Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School

171-173 Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9EP
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8.6 72 Reviews
  • Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School, London
Rated Good by Ofsted (July 2023), Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School provides childcare and education to children from birth to 5 years old.

The Nursery is in the heart of East Dulwich, not far from the station. It's a spacious nursery with separate rooms and gardens for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. The caring, dedicated staff have worked together for many years.

The children enjoy a varied and stimulating timetable - cooking with the chef, Zumba classes, gardening – every day is different! They also love getting involved in the wider community, taking trips to the local shops or visiting the elderly. They run regular quiz nights too, so parents and grandparents can join in the fun.

Teaching the children about healthy eating is important too. The on-site chef prepares nutritious and balanced meals from LEYF’s menu.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Carol Fuller (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 36

Registered Charity Number

  • 1072469

Total Places for Children

  • 87

Age Range

  • from 0 years 0 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School Reviews (72)

8.6

Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School has a Review Score of 8.6 (8.611) out of 10, based on 9 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School has 72 reviews.

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  • 72
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Reviewer Connection to Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School
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Total of 72, showing 1-20
Review from H C (Mother of Child) published on 26 November 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I now have my second daughter at Gumboots and couldn't be happier! We all feel so well supported and I feel super confident she is having a great time with the team there. Huge thanks to Leah and Mia especially who she absolutely loves! I would highly recommend and we feel very lucky to have a place
here.
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Review from J H (Father of Child) published on 9 September 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5
I've left writing this review for some time, and have since had other nurseries experienced by my daughter to compare it against. In many ways, this is a good nursery with good facilities and staff that care. However, it really suffered to an extreme level of relying on temp staff and failure to retain
permanent staff. There were lots of great staff that chose not to stay. Under different conditions, maybe they would have. I think the latest Ofsted report covers it pretty well. We had bad experiences like when our daughter was moved without warning into a class group months before she should have, and the general chaos during that time led to some very unwelcome situations and upsets to deal with. We have since tried other nurseries where their good management really shows. This nursery would have been exceptional with similar levels of good management.
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Review from M Z (Mother of Child) published on 16 April 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 2.0 out of 5
Low caring about children's needs, (like cuddles or support) belongings and state of the room. I often have issues regarding missing clothes, or wearing other kid's clothes or nappies.
Reply from The Leyf Marketing Team, Marketing and Communications at Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School
Thank you for your feedback and for bringing this to our attention. Our manager, has an open-door policy and would love to discuss this with you in more detail. She has already reached out to…read more
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Review from Mikaela M (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I feel very happy leaving my five-month-old baby in the safe hands of the team. She has attended nursery for about two months now, and I can tell that she's loving it. It is really nice to see how every one of the staff knows her name and is so caring.
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Review from Amy P (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son joined this nursery in January this year, and we really love it. The staff are welcoming, kind and reassuring. Our son has settled well and seems to really love the nursery; he has also developed well since being at the nursery.
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Review from L C (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A beautifully friendly atmosphere, makes the children want to hug their friends and carers goodbye. They have amazing sensory play, Makaton and learn to cook, make and play alongside each other every day. It's a wonderful way to transition them to school without it feeling scary, and it's wonderful
how many interactive parent days and feedback opportunities there are, as well as the app keeping us updated. We know our children are in safe hands, especially if they suffer from any allergies or difficulties in general, their menus also ensure that they are fed well and experience a wide variety of flavours and types of food. We feel very privileged that we can send our son here.
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Review from Nat D (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter started at Gumboots earlier this year, and we could not be happier with the nursery and the amazing staff! She is so happy there, she waves us off and is always happily playing when we pick her up. The staff have all been incredible. We feel so comfortable leaving our child with them - in
the early days it was really quite nerve-wracking, but they were so reassuring. The updates and pictures are great, and the children have such a lovely outside area to play in, and so many fun activities each week. Thank you, Gumboots!
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Review from Emily C (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Gumboots is a wonderful nursery. The staff are incredible - always smiling, always engaging. The activities the children do are brilliant and there is a lot for parents to get involved in as well if they want to (eg. Mother’s Day tea), but never any pressure to do so. Our daughter loves going to Gumboots
very much.
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Review from J S (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Lovely nursery and very dedicated staff. Pretty and large garden with lots of toys and space. They seem to do loads of messy play, engage with the kids and do fun new activities. My son is very happy there, and we’d recommend it for sure.
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Review from Jerome P (Father of Child) published on 10 November 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A lovely and attentive staff team, brilliant garden and fantastic menu. Great activities and events are planned.
My son loves it and comes out with so many things that he can only have learnt at nursery, surprises me every time, it's great.
