Sessional pre-school in Islington
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme
St Marys Church, St Marys Church Office, Upper Street, London, N1 2TX · 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 June 2023Reference 2734141Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 19 September 2025Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places27 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 25 June 2024Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
| Age | Per hour |
|---|---|
| 2-year-olds | £13 |
| 3 and over | £12 |
| All ages | £10 |
From nursery website, November 2026 · see the fees page. Price per hour is the day rate over a 7-hour day, from the nursery's opening hours.
Funded hours: 2-year-olds, 30 hours
Hours and ages
- Monday to Friday
- 09:00–16:00
- Ages
- 2 years to 5 years
- Weeks open
- Term time only
- Sessions
- Per hour
Getting there
St Marys Church, St Marys Church Office, Upper Street, London, N1 2TX · More nurseries in N1
Stations
- Essex Road7 min walk · 0.3 miles
- Angel12 min walk · 0.5 miles
- Highbury & Islington14 min walk · 0.6 miles
Buses
17 bus stops within 400 m, including Packington Street, St Mary's Church and Cross Street.
Parks and playgrounds
- Andersons Square3 min walk
- Pleasant Place Garden3 min walk
- Gibson Square5 min walk
- Dibden Street Triangle5 min walk
- Islington Green5 min walk
- Pocket 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 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
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Write a reviewAbout St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme is a sessional pre-school at St Marys Church, St Marys Church Office, Upper Street, London, N1 2TX, in Islington. It is registered for 27 children and takes children aged 2 years to 5 years. It opens 09:00–16:00, Mon–Fri, term time only. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in September 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 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
Its website says the nursery's approach is a faith-based ethos. In its 2025 Ofsted inspection, the nursery was rated Good for overall effectiveness and Good for quality of education.
- Faith-based ethosSource: nursery website
Food
Meals are not included in the fees. Its website says parents provide a packed lunch, and healthy snacks are provided.
- Parents provide packed lunchSource: nursery website
- Healthy snacks providedSource: nursery website
Care and routines
- Flexible sessionsSource: nursery website
- Term-time onlySource: nursery website
- Half-day sessionsSource: nursery website
Safety
Ofsted 2025 judged safeguarding effective.
Getting a place
Its website says families book a visit, then register on the bookings database with their child's details. The team then discusses places and start dates, and future-term applications go by deadline. Once offered a place, parents complete the registration form; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Preschool and PlayschemeThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | 09:00–16:00 | 2–5 yrs | This nursery |
| Islington Square Day Nursery and Pre-schoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 3 mo–5 yrs | under 0.1 miles |
| Be Me Day Nursery AngelFull-day nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | not shared yet | under 0.1 miles |
| MEplace IslingtonFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 9 mo–5 yrs | 0.1 miles |
| Les Petites Etoiles Bilingual Montessori – AngelFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | 1–4 yrs | 0.1 miles |
| Packington Children's CentreFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | 08:00–18:00 | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| Nanny Jane's NurseryFull-day nursery | Report card 2026 | not shared yet | 07:30–18:30 | 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 Islington9
- All nurseries in Islington79
- All nurseries in N130
- Nurseries near Essex Road station
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- St Mary's CofE Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2023 under 0.1 miles
- William Tyndale Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Outstanding; Personal development: Outstanding; Leadership and management: Goodinspected November 2024 0.2 miles
- Richard Cloudesley School ages 2–19has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Outstandinginspected October 2023 0.2 miles
- New River College Primary ages 5–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected June 2023 0.3 miles
- St John Evangelist Catholic Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected April 2024 0.4 miles
- Thornhill Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected November 2022 0.4 miles
- Laycock Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected June 2024 0.4 miles
- Canonbury Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected October 2022 0.4 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.
How much does St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme cost?
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme publishes these fees: per hour £13 for 2-year-olds, per hour £12 for 3 and over and per hour £10 for all ages (nursery website, November 2026). Funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare can reduce what you pay.
Does St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme offer 30 funded hours?
Yes. St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme offers the 30 funded hours for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds.
Does St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme take funded 2-year-olds?
Yes. St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme offers funded places for eligible 2-year-olds.
What are St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme's opening hours?
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme opens 09:00–16:00, Mon–Fri.
Is St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme open all year?
No. St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme is open term time only.
What ages does St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme take?
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme takes children aged 2 years to 5 years.
What is St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme Good at its inspection on 19 September 2025, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme take?
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme is registered with Ofsted for up to 27 children at any one time.
Are meals included at St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme?
Meals are not included in the fees at St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme.
What approach does St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme follow?
St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme's website describes its approach as: Faith-based ethos.
What is the nearest station to St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme?
Essex Road is the nearest station we know of, 0.3 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact St Mary's Preschool and Playscheme?
You can call 020 7704 2873 and visit www.stmaryislington.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 (www.stmaryislington.org) · 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
- From the nursery's website, with the page link and date checked
Last checked 12 November 2026 · Ofsted URN 2734141 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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