Description
Contact Information
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Phone Number020 8616 1870
Categories
Details
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Group/OwnerRaphael Nursery Ltd
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Person in ChargeColette Creasy (Manager)
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Number of Staff16
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When ClosedBank Holidays
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Type of ServiceDay Nursery – Privately Owned Open all year Full Day Care Sessional Day Care
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Total Places for children40
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Age rangefrom 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months
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Opening DaysMon-Fri
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Opening Hours0800-1800
Sophie G
April 3, 2018 at 12:00 amMy daughter joined the nursery at 11 months and is thriving and incredibly happy at almost 3 years old now. The staff are very friendly at the nursery and my daughter absolutely loves them. Not only do they give the usual daily feedback, they are helpful in guiding a new parent with areas such as potty training, sleep problems, guidance on which areas your child is or is not progressing in.
The small nature of the nursery means all the kids and carers know each other well and get on with each other well too (often with shrieks of delight when they arrive one by one in the mornings)! The owners are very attentive and listen to parents, taking on-board any suggestions. Given my daughter’s progression and happiness at the nursery I would highly recommend Montessori Des Sourires to any new parent looking for nursery. The settling in period was incredibly comforting and taken very seriously for a new parent too, which I found very supportive. My daughter will happily stay there until she is old enough for school.
France M
April 4, 2018 at 12:00 amWe live around the area. This nursery is a first choice because it provides French bilingual education and Montessori on the top of the normal nursery services. So it was really an obvious choice for us even if we are not French. Our child thrives and is making very good progress. Very family friendly with loving staff.
John C
January 19, 2020 at 12:00 amThis nursery has been a stepping stone for my child. We were hesitant at the beginning as we are both English but our child is now able to speak fluently in French and English. This is quite stunning. The nursery staff have been caring and loving all along so we would really recommend the place.
Julie R
January 29, 2020 at 12:00 amMy daughter attended this nursery. It was not the closest to where we lived, but it was worthwhile making the efforts every morning. The staff are very nice and professional. They provided the caring environment for my daughter that I really wanted. My daughter had a smile every day she came to the nursery. She is now at reception, and she settled very well. We miss the nursery but hopefully, they will have a place for our second child!
Marie L
August 27, 2020 at 12:00 amWe do not exactly live near the nursery but we really do not regret the time spent in travelling to drop our daughter off. It is a friend who recommended Raphael Nursery. It is such a lovely and warm place. The staff truly care about children to develop them. The key worker for my daughter was French and we had a wonderful relationship with her. Our daughter’s progress has really been stunning and we work well with the nursery to build bridges between what she learns at the nursery and what she does at home.
Stephanie C
October 14, 2020 at 12:00 amOur son has really loved going to Raphael Nursery. All of the staff were very loving and caring with Montessori, English or French background. He settled in well, bonding with his key person as well as the other staff and little children in his room and we have been very happy of his progress. He can now sing a few songs in both English and French, understand well the 2 languages and write his name. He has learned to listen and be in a classroom setting; such a great preparation for school! The mix of activities and unique ways of learning have made this space very special for us. We definitely loved this nursery and would recommend it!
Nischa U
October 14, 2020 at 12:00 amRaphael Nursery is a great nursery with amazing staff. Our little one loves it there and has such a great bond with everyone working there. She is also learning so much and comes home every week learning something new. We would strongly recommend this nursery.
P B
October 23, 2020 at 12:00 amMy experience of the nursery has been fantastic and we would definitely recommend it to others.
Warm and loving care.
Supportive and nurturing.
Unique ethos and values.
Very good mix of activities and supporting pedagogical materials.
It is a chance to have such a nursery around Clapham and Balham.
Tessa J
October 23, 2020 at 12:00 amWe have been part of the nursery for a few years now, first with our son and now with our daughter. There are so many good things about this nursery, I couldn’t recommend it more! First of all the care the children receive is fantastic. The children’s days are structured and the variety of activities is admirable. The bilingual aspect is important to us and has given our children a wonderful foundation not just for French but for learning languages as we speak more at home. I truly believe in Montessori and it’s good that the education and activities are structured around the concept. The nursery has adapted very well to Covid and I feel confident in all the Health & Safety in place. There is a real family atmosphere around the nursery with wonderful staff. We are very happy at the nursery!
Sophie G
October 23, 2020 at 12:00 amAfter visiting a number of nurseries in the Clapham and Balham area, I was very happy to find Raphael Nursery. The staff are dedicated and have a great rapport with the children. The bilingual aspect was a real bonus and my son now understands French, which is fantastic. Although there are free play and a wide range of activities on offer, they provide focus activities, teaching the children fine motor skills and preparing the children for entry to Primary School.
My son started at the age of 8 months and loved it. He left at the end of the year to move to school and the transition has been very easy for him as he was used to a structured day. The offer of extended hours is also brilliant for working parents. I always recommend the nursery to parents in the area. A big thank you to Raphael Nursery for looking after our son so well and for getting him ready for the next stage.
Ian G
January 12, 2021 at 12:00 amOur daughter attended Raphael Nursery for 2 years and we have nothing but positive things to say about her time there.
