Full-day nursery in Upper Holloway, Islington
Bowlers Community Nursery
81 Crouch Hill, London, N8 9EG · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Good
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
What does this mean?
This grade is from before November 2025, when Ofsted replaced single grades with report cards. The nursery's next inspection will give a report card, with a separate grade for each area instead of one overall grade.
Official records
- Ofsted registrationRegistered since October 1994Reference 131671Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 28 October 2024Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places36 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 12 May 2025Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
- Meals
- £4
- Meals
- £5
- Meals
- £5
Funded hours: From 9 months, 2-year-olds, 30 hours
Fees: not published yet
Thanks. We count every request and show the nursery how many parents are asking.
Nurseries in Islington that publish fees charge £77–£180 a day for under-2s (4 nurseries). This is the area's range, not this nursery's.
Hours and ages
- Monday to Friday
- 08:30–17:30
- Ages
- 3 months to 5 years
- Weeks open
- 49 a year
Getting there
81 Crouch Hill, London, N8 9EG · More nurseries in N8
Stations
- Crouch Hill7 min walk · 0.3 miles
- Upper HollowayNo step-free access18 min walk · 0.7 miles
- Archway18 min walk · 0.7 miles
Buses
12 bus stops within 400 m, including Heathville Road, Hornsey Rise and Dickenson Road.
Parks and playgrounds
- Crouch Hill Park1 min walk
- Elthorne Park5 min walk
- Avenue Road Common7 min walk
- Grenville Gardens8 min walk
- Hillside Park9 min walk
- Playground1 min walk
© OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026 · Powered by TfL Open Data, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In Islington there are about 2.6 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
Reviews on Toddly
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Write a reviewAbout Bowlers Community Nursery
Bowlers Community Nursery is a full-day nursery at 81 Crouch Hill, London, N8 9EG, in Upper Holloway, Islington. It is registered for 36 children and takes children aged 3 months to 5 years. It opens 08:30–17:30, Mon–Fri, 49 weeks a year. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in October 2024, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It offers funded hours from 9 months, funded places for 2-year-olds and the 30 funded hours for 3 and 4-year-olds. It has a Google rating of 5.0 from 2 reviews (November 2026).
A day here
Our summary of the nursery's website and Ofsted reports. Each feature links to where it came from.
Learning and approach
- Play-based EYFS curriculumSource: nursery website
- Nature-based approachSource: nursery website
- School readiness programmeSource: nursery website
Food
- Meals cooked on siteSource: nursery website
- Allergy-aware kitchenSource: nursery website
- Healthy snacks providedSource: nursery website
Outdoors
- Own gardenSource: nursery website
- Mud kitchenSource: nursery website
Care and routines
- Key person systemSource: nursery website
- Separate baby roomSource: nursery website
- Flexible sessionsSource: nursery website
- Settling-in sessionsSource: nursery website
- Small group sizesSource: nursery website
- Sibling discountSource: nursery website
SEND and inclusion
- SENCoSource: nursery website
- Inclusive settingSource: nursery website
Building and safety
- Parent app with daily updatesSource: nursery website
- Online learning journalSource: nursery website
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowlers Community NurseryThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:30–17:30 | 3 mo–5 yrs | This nursery |
| Margaret McMillan Nursery SchoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–17:30 | 6 mo–5 yrs | 0.1 miles |
| Hornsey Day Nursery - Toddlers & Pre-SchoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | not shared yet | 0.2 miles |
| Crouch End Nursery and PreschoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 07:30–18:30 | 3 mo–5 yrs | 0.2 miles |
| StarshineFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 6 mo–5 yrs | 0.3 miles |
| Blythwood Community NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| Les Petites Etoiles Bilingual Montessori – Crouch HillFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 6 mo–4 yrs | 0.3 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
- All nurseries in Upper Holloway9
- All nurseries in Islington79
- All nurseries in N826
- Nurseries near Crouch Hill station
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Ashmount Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected May 2023 under 0.1 miles
- Margaret McMillan Nursery School Nurseryages 0–5has a nursery classOfsted: Report cardinspected May 2026 0.1 miles
- Coleridge Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Quality of education: Outstanding; Behaviour and attitudes: Outstanding; Personal development: Outstanding; Leadership and management: Outstandinginspected March 2025 0.2 miles
- Kestrel House School ages 5–16 0.2 miles
- Whitehall Park School Primaryages 4–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected September 2022 0.4 miles
- The Bridge Keystone ages 4–19Ofsted: Goodinspected February 2022 0.4 miles
- Duncombe Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected February 2023 0.5 miles
- St Aidan's Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Outstandinginspected July 2024 0.6 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
Does Bowlers Community Nursery offer 30 funded hours?
Yes. Bowlers Community Nursery offers the 30 funded hours for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds.
Does Bowlers Community Nursery take funded 2-year-olds?
Yes. Bowlers Community Nursery offers funded places for eligible 2-year-olds.
Does Bowlers Community Nursery offer funded hours from 9 months?
Yes. Bowlers Community Nursery offers funded hours for eligible children from 9 months.
What are Bowlers Community Nursery's opening hours?
Bowlers Community Nursery opens 08:30–17:30, Mon–Fri.
Is Bowlers Community Nursery open all year?
Bowlers Community Nursery is open 49 weeks a year.
What ages does Bowlers Community Nursery take?
Bowlers Community Nursery takes children aged 3 months to 5 years.
What is Bowlers Community Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Bowlers Community Nursery Good at its inspection on 28 October 2024, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Bowlers Community Nursery take?
Bowlers Community Nursery is registered with Ofsted for up to 36 children at any one time.
Are meals included at Bowlers Community Nursery?
Meals are not included in the fees at Bowlers Community Nursery.
What approach does Bowlers Community Nursery follow?
Bowlers Community Nursery's website describes its approach as: Play-based EYFS curriculum, Nature-based approach and School readiness programme.
Does Bowlers Community Nursery have outdoor space?
Bowlers Community Nursery lists: Own garden and Mud kitchen.
Does Bowlers Community Nursery support children with SEND?
Bowlers Community Nursery lists: SENCo and Inclusive setting.
What is the nearest station to Bowlers Community Nursery?
Crouch Hill is the nearest station we know of, 0.3 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Bowlers Community Nursery?
You can call 020 7281 2832 and visit bowlersnursery.org.
Tools for parents in Islington
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in IslingtonFees by age in Islington
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Fees, hours and features: the nursery's website (bowlersnursery.org) · 11 November 2026
- Rating and review themes: Google · 11 November 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Powered by TfL Open Data
- Food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Read reviews on Google
Last checked 11 November 2026 · Ofsted URN 131671 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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