Finding a nursery or playgroup in Clapham: lists, funding and free sessions

Short version: register early, ask each setting about funded hours, and use stay and play sessions while you wait. Clapham sits across two boroughs, mostly Lambeth, with the Clapham Common North Side addresses in Wandsworth. The funding detail below is Lambeth’s, so check with your own council if you are on the Wandsworth side.

The free hours, in plain terms

Lambeth lists three kinds of free early education. Each is 15 hours a week over 38 weeks, except the working-parent one, which is 30.

• Working parents: 30 hours a week over 38 weeks, from the term after your child turns 9 months until they start school.
• Eligible 2-year-olds: 15 hours a week, from the term after the child turns 2, for parents on certain benefits or other government support.
• 3 and 4 year olds: 15 hours a week, from the term after the child turns 3 until school.

To apply, speak to the provider you want about whether they have a place. For eligible 2-year-olds you also speak to the council. The details are on Lambeth’s early learning page.

What it costs

Directory site Nuuri puts Clapham nursery fees at roughly £95 to £165 a day, with an average of £106, about 40% above the UK average. That is an estimate, not a price list, so ask each nursery for its own figures.

Where to look

Lambeth’s Family Information Directory covers all Ofsted-registered childcare in the borough and has a Clapham and Brixton Hill area filter. Lambeth also suggests checking neighbouring boroughs’ lists if you live near a border, which in Clapham is most people.

Maytree Nursery School, Allingham Road, SW4

A Lambeth maintained nursery school at 4 Allingham Road, SW4 8EG, for ages 2 to 4. It offers free places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds, with paid places and extended hours too. It opens 8am to 5.45pm, with breakfast and after-school club. Phone 020 8671 3298. Its children’s centre runs Family Stay and Play for all families, childminders and carers with children from birth to 5, and a Toddler Stay and Play for children who have applied to the school. Sessions are limited and need booking, and many are term-time only. Call for the timetable. See the Maytree stay and play page.

Clapham Manor Primary School and Nursery, Belmont Road

Children can join the nursery from age 3. There is no catchment area, and the application form asks for a second preference. If there is no place, your child goes on a waiting list the school says it reviews regularly. A nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place: you still apply to Lambeth for that. Details are on the school’s nursery admissions page.

Heathbrook Primary School nursery, St Rule Street, SW8

Heathbrook says its large nursery has been oversubscribed in recent years and urges parents to apply as early as possible. The extended day runs 7.30am to 6pm. Tours are booked through a form on the Heathbrook admissions page, or phone 020 7622 4101.

Clapham Park Montessori, Hambalt Road, SW4

Based at The Contact Centre, 60 Hambalt Road, SW4 9EH, taking children from 2½. The provider lists morning sessions (9.15 to 12.15) at £40.80 and a full day (9.15 to 3.45) at £88.40, plus a per-hour Montessori supplement on funded hours: £2.00 for 2-year-olds and £3.65 for 3 and 4 year olds. Confirm current fees before you commit. More on the Montessori site.

Eaton House The Manor Nursery, Clapham Common North Side, SW4

An independent nursery at 58 Clapham Common North Side, SW4 9RU, with entry in the September after a child’s second birthday and no selection. You register online (the form is £150 and non-refundable) and join a waiting list. Places are offered 15 months before entry in order of registration date, and a £1,000 deposit secures one. The fees page lists £3,840 a term for five mornings a week including VAT, with afternoons extra. Start at the admissions page.

Bright Horizons, Brommells Road, SW4

A day nursery and preschool at 4 to 14 Brommells Road, SW4 0BG, taking ages 3 months to 5 years, a short walk from Clapham Common tube and Clapham High Street station. Check its current Ofsted page before you visit. See Bright Horizons.

A note on the maintained nursery schools

Brixton Buzz reported in March 2026 that Lambeth ended its consultations on Effra, Triangle and Maytree nursery schools on 16 March, citing a government White Paper. Ask each school directly about its current position when you enquire.

Playgroups and drop-ins

Clapham Leisure Centre has soft play for ages 0 to 5 in 60-minute sessions. Prices run from £4.65 for one child under 2 and £5.65 for one child over 2, to £11.20 for two children over 2, with an additional adult at £1.80. Socks are required, an adult must stay in the zone, and you should book online before you go because weekends and school holidays fill up. Details on Active Lambeth.

Maytree’s children’s centre also runs sessions at Clapham Manor at Triangle, where there is a sensory room that the centre recommends booking in advance.

How to do it

• Use Lambeth’s directory to build a shortlist, then phone for tours.
• Join several waiting lists, as the school and independent nurseries above all operate them.
• Ask every setting how it handles funded hours and any extra charges.
• Check the latest Ofsted report for any setting before you decide.