The staff are so kind and welcoming, we always felt like we were dropping our daughter off with extended family. They would always welcome the children in the morning with a smile on their faces, and those smiles were still there at the end of the day when through feedback was given about what they had been up to that day.
Despite a challenging year with COVID lockdowns and changes to the way things have to be done, the owners handled everything very well, ensuring the staff were looked after and the children were able to return to a safe environment with minimal disruption.
We always speak highly of our daughters time at the nursery, and so does she. Lots of great memories made, and her development in that time has been amazing.
Thank you to the owners, the management, and all the staff that make it such a great nursery.
Sarah W
March 28, 2021 at 12:00 amWe’ve had the most wonderful experience having our little girl in Raphael Nursery. From the start, the communication and admin for admission was brilliant. Despite the pandemic and all that they’ve had to endure, the team welcomed our daughter in and made her feel safe. Within no time at all she was so happy and began thriving in both learning and developing her own personality. The team are excellent. They truly care and the manager is an outstanding manager. In addition, the daily activities are so well planned and presented, the children do seem to have such fun learning and playing. We were always impressed with meals and the fact that they’re all home cooked on site. We’re so glad that we were able to spend the time that we did with Raphael Nursery before relocation sadly moved us away. I highly recommend Raphael Nursery. They are excellent!
Mariana M
April 8, 2021 at 12:00 amI am grateful for the team of carers that took care of my child when I couldn’t. The carers not only encouraged her development but it was also clear how she took to them and how they cared for her. The nursery is a safe space for her to explore and grow independently, partly because of the Montessori method, as well as for me to be part of her implementing a healthy routine. As a bilingual portfolio, it was crucial for us to have her in contact with both the English and French languages and we can see daily the results of that exposure in her daily life. The carers and the space of the nursery are a big part of my child’s attitude and happiness. We couldn’t be happier or trust them more, so thank you.
A G
December 24, 2021 at 12:00 amRaphael’s was the first nursery that our daughter started off at and they provided excellent support in settling her in. The staff are very welcoming and were extremely attentive to our daughter so much so that she seemed to prefer being at nursery after only a couple of weeks!
We cannot recommend Raphael’s Nursery enough!
E R
March 20, 2022 at 12:00 amMy son loves nursery, and what more can you ask for? The staff are lovely and have got to know him really well, and he greets them happily every day. The activities are a real range with plenty of messy play/learning and outdoor roaming in the garden. We then get a cute report and pictures at the end of each day. I am really pleased we chose Raphael’s!
B F
April 11, 2022 at 12:00 amVery professional and friendly staff, our little one took a lot of time to settle and everyone has been very nice and supportive. Now she loves going there and found lots of friends! Many thanks to all the staff!
S A
May 3, 2022 at 12:00 amMy son started here at six months and I was a bit nervous about him being the youngest in there – but the staff helped him develop so well! They are always very friendly and I can see he likes going there now as he gets excited to hop into his pushchair in the morning. Highly recommended!
Nicky S
July 9, 2022 at 12:00 amMy son attended this nursery from Spring 2021 to May 2022 and was very settled here! He particularly enjoyed learning French (there is at least 1 French speaker in each room), arts and crafts, playing in the garden and the food. The food is of a very high quality and low in salt and sugar. Snacks are healthy, mainly fresh fruit. It gave me peace of mind that my son was being fed so well during the day and kept hydrated. He is two years old now; he started at this nursery at 11 months and understands many French words. His English is pretty good too and he is starting to put words together to form the basis of simple sentences. The nursery ensures that the children go outside in the garden during the day to ensure they get plenty of fresh air and exercise. They do group exercises in the morning and afternoon, some of them are in French (all will be explained upon joining). I am very happy with this nursery and would highly recommend it. Merci B!
Tom W
October 23, 2022 at 12:00 amMy daughter attended the nursery for two years, settling quickly and feeling comfortable with the staff. She really benefited from being exposed to French and English through the various activities undertaken with bilingual staff. She really enjoyed the mix of activities offered each day and that their complexity increased as she grew. The well-thought-through curriculum balanced arts, music, play and sports. We were particularly impressed with the quality of food on offer and how this influenced her food choices outside the nursery (much more willing to eat fruit and vegetables). As she moved to preschool there were some nice trips to the local park which exposed her to the wider world. I would highly recommend this nursery, the management and wider care team are extremely capable and communicate very well. I never had any concerns about her happiness or safety while she attended. Many thanks again to the team for the love and care given over the last two years
Andrei B
July 18, 2023 at 12:00 amOur baby has settled really well into the nursery thanks to the lovely staff, who are giving the children excellent care and love. The process of the settlement has been very smooth and the staff and management have been amazing at keeping us updated during the process and answering all of our questions. Our son loves coming to nursery where he is provided with a very good variety of activities, helping him to make progress in his development. The children are going in the garden everyday and they sometimes take trips to the park, which is very important for us. The food is cooked fresh on the day and menus are very healthy and low in salt and sugar. They have also been very accommodating to our dietary preferences. Staff is making sure that the children are well hydrated throughout the day as well. We are having a fantastic experience with Raphael Nursery Clapham and we feel very grateful for the very hard work from the staff and management to make our little one’s day a positive one.