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Creative Explorers Nursery & Preschool - Hornsey Branch

Creative Explorers Nursery & Preschool - Hornsey Branch is a day nursery in London for children aged 1 to 4, with 62 registered places. Ofsted report card, 30 July 2026: Strong standard in 3 areas, Expected standard in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met.

Unit 1 Granita Court, 9 Cross Lane, London, N8 7GD

Key facts

Type
Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Ages
1 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered places
62 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Registered
4 October 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 06:00

Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 30 July 2026

Who runs it

Creative Explorers Nursery & Preschool - Hornsey Branch is run by Creative Explorers Hornsey Limited (Ofsted register).

Latest inspection

  • Inclusion: Strong standard
  • Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
  • Achievement: Expected standard
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
  • Leadership and governance: Strong standard
  • Safeguarding standards met

Source: Ofsted, inspection on 30 July 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children and families thoroughly enjoy being part of this welcoming nursery community. Children arrive eager to begin their day and are warmly greeted by kind, caring and attentive staff, who know them well. They quickly settle into the thoughtfully planned environment, where they confidently play, explore and engage in a wide range of experiences. Children investigate sensory trays, rolling cars through shaving foam, watering flowers and creating potions using herbs and spices. They also enjoy regular opportunities to explore the local community, visiting green spaces, feeding ducks and observing trains at the station. Leaders actively promote core values, encouraging children to be curious, kind, brave and confident. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement and enthusiasm as they investigate, discover and make new connections. Staff encourage children to have a go, persevere and believe in their own abilities. As a result, children develop a positive sense of self and readily embrace new experiences. Children understand the clear and consistent behaviour expectations established by staff. They demonstrate kindness and consideration towards one another. For example, older children thoughtfully nominate a peer to be the daily helper, explaining their choice with genuine care and respect for others.

Children's safety and wellbeing are embedded throughout the day. They learn to take increasing responsibility for their own health and self care, including reminding one another to drink water during hot weather. Parents are included in their children's learning through regular communication and positive partnerships with the setting. Leaders value parents' knowledge of their children and use this information to help reduce barriers to learning and support children's ongoing development. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance, enabling children to benefit fully from the rich early years experiences on offer. Staff and leaders maintain high expectations for every child and adapt support appropriately so that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can participate and succeed. Children's individual strengths, interests and needs are recognised and valued, enabling them to develop confidence and flourish within the nursery community.

What Ofsted found in each area

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a highly inclusive environment, where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported to achieve and thrive. Early identification of children's emerging needs is prioritised through ongoing monitoring, focused observations and highly effective partnership working with parents and other professionals. Robust systems ensure that barriers to learning are identified promptly and the provision is adapted swiftly to meet children's individual needs, enabling them to make sustained progress from their starting points. Staff demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of every child. They adapt teaching, resources and interactions with precision, so that all children fully access the curriculum and the exciting learning experiences available. For example, dedicated intervention spaces provide calm, inviting environments. Children use these to regulate their emotions, develop concentration and receive carefully targeted support to strengthen key skills and knowledge. Staff make highly effective use of visual timetables, familiar language and predictable routines. This enables children to develop independence, understand expectations and participate fully in the setting.

Leaders have consistently high expectations for every child. Additional funding is used purposefully to meet children's individual needs and support successful transitions, including providing familiar resources that children can use as they move to their next setting. Leaders work in close partnership with parents, sharing information and strategies that create a consistent approach between home and the setting. All children feel valued and become increasingly confident in their own abilities.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a secure understanding of the curriculum and have developed a clear vision for what they want children to learn. The curriculum is carefully designed to support children to acquire the knowledge, skills and experiences they need for the next stage of their learning. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, access all areas of the curriculum. Children are introduced to mathematical language and concepts through everyday routines and play. They benefit from frequent opportunities to develop their physical skills, including daily visits within the local community.

Communication and language are woven into the curriculum through planned adult-led sessions, enabling children to develop their vocabulary and confidence in speaking. Staff support children to understand and manage their emotions, helping them to feel happy, secure and ready to learn. Typically, staff tailor teaching to children's age, stage of development and individual next steps. However, the curriculum is not yet implemented consistently by all staff. During children's play and daily routines, staff do not always use their interactions effectively to build on what children already know or extend their thinking. Consequently, opportunities to deepen children's understanding and embed the intended curriculum are sometimes missed.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, make progress from their individual starting points. They generally develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for the next stage of their learning, including their transition to school. Older children recognise and express their emotions appropriately and begin to understand the emotional needs of others. For example, they show care and concern for their friends, offering comfort and reassurance when they notice that someone is feeling sad. Children become increasingly independent. Babies make determined attempts to feed themselves, while older children help to prepare snacks and take responsibility for tidying away after meals.

