Full-day nursery in City of London
Hatching Dragons City
The Ironmongers Co, Ironmongers Hall, Shaftesbury Place, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8AA · 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 May 2022Reference 2668813Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 18 October 2024Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places60 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 20 October 2026Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
- Charge on funded hours
- £0.90 per hour
- Charge on funded hours
- £0.70 per hour
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.
Hours and ages
- Monday to Friday
- 08:00–18:30
- Ages
- 6 months to 5 years
- Weeks open
- 51 a year
Getting there
The Ironmongers Co, Ironmongers Hall, Shaftesbury Place, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8AA · More nurseries in EC2Y
Stations
- Barbican5 min walk · 0.2 miles
- St. Paul's6 min walk · 0.2 miles
- Moorgate8 min walk · 0.3 miles
Buses
20 bus stops within 400 m, including London Wall, Aldersgate Street and Little Britain.
Parks and playgrounds
- Postman's Park3 min walk
- St Anne & St Agnes3 min walk
- Church Yard of St Mary Aldermanbury5 min walk
- Princess Alice Garden5 min walk
- Smithfield Rotunda Garden5 min walk
- Playground8 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 City of London there are about 0.6 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 Hatching Dragons City
Hatching Dragons City is a full-day nursery at The Ironmongers Co, Ironmongers Hall, Shaftesbury Place, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8AA, in City of London. It is registered for 60 children and takes children aged 6 months to 5 years. It opens 08:00–18:30, Mon–Fri, 51 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, and accepts Tax-Free Childcare. It has a Google rating of 4.4 from 13 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
The nursery's approach, as named on its website, is Bilingual and HighScope. The Ofsted inspection in 2024 rated overall effectiveness Good and quality of education Good. Activities named on its website include music classes, children's yoga, language classes, dance and movement, drama, cooking activities and STEM activities.
- BilingualSource: nursery website
- HighScopeSource: nursery website
Outdoors
Its website says the nursery makes regular park trips and local outings and trips.
- Regular park tripsSource: nursery website
- Local outings and tripsSource: nursery website
Settling in
Its website says the nursery uses a key person system.
- Key person systemSource: nursery website
- Flexible sessionsSource: nursery website
- Open all yearSource: nursery website
- Late pick-upSource: nursery website
- Sibling discountSource: nursery website
- Holiday clubSource: nursery website
Safety
At its 2024 Ofsted inspection, safeguarding was judged effective.
Extras and activities
- Music classesSource: nursery website
- Children's yogaSource: nursery website
- Language classesSource: nursery website
- Dance and movementSource: nursery website
- DramaSource: nursery website
- Cooking activitiesSource: nursery website
- STEM activitiesSource: nursery website
Getting a place
The nursery accepts government-funded hours for working parents of children from 9 months, funded hours for 2-year-olds, the universal 15 funded hours for 3-4 year olds, 30 funded hours for eligible 3-4 year olds, and Tax-Free Childcare.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatching Dragons CityThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:30 | 6 mo–5 yrs | This nursery |
| Newpark Childcare CentreFull-day nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.1 miles |
| Barbican PlaygroupSessional pre-school | Report card 2025 | not shared yet | 09:00–14:45 | not shared yet | 0.2 miles |
| City Child NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 07:30–18:30 | 3 mo–5 yrs | 0.2 miles |
| Smithfield House Children's NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | up to 5 yrs | 0.2 miles |
| Golden Lane Childrens CentreFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| The Children's Centre Goldman SachsFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.4 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
- All nurseries in City of London6
- All nurseries in City of London7
- All nurseries in EC2Y4
- Nurseries near Barbican station
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Charterhouse Square School ages 3–11has a nursery class 0.2 miles
- Prior Weston Primary School and Children's Centre Primaryages 0–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected September 2022 0.3 miles
- St Paul's Cathedral School ages 4–13 0.3 miles
- City of London Primary Academy, Islington Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Standards maintainedinspected March 2025 0.3 miles
- Dallington School ages 3–11has a nursery class 0.5 miles
- St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected June 2023 0.5 miles
- The Lyceum ages 3–11 0.6 miles
- St Luke's CofE Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected May 2023 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 Hatching Dragons City offer 30 funded hours?
Yes. Hatching Dragons City offers the 30 funded hours for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds. It charges £0.90 per hour on funded hours for extras such as meals and activities.
Does Hatching Dragons City take funded 2-year-olds?
Yes. Hatching Dragons City offers funded places for eligible 2-year-olds.
Does Hatching Dragons City offer funded hours from 9 months?
Yes. Hatching Dragons City offers funded hours for eligible children from 9 months.
What are Hatching Dragons City's opening hours?
Hatching Dragons City opens 08:00–18:30, Mon–Fri.
Is Hatching Dragons City open all year?
Yes, Hatching Dragons City is open 51 weeks a year, closing only for short breaks.
What ages does Hatching Dragons City take?
Hatching Dragons City takes children aged 6 months to 5 years.
What is Hatching Dragons City's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Hatching Dragons City Good at its inspection on 18 October 2024, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Hatching Dragons City take?
Hatching Dragons City is registered with Ofsted for up to 60 children at any one time.
Does Hatching Dragons City accept Tax-Free Childcare?
Yes. Hatching Dragons City accepts Tax-Free Childcare payments.
What approach does Hatching Dragons City follow?
Hatching Dragons City's website describes its approach as: Bilingual and HighScope.
Does Hatching Dragons City have outdoor space?
Hatching Dragons City lists: Regular park trips and Local outings and trips.
What is the nearest station to Hatching Dragons City?
Barbican is the nearest station we know of, 0.2 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Hatching Dragons City?
You can call 0330 818 0066 and visit www.hatching-dragons.com.
Tools for parents in City of London
- 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 City of LondonFees by age in City of London
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Fees, hours and features: the nursery's website (www.hatching-dragons.com) · 11 November 2026
- Rating and review themes: Google · 12 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 12 November 2026 · Ofsted URN 2668813 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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