Full-day nursery in Upper Sydenham, Lewisham
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery
Sydenham Hill Community Hall, Sydenham Hill, London, SE26 6TT · 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 January 2019Reference 2515308Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 27 August 2021Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places58 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 28 November 2025Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
- Registration fee
- £50
Fees and ages: not published yet
Thanks. We count every request and show the nursery how many parents are asking.
Nurseries in Lewisham that publish fees charge £76–£106 a day for under-2s (7 nurseries). This is the area's range, not this nursery's.
Hours and ages
- Monday to Friday
- 08:00–18:00
Ages: not published yet.
Getting there
Sydenham Hill Community Hall, Sydenham Hill, London, SE26 6TT · More nurseries in SE26
Stations
- Sydenham Hill13 min walk · 0.5 miles
- SydenhamNo step-free access17 min walk · 0.7 miles
- Forest HillStep-free access20 min walk · 0.8 miles
Buses
12 bus stops within 400 m, including Sydenham Hill Estate, Droitwich Close and Crescent Wood Road.
Parks and playgrounds
- Sydenham Wells Park3 min walk
- Baxters Field8 min walk
- Baird Gardens10 min walk
- MacColl Gardens10 min walk
- Horniman Triangle11 min walk
- Playground2 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 Lewisham there are about 2.8 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 Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery is a full-day nursery at Sydenham Hill Community Hall, Sydenham Hill, London, SE26 6TT, in Upper Sydenham, Lewisham. It is registered for 58 children. It opens 08:00–18:00, Mon–Fri. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in August 2021, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It has a Google rating of 4.7 from 13 reviews (November 2026). It is run by Cuddly Bear Day Care Limited.
Run by Cuddly Bear Day Care Limited (company), which runs 3 nurseries.
A day here
Our summary of the nursery's website and Ofsted reports. Each feature links to where it came from.
Learning
The nursery's website says its approach is nature-based and includes a school readiness programme. Ofsted's 2021 inspection rated overall effectiveness Good and quality of education Good. Activities named on its website include music classes and sports coaching.
- Nature-based approachSource: nursery website
- School readiness programmeSource: nursery website
Food
According to its website, meals are cooked on site, with a vegetarian menu, an allergy-aware kitchen, breakfast and healthy snacks provided.
- Meals cooked on siteSource: nursery website
- Vegetarian menuSource: nursery website
- Allergy-aware kitchenSource: nursery website
- Breakfast providedSource: nursery website
- Healthy snacks providedSource: nursery website
Outdoors
Its website says the nursery has its own garden, daily outdoor play and an outdoor classroom. It also lists regular park trips and local outings and trips.
- Own gardenSource: nursery website
- Daily outdoor playSource: nursery website
- Outdoor classroomSource: nursery website
- Regular park tripsSource: nursery website
- Local outings and tripsSource: nursery website
Settling in
After a place is accepted, staff plan settling sessions with the family and discuss the child's routines and interests. Sessions start short and get longer over the week, with updates on how the child is settling, before full days begin. Care details on its website include a key person system and settling-in sessions.
- Key person systemSource: nursery website
- Settling-in sessionsSource: nursery website
Safety
Ofsted's 2021 inspection judged safeguarding to be effective.
Extras and activities
- Music classesSource: nursery website
- Sports coachingSource: nursery website
Getting a place
To apply, families register their interest via the online form, book a nursery tour and, optionally, join the waiting list by completing its form and paying the £50 registration fee, which must be paid before applications. The nursery has a waiting list. Accepted places are confirmed in writing, with a deposit of a month's fees and completed registration forms.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuddly Bear Day Care NurseryThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Lammas Green NurserySessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.2 miles |
| Cherish Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 6 mo–5 yrs | 0.4 miles |
| Cuddly Bear Day Care LtdFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | not shared yet | 0.4 miles |
| Dulwich Montessori Nursery SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–15:00 | 1–5 yrs | 0.5 miles |
| Munchkin Sports Sydenham High Holiday CampFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.5 miles |
| Creative Stars Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 3 mo–4 yrs | 0.5 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
- All nurseries in Upper Sydenham5
- All nurseries in Lewisham134
- All nurseries in SE2610
- Nurseries near Sydenham Hill station
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Kelvin Grove Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected June 2023 0.2 miles
- Eliot Bank Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected April 2023 0.4 miles
- Sydenham & Dulwich Girls GDST ages 4–19 0.5 miles
- Dulwich Wood Nursery School Nurseryages 2–5has a nursery classOfsted: Report cardinspected February 2026 0.5 miles
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected February 2024 0.5 miles
- St Bartholomews's Church of England Primary School Primaryages 5–11Ofsted: Goodinspected July 2023 0.6 miles
- Dulwich Wood Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Goodinspected July 2022 0.6 miles
- Dulwich Prep & Senior ages 2–16has a nursery class 0.7 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.
What are Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery's opening hours?
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery opens 08:00–18:00, Mon–Fri.
What is Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery Good at its inspection on 27 August 2021, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery take?
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery is registered with Ofsted for up to 58 children at any one time.
Is there a registration fee or deposit at Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery?
Yes. Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery lists a registration fee of £50.
Who runs Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery?
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery is run by Cuddly Bear Day Care Limited, which runs 3 nurseries.
What approach does Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery follow?
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery's website describes its approach as: Nature-based approach and School readiness programme.
Does Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery have outdoor space?
Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery lists: Own garden, Daily outdoor play, Outdoor classroom, Regular park trips and Local outings and trips.
What is the nearest station to Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery?
Sydenham Hill is the nearest station we know of, 0.5 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Cuddly Bear Day Care Nursery?
You can call 020 8299 6997 and visit www.cuddlybeardaycare.co.uk.
Tools for parents in Lewisham
- 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 LewishamFees by age in Lewisham
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Fees, hours and features: the nursery's website (www.cuddlybeardaycare.co.uk) · 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 2515308 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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