LEYF - Bessborough Nursery & Pre-School

Bessborough Nursery & Pre-School is a magical place for children. Despite being an inner city school, it has a sizeable, peaceful garden, full of brilliant, age-appropriate equipment and the children have outdoor time almost every day. The staff are truly some of the most caring, generous and warm people I’ve ever met, and I’ve noticed that staff across the entire nursery know the name of my son (and him theirs). They do different activities every day, from messy and sensory play to themed events and cultural activities. The children are constantly learning & seem to really enjoy their time there. The manager is often present during pick-up and drop-off times and is very approachable, friendly and professional. And the food is really good quality and varied, my little boy often finishes the whole lot and sometimes asks for seconds!

Great outdoor space and staff who really care about the children’s happiness and development. Bessborough gets everything that matters right. They do lots of messy play; the food is varied; there is genuine diversity among the staff and children.

My daughter has been at the nursery for two months now and we couldn't be happier. She is well looked after by the staff who are loving and caring. The children have different and fun activities every day which help them to learn. The rooms are spacious and well lit and the children are given good, healthy food. As parents, we receive daily updates on our daughter's activities and progress from the staff via the app or at pick-up time. It was a really good decision to take my daughter to Bessborough Nursery & Pre-School.

My granddaughter just started at Bessborough and the team has been wonderful. I have been amazed at the processes in place to safeguard children in regard to food, collection and the professional but family approach was heartwarming. We even got an Easter Bonnet starter kit which was sweet. I was gobsmacked.

The management is faultless, and the manager really cares about everyone, staff, children and parents in the building. There is a real sense of community and love here with many staff staying beyond their required hours because they care.

The staff at Bessborough Nursery are fantastic, and my son loves them. They are great at coming up with exciting new activities every day and encourage his own interests as well. They also have outside space so the children get outside every day. The nursery is like an extension of home.

Keep us well updated, and management is excellent.

Our daughter has started to go to this nursery from 1 year old in the baby room and went through all the next rooms (toddler and pre-school) in the past 2 years. Teachers always go the extra mile and they do so many activities with the kids. They are spending a lot of time in the large garden which we like a lot. They log in an app for everything they do throughout the day which is really reassuring as well.

All the team are both smiley and kind but also seem professional and organised, which I really like. The garden facility is great also and they have really engaging activities throughout the day.

Although the nursery is rather scruffy on the first appearance with potholes that are difficult to navigate by buggy, we were initially happy with the caring environment and kindly staff in the baby room. The best feature is the generous outdoor space. Sadly, staff turnover eventually ruined our time there. Our initial key carer resigned and then a few months the competent and charming manager resigned. This resulted in an unkind, officious, and overall disastrous period of management. We approached LEYF central management with our numerous concerns but received zero feedback (they didn't even bother to reply to us). After several exhausting months, we switched nurseries to a different nursery brand. We are so happy with our current nursery and relieved to have left LEYF behind.

The staff are amazing and take amazing care of all the children. My daughter is always extremely happy to go each day and is bouncing with joy when I pick her up in the evening. This is testament to the fantastic environment at the nursery and all the staff.

All in all, an outstanding child care provision that supports language and early years development through a consistent and engaging approach.

Bessborough Community Nursery is outstanding. My family is extremely happy and impressed by the level (high standard) of care that our daughter is receiving. From day 1 the team has managed to with our trust and confidence. Our daughter has made a lot of progress and is super happy. The manager and deputy manager are supportive of both their team and family. A huge thank you for the hard working team!

My grandson has been at Bessborough for just over a year now and he has come on in leaps and bounds. He is developing at a rate faster than expected and I believe this is because of the staff and LEYF as an organisation. There are so many stimulating activities to do and my grandson is experiencing things my own children experienced in reception.

My son is very happy at nursery - he enjoys the activities as well as the surroundings. The staff are receptive to any concerns and will work with me to help my son eg writing.

Bessborough Nursery is a wonderful welcoming nursery with friendly staff. My daughter was extremely anxious to start nursery and settling in was an emotional challenge for us both. Our keyworker was extremely supportive and caring and has helped my daughter settle into nursery amazingly. She now loves to go to nursery!

All staff are very friendly and attentive to the children. I am very thankful to them for what they do as all children are different and require a different approach. The nursery is always clean and the standard of food that they get is excellent.

I really like how well they communicate, with news letters, reviews etc, and even just the photos of the children enjoying activities. They are also always available to discuss any concerns or worries.

The nursery itself is well equipped, homely, light and airy and pleasantly chaotic. I especially love the outside space and how it opens right onto the rooms. This is something I didn't find in any other nursery I looked at and is so nice as they can go out in all weather, and I love picking her up in the summer and finding everyone still hanging out in the fresh air.

Our son is always very happy to go to nursery in the morning and walks in with a smile after a kiss and cuddle. The carers make him feel at home, the environment - and especially the large garden - is very welcoming, the lunches always get a thumbs up and a colourful description when we collect him, etc.

I am very happy that my daughter attends Bessborough community nursery. She is very happy to go to nursery every day. She is developing every day and keep surprising us with all the skills she learns from the nursery every day. I find nursery stuff very professional and I feel very involved and supported regarding my daughters care. Thank you very much for looking after my baby so well :)