Children develop communication and language skills through a range of everyday experiences. They demonstrate curiosity and enthusiasm as they explore the enriching experiences available. Children develop a sense of belonging within the nursery community and confidently explore the local area, including taking part in regular litter picking activities. These experiences help children to develop positive relationships, gain an understanding of their local community and participate with confidence in their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children demonstrate highly positive attitudes towards their play and learning. They arrive eager to participate in the exciting experiences available and engage with enthusiasm throughout the day. Familiar routines provide children with a clear understanding of expectations and boundaries, enabling them to move confidently between activities and make purposeful choices in their learning. Staff are excellent role models for language, communication and respectful relationships. They interact warmly with children and each other, consistently modelling kindness, good manners and consideration for others. Staff intervene sensitively during minor disagreements, helping children to express their feelings and resolve conflicts successfully. Older children are supported to manage disappointment and overcome challenges, developing resilience and increasing emotional self-regulation.

Children develop high levels of confidence. Daily positive affirmations encourage them to recognise and celebrate their own character strengths, fostering a positive sense of identity and belonging. Staff maintain consistently high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff create a nurturing environment, where kindness and respect are valued and reflected in children's interactions. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality through rigorous procedures that support families to engage fully with nursery life. Children develop increasing independence as they confidently manage their personal hygiene routines and everyday responsibilities, preparing them well for the next stage in their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders provide healthy, nutritious meals and snacks for all children. Healthy lifestyles are promoted through sustained periods of daily outdoor play, where children are physically active both within the garden and the wider community. Children learn healthy hygiene practices and increasingly manage these independently. Children enjoy the welcoming and safe environment that leaders have created. Clear policies underpin daily practice and support children's emotional wellbeing. Children develop an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, toddlers enthusiastically apply their own sun cream, while older children learn about the importance of maintaining good oral health.

Staff follow safer eating practices and mealtimes generally provide positive opportunities for children to develop their independence and social skills. However, routines for babies are not always organised effectively. At times, babies wait too long for their meals to be served. Once they have finished eating, they remain seated for extended periods before moving on to the next part of the routine. This results in some babies becoming unsettled and restless. Despite this, staff establish warm, responsive relationships with children and remain sensitive to their individual needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities develop secure attachments with staff and their peers through these nurturing relationships, supporting their emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders and managers are highly committed and passionate. They have established an ambitious vision for the nursery that is consistently shared by the whole staff team. This vision underpins all aspects of the provision and creates a culture, where children are supported to thrive, achieve and feel safe. Staff ongoing professional development is a key focus. Leaders actively promote regular, high-quality training and encourage staff to recognise their own value and strengths as practitioners. Leaders identify some inconsistencies in staff teaching effectively and provide targeted support to strengthen staff practice. As a result, staff enjoy developing their knowledge, embrace new ideas and confidently put their learning into practice to benefit children.

Parents speak highly of the nursery and have complete confidence in the care and education their children receive. They comment on the warm, nurturing and responsive relationships that staff build with children. They value the new skills, knowledge and confidence that children develop during their time at the setting. Leaders recognise the importance of good attendance and punctuality. They implement robust procedures that encourage families to engage fully with the nursery and help children benefit from the varied experiences on offer. Leaders demonstrate a firm commitment to continuous improvement. They regularly evaluate the quality of the provision through careful observation, professional dialogue and ongoing reflection with staff. This enables them to identify priorities for development and continually enhance the experiences they provide so that all children develop confidence, acquire new knowledge and skills and are well prepared for future learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

  • Leaders should build on the already robust performance management procedures to address the few remaining inconsistencies in teaching and help children attain the highest levels of achievement.
  • Leaders should strengthen the planning and organisation of mealtime routines in the baby room to minimise waiting times, ensuring babies' individual needs are met promptly and they remain engaged throughout the routine.

Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 30 July 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Other nurseries nearby

  • Creative Explorers - Hornsey - Day nursery, London N8 7BS, 45 places, 0.2 miles
    Ofsted report card, 23 June 2026: Expected standard in 1 area
  • Destiny Haven Nursery & Pre-school - Noel Park - Day nursery, London N8 0DJ, ages 1 to 4, 56 places, 0.2 miles
    Ofsted report card, 9 June 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Creative Explorers Nursery & Preschool - Harringay - Day nursery, London N8 0EL, 84 places, 0.3 miles
  • We Care Wiggly Worms Day Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, London N8 9BD, ages 1 to 4, 38 places, 0.3 miles
    Ofsted report card, 11 June 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Little Cubs Day Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, London N22 6UB, ages 0 to 3, 33 places, 0.3 miles
    Ofsted report card, 14 August 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met

Schools nearby

Creative Explorers Nursery & Preschool - Hornsey Branch on the Ofsted website