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Review from Emily G (Mother of Child) published on 6 October 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We love being part of the Gumboots community, it has been a joy to send our two daughters there over the past couple of years knowing they will receive the best care and also the opportunity to get involved in so many different activities throughout the day. The staff are so caring and know each child
individually to ensure their needs are met. There's also a nice big outside space which our two love!
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Review from J R (Mother of Child) published on 4 October 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended Gumboots Nursery nursery since 2020. We have a very special relationship with so many of the staff here, as she started in the baby room and is now in preschool! They have helped her grow and develop in a nurturing and supportive environment. We are so happy with the level of
care, variety of activities, food menu options, and social outings she gets to enjoy. We feel very lucky that she attends and hope to have her other sibling join soon too.
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Review from Lizzie M (Mother of Child) published on 3 October 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Wonderful environment for children to play and learn. My two-and-a-half-year-old has been there for 13 months now and can't get through the door quick enough most days. He's made some amazing friends and adores the staff who work there.
The outdoor space is fantastic, even more so when you consider
the nursery is in London and they make sure they get outside almost every day - rain or shine! I've signed my second baby up to go when he's old enough too.
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Review from S S (Mother of Child) published on 29 September 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Such an amazing nursery! The manager and her team are so caring and thorough. There is no other nursery we feel compares! We even moved house and continue to travel 20 minutes by car to Gumboots because we love it so much! Thank you, to the manager and your team for everything!
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Review from C M (Mother of Child) published on 29 September 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School has been a wonderful environment where my two kids have thrived. Both are in full-time. My daughter has moved from the baby room now to the preschool room and it's been great to see how in each stage they have supported and nurtured her. She loves going to nursery! Also,
my son has recently joined the baby room and has quickly adapted and is enjoying the nursery experience as much as my eldest. Staff are welcoming and nurturing and kids are always doing great activities throughout the day. Definitely made joining the workforce full-time less challenging as I know they are in great hands.
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Review from Cathy A (Mother of Child) published on 29 September 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We love Gumboots - our son has been there since he was 10 months old and I can't rate the care highly enough. Interesting menus and activities and he has made lots of friends (as have we). He loves it, most importantly!
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Review from Anna (Mother of Child) published on 19 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been at Gumboots Community Nursery for 16 months now and loves it. I was apprehensive about her settling in a nursery environment given her sensitive side but she was assured and involved from day one. The staff are friendly and the environment fun and inspiring. We will be sending
our second daughter there too.
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Review from Nattalie C (Mother of Child) published on 21 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Gumboots is a wonderful environment. My son has been very happy there and is developing incredibly well. They are adapting their approach to suit him and have been very supportive and helpful with his dietary requirements.
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Review from Louisa B (Mother of Child) published on 18 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter and son have both attended Gumboots for a number of years and received exemplary care. The staff are always kind, patient and enthusiastic. The preparation for the next steps of attending school is also very well planned.
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Review from Chloe S (Mother of Child) published on 18 May 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery is excellent. My daughter loves the staff and they do great activities, both fun and educational, with the children. The staff care greatly about the children and clearly love their jobs.
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Current Review Score: 8.6 (8.611)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.6 (8.611) out of 10 for Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.5 out of 5 from 9 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.1 out of 5 from 7 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.509 for Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School is calculated as follows: ( (78 Excellents x 5) + (14 Goods x 4) + (6 Satisfactorys x 3) + (6 Poors x 2) + (2 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 106 Ratings = 4.509
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.102 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School is based on 7 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 3.7
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 87 number of registered child places is 17.4. 7 Positive Reviews ÷ 17.4 = 0.402
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (0)

Meet the Team (1)

Carol

Carol

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2014

Hello, my name is Carol and I have been the nursery manager at Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School since 2014. I am also a senior nursery manager. People would describe me as fun, passionate and dedicated to the nursery and to the children in our care. Our nursery is family friendly and welcoming, with a fantastic staff team.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School

What is the Age Range of Children that Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School accepts?

Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School accepts Children aged from 0 years 0 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School Open?

Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School is open: Monday 08:00-18:00, Tuesday 08:00-18:00, Wednesday 08:00-18:00, Thursday 08:00-18:00, Friday 08:00-18:00.

How many Children does Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School have capacity for?

Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School has capacity for a total of 87 Children.

How far is Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School to the centre of London?

4.7 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Gumboots Nursery & Pre-School has an Enhanced Service - more info.