1234
1234

Welcome to

Mildmay Community Nursery

Welcome to Mildmay Community Nursery, where children and families are celebrated for their individuality. As a not-for-profit registered charity, we’ve been offering a fun, engaging, and inclusive educational environment since 1986. Our community spirit runs through everything we do, and parental involvement in all aspects of planning and running the nursery is key to ensuring we meet the needs of our community as closely as possible.

The nursery operates for 48 weeks each year, closing for six days at Christmas, four days at Easter, and two weeks in August, not including bank holidays.

We strongly believe parents have knowledge and experience that should be recognised and used effectively. At Mildmay we try to foster a collaborative environment where staff, parents and children can work together for the good of all concerned.

We are dedicated to providing an inclusive, supportive, and inspiring learning environment where every child, regardless of their special educational needs or disabilities, can flourish. We aim to identify needs early, tailor learning to the individual, and work closely with families and professionals to ensure each child feels valued, confident, and empowered to achieve their full potential.  Click here for further information.

Rainbow Room

Rainbow room provides a large, well-lit space for up to nine babies from six months to two years old. We aim to follow your child’s daily routine to help them settle in as quickly as possible, build strong attachments and feel safe and secure within new surroundings.

Read more

Sunshine Room

Our Sunshine Room accommodates up to 25 children aged between two and five years. We create an environment where effective learning happens naturally across all areas, as practitioners ensure children can play and explore, stay motivated, and have meaningful opportunities to be creative thinkers who express their ideas and make independent choices.

Read more

Tax-Free Childcare and Free Education for Working Parents

Tax-Free Childcare allows eligible parents to receive up to £2000 per child per year towards their childcare costs, or up to £4,000 for disabled children.  Parents set up an online account, and for every £8 they pay into this account, the government contributes an additional £2.

You may also be eligible for 30 hours funded childcare support from the term after your child turns 9 months old, until they start school.  The 30 hour entitlement is applied for 38 weeks of the year, totalling a maximum of 1140 hours.

If you are not eligible for the working parent offer you will still receive the 15 hour entitlement for all 3 and 4 year olds from the term after your child turns 3 until they start school, irrespective of your income level, benefit status, or family circumstances.

If you or your child receive some additional forms of support, you may be eligible for 15 hours early learning for 2 year olds under a separate scheme and you should speak to your local council and/or provider in the first instance. If you are eligible, you should still apply for the working parent entitlement, but you will receive 15 hours from each scheme (up to a maximum of 30 hours in total).  Please click on the link for full information and to check eligibility. https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

Government funding does not cover the cost of meals, consumables, additional hours, or supplementary services provided by the nursery. For this reason, a daily voluntary food contribution is applied on days when children under 3 receive funded hours. This contribution includes breakfast, lunch, tea, and two healthy snacks each day.

The amount families pay is set by Islington Council and is based on their income band, following the same structure as community childcare charges. This ensures that families on lower incomes pay less, while families on higher incomes pay more.

For children aged 3–4, a standard voluntary lunch contribution of £3.50 is included in the daily fee to support meal costs. This charge applies all year round.

If you are unable, or prefer not, to pay the voluntary food charge, please contact the nursery manager to discuss our policy and the alternatives available.

At present, the nursery does not charge for any additional consumables. Parents are responsible for providing their child’s nappies, wipes, sun cream, and other personal care products.

Our fee structure and charging policy provide detailed information on how funded hours are allocated, along with examples of how fees are calculated.

News

We reached a huge milestone in celebrating our 40th Anniversary at Mildmay.  Please click on the link to read the full article.

Islington nursery celebrates a major milestone of 40 years | Islington Gazette

We are a ‘Millie’s Mark’ accredited setting, which demonstrates our commitment to high standards of paediatric first aid training, ensuring all staff are fully trained and prepared to handle emergencies.

We have received the Mayor of London ‘Healthy Early Years Gold Award’, which is the highest honour given to nurseries for their dedication to supporting healthy lifestyles among children, families, and the broader community. This award highlights our comprehensive commitment to health and wellbeing within our environment.

We’re excited to share that we’ve earned the ‘Eco School’ award, recognising our dedication to sustainability and our commitment to teaching children the importance of caring for the environment.

Ofsted

Click here for our latest Ofsted report (April 2023)

Tax Free Childcare

Parents are now able to set up an online account where they can bank payments for childcare. For each 8 parents pays in, the Government will add an additional 2 up to a maximum of £2,000 per year per child. Families of disabled children receive help with their childcare costs to a maximum of £4,000 per year.

Tax Free Childcare is available to all families with children under 12, or with disabled children under 17, if they meet the required work and income criteria. There will be an upper income limit per parent of £100,000 to qualify, and a maximum weekly income level per parent equivalent to 16 hours worked at the National Living Wage.

Ofsted

Comments from our latest Ofsted report (June 2017)