standard fees include meals, snacks, nappies, wipes, and activities, excluding formula milk. Funded sessions do not automatically include these items, so a session or daily consumables charge is applied to funded bookings. Sibling discounts are available, and fees are reviewed annually.
Funding accepted
Good to know
Food
Meals, milk, nappies, wipes and snacks prepared by on-site chef are included in fees (excludes formula milk). Menus are carefully planned to provide home-cooked, nutritious, and balanced meals, catering to dietary, medical, and religious requirements. Not nut-free, no pork. Fresh water is available all day; milk, fresh fruit, vegetables, and snacks are provided at break times.
Session types
Full Day session: 8am – 6pm, Morning Session: 8am – 1pm, Afternoon Session: 1pm – 6pm
Opening hours
8am – 6pm, Monday to Friday
Age range
6 months to 5 years old
Term time / All Year
All Year
Waitlist
N/A
Last inspected 14 November 2024 · Sara Vincent
What it's like to attend
Staff warmly welcome children into this homely setting, building strong attachments and ensuring children feel safe and secure. They embed routines consistently and use strategies to support all children, including those with more than one language, to learn new words and speak confidently. Diversity is celebrated and embraced, with staff teaching children about similarities and differences and giving them a sense of belonging.
Inspector highlights
Areas to develop
Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection
Parents speak highly of the nursery and how well their children settle.
They form strong bonds and attachments, and staff communicate well about what the children have been learning and their routines.
They enjoy receiving regular updates and newsletters, and can really see the progress their children are making, particularly in their communication skills.
Inclusion & environment
Leaders and managers plan a clear and ambitious curriculum and help staff to personalise this to meet all children's needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, they do not always provide focused training opportunities to enhance staff's practice, knowledge and skills to support children's outcomes.
Staff plan activities to promote children's physical development, making good use of the well-resourced garden spaces and soft play areas. This helps children to practise and develop coordination and balance.
We absolutely love The Playhouse Nursery! Both of my children started when they were just 1 years old, and they have truly flourished here. The staff are incredibly caring and genuinely love my children — it’s so clear in the way they greet them, comfort them, and celebrate their little milestones every day. There are so many amazing activities and experiences for the children. They even bring in external specialists for extra-curricular sessions, which my kids absolutely love. The nursery also uses Tapestry, which is wonderful — it documents what they do throughout the week with pictures and lovely descriptions, so I can see exactly what they’ve been up to and how they’re learning and growing. The food is always fresh and healthy, and the nursery itself is spotless. The soft play area is excellent — no other nursery I visited had anything like it! It’s such a fun and safe space for the children to explore and play. I’m so thankful for everything the team does. They truly go above and beyond, and it feels like one big family. I couldn’t imagine a better place for my kids to grow, learn, and be loved. Highly recommend!
Read on Google
We are truly grateful for The Playhouse Nursery! Our child goes there with so much joy — walking in every morning with a big smile and coming home even happier. The team is incredibly warm, caring, and always cheerful. They welcome the children with so much love and attention. The atmosphere feels cozy and safe — like a second home. We deeply appreciate everything they do for our child every single day.
Read on Google
I had reservations about putting my daughter into any nursery due to her shy nature, however, once at The Playhouse Nursery, she settled in extremely quickly due to the staff kind nature and great practice! Management where also extremely accommodating, for example if I needed to place my daughter in extra days. Rooms where spacious inside and they also have an entire room dedicated to soft play , which she absolutely loved! My daughter flourished, thrived and hit all her mile stones the two years she attended Play House. And overall had such a great experience! She still talks about parts of her nursery experience to this day! Would highly recommend!! :))
Read on Google
Delayed writing this, but passed by the other day and remembered I needed to do this! We transitioned our son to this nursery after having a terrible experience at a different, outdoor school. I was VERY nervous to send him, hoping the experience would be different, and it was. Our son blossomed at the Playhouse Nursery and they exceeded our expectations both in regards to how they treated our son, their education, their care, and their professionalism. We would absolutely recommend this location to anyone and would absolutely choose this facility again. 5 stars are well deserved!
Read on Google
The Playhouse is a fun, safe, clean, well run nursery, and our daughter absolutely loved her time there. The staff are very friendly and caring about what they do, with a wide range of educational activities, games and emotional support for little minds to progress. Great nursery.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for The Playhouse Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Date: November 2024
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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
