Full-day nursery in Newington, Southwark
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle
Elephant 1, 7 Castle Square, London, SE17 1EN · 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 2500613Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record2 inspectionslatest 18 August 2025Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places72 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
Inspection history (2)
Fees
Funded hours: 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 Southwark that publish fees charge £72.50–£110 a day for under-2s (11 nurseries). This is the area's range, not this nursery's.
Hours and ages
- Monday to Friday
- 07:30–18:30
- Ages
- 3 months to 5 years
- Weeks open
- 51 a year
Getting there
Elephant 1, 7 Castle Square, London, SE17 1EN · More nurseries in SE17
Stations
- Elephant & Castle1 min walk · under 0.1 miles
- KenningtonNo step-free access13 min walk · 0.5 miles
- BoroughStep-free access13 min walk · 0.5 miles
Buses
28 bus stops within 400 m, including Elephant & Castle / New Kent Road, Elephant Road / Elephant & Castle and Elephant & Castle Station / Walworth Road.
Parks and playgrounds
- Elephant Park1 min walk
- Falmouth Road Gardens3 min walk
- St Mary's Churchyard4 min walk
- Newington Gardens5 min walk
- Victory Community Park5 min walk
- Elephant Springs playground3 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 Southwark there are about 3.1 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 Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle is a full-day nursery at Elephant 1, 7 Castle Square, London, SE17 1EN, in Newington, Southwark. It is registered for 72 children and takes children aged 3 months to 5 years. It opens 07:30–18:30, Mon–Fri, 51 weeks a year. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in August 2025, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It offers funded places for 2-year-olds and the 30 funded hours for 3 and 4-year-olds. It has a Google rating of 4.9 from 9 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 website says it uses a play-based EYFS curriculum, and it names a sensory room as support. Its listed activities are music classes, children's yoga, dance and movement, drama and library visits. Ofsted's 2025 inspection rated overall effectiveness Good and quality of education Good.
- Play-based EYFS curriculumSource: nursery website
Food
Meals are included in the fees. Its website says the nursery has an allergy-aware kitchen, is a nut-free setting and provides healthy snacks.
- Allergy-aware kitchenSource: nursery website
- Nut-free settingSource: nursery website
- Meals included in feesSource: nursery website
- Healthy snacks providedSource: nursery website
Outdoors
Its website says the nursery makes regular park trips, along with local outings and trips.
- Regular park tripsSource: nursery website
- Local outings and tripsSource: nursery website
Settling in
Its website describes a six-session settling-in programme in which the parent books the first session and the key person books the rest. Early sessions are short visits where the parent stays, and later sessions see the parent leave for longer periods. Settling-in sessions are free, and the nursery operates a key person system.
- Key person systemSource: nursery website
- Dedicated sleep roomSource: nursery website
- Open all yearSource: nursery website
- Early drop-offSource: nursery website
- Late pick-upSource: nursery website
- Nappies and wipes providedSource: nursery website
- Settling-in sessionsSource: nursery website
SEND and inclusion
- Sensory roomSource: nursery website
Safety
Ofsted's 2025 inspection judged safeguarding to be effective.
- Parent app with daily updatesSource: nursery website
- Online learning journalSource: nursery website
- Purpose-built buildingSource: nursery website
- Near public transportSource: nursery website
Extras and activities
- Music classesSource: nursery website
- Children's yogaSource: nursery website
- Dance and movementSource: nursery website
- DramaSource: nursery website
- Library visitsSource: nursery website
Getting a place
Its website says to call or email the nursery to arrange a visit or book a place. The nursery accepts funded hours for 2-year-olds, the universal 15 funded hours for 3-4 year olds, and 30 funded hours for eligible 3-4 year olds.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Bear's In Elephant And CastleThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | 07:30–18:30 | 3 mo–5 yrs | This nursery |
| Rockingham Community Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–16:00 | not shared yet | 0.1 miles |
| Rockingham Community Pre-school PlaygroupFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 09:00–17:00 | not shared yet | 0.2 miles |
| 1st Place at the ElephantFull-day nursery | Good | £104 | 08:00–18:00 | 6 mo–5 yrs | 0.2 miles |
| Kido Elephant ParkFull-day nursery | Good | £105 | 08:00–18:00 | 3 mo–5 yrs | 0.2 miles |
| Ark Start GlobeFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | 08:00–17:00 | from 9 mo | 0.3 miles |
| St Johns Pre SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | 09:00–15:00 | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
- All nurseries in Newington8
- All nurseries in Southwark105
- All nurseries in SE179
- Nurseries near Elephant & Castle station
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Imperial Oak School ages 4–11 0.2 miles
- Victory Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected May 2023 0.2 miles
- Crampton Primary Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Outstandinginspected April 2024 0.3 miles
- Ark Globe Academy All-throughages 3–18has a nursery classOfsted: Report cardinspected May 2026 0.3 miles
- St Jude's Church of England Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Report cardinspected January 2026 0.4 miles
- Robert Browning Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Report cardinspected December 2025 0.4 miles
- St George's Cathedral Catholic Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected June 2024 0.5 miles
- Charles Dickens Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Standards maintainedinspected June 2025 0.5 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 Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle offer 30 funded hours?
Yes. Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle offers the 30 funded hours for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds.
Does Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle take funded 2-year-olds?
Yes. Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle offers funded places for eligible 2-year-olds.
What are Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle's opening hours?
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle opens 07:30–18:30, Mon–Fri.
Is Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle open all year?
Yes, Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle is open 51 weeks a year, closing only for short breaks.
What ages does Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle take?
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle takes children aged 3 months to 5 years.
What is Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle Good at its inspection on 18 August 2025, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle take?
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle is registered with Ofsted for up to 72 children at any one time.
Are meals included at Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle?
Yes. Meals are included in the fees at Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle.
What approach does Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle follow?
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle's website describes its approach as: Play-based EYFS curriculum.
Does Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle have outdoor space?
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle lists: Regular park trips and Local outings and trips.
Does Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle support children with SEND?
Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle lists: Sensory room.
What is the nearest station to Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle?
Elephant & Castle is the nearest station we know of, 0.1 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Little Bear's In Elephant And Castle?
You can call 020 7358 7860 and visit www.littlebearsnursery.co.uk.
Tools for parents in Southwark
- 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 SouthwarkFees by age in Southwark
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Fees, hours and features: the nursery's website (www.littlebearsnursery.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
- 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 2500613 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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