The Old School Nursery

We are really happy with the nursery, more importantly though, the boys are happy. The staff always seem caring and kind, often thinking of new activities to keep young minds interested. It’s excellent value for money and the team seem to work really well together.

Dappledown is a lovely nursery and suits our family perfectly. We love the old school setting and the location. The nursery really makes the most of this – the children get lots of fresh air and space to explore and have fun. We often get reports of visits to see the farm animals. Our toddler runs straight in in the morning and is very happy, chattering non-stop about his day.

His baby brother also recently started nursery and has settled immediately – which shows how relaxed he is there and with the wonderful staff. The food is excellent and home-cooked, which was one of our reasons to choose the nursery. We also needed a nursery that opened early to enable us to drop the boys off and get to work – Dappledown recognises this by opening at 7.30am and offering a great breakfast.

Overall, we couldn’t be happier with Dappledown – the boys are well cared for, take part in great activities, sing, play and interact well with other children and the staff.

My daughter settled into Dappledown House Nursery extremely quickly even with being the youngest in her room and every morning she goes in happily and comes out happy.
The staff have got to know her well and provide us support with developmental milestones, such as potty training. the staff speak about the children with such fondness you would think they were their own they really care. As a parent, I can leave my daughter knowing she is happy, well cared for, well fed and well entertained. I couldn’t ask for more.

A small, intimate nursery with some lovely staff in a lovely setting. Both our kids go here and both have come on very well in the time they’ve spent at the nursery. They both love coming to nursery as the range of activities they do seems to keep them interested, as well as developing their abilities. For the most part, the staff are excellent with one or two who are good with the kids but not so good at the handovers.
The extra-curricular activities that the nursery puts on (mother and fathers’ day stuff etc) are good and involve the parents well. They also give you a good chance to see the staff in action, which is nice and reassuring for a parent. The online journals and logs are well used and thoroughly completed by the staff, so give you a good picture of what the kids have been up to so you can frame activities at home to complement what they do a nursery.

I am very happy with the service that both of my children have received at Dappledown. I am confident that the children are well looked after and have their needs met. When I leave and my little boy cries I know he will get a cuddle and get the attention he needs through the day he gets good home-cooked food and lots to keep him busy and learning. Thoroughly recommend Dappledown and all the staff.

Lovely little nursery with amazing staff and a beautiful setting. Every day there is a new activity created for our daughter to explore and learn, which really develops her. In addition, her development journal is shared with us daily with pictures which are really helpful.

Fabulous, home from home nursery. Wonderful outside setting with sensory path, climbing frame, mud kitchen, veg patch and fruit trees, pedal cars. In a quiet village where the children can go for walks to see farm animals and outside area overlooking fields with animals to watch. My daughter has loved her 3 and a half years here, the staff have really prepared her well for school with learning some phonics and number recognition. She’s had an amazing time here, a fantastic nursery that I would recommend.

A beautiful setting inside and out, its rural location allows regular engagement with the countryside through walks, interacting with the animals in the adjacent field and watching the Harvest from the garden. It is set up to develop both fine and gross motor skills and nurtures a child’s development through love and play. My eldest recently departed for school. I cannot thank this nursery enough for the amount of effort they put into preparing him, from self-care to fun phoneme practice and showing him photos of his school to aid familiarity. My youngest is thriving in the baby room; she goes in with a smile and I love receiving the regular update photos- the smile remains all day. She loves the proximity of the room to the bigger kids, observing and laughing – I am confident it’s bringing on her development. She has an unusual allergy of cruciferous veg and the cook bends over backwards to accommodate selecting alternatives from the children’s allotment. This nursery is truly fantastic.

My son transferred to The Old School Nursery from a larger town nursery as I felt a smaller more homely nursery would suit him better. The nursery is a beautiful, characterful, cosy old school building set in the countryside, overlooking the fields. I couldn’t believe the positive difference in him, almost immediately. He settled in so quickly and was obviously enjoying his time here. He particularly enjoys spending time outdoors exploring the garden and looking out over the wall at the animals and spotting tractors in the adjacent field. This is all fantastic but I feel the most important part of a nursery is the staff who work there. Everyone from the manager, the ladies in the rooms and even the cook are so wonderful. Kind, welcoming, open and accommodating are just a few words I would use to describe the team. My son has learned so much during his time here. It is wonderful to be updated daily on what he is learning and enjoying by using the app. I’d highly recommend it!

My son absolutely loves it there and he is flourishing! The app makes it so easy to see what is happening, I can log on at any time and see updates as they happen. The staff include photos, videos and learning developments daily. The outdoors area is just the right size and in a quiet, safe location with gorgeous views. Indoors is warm and inviting and just a beautiful space for my child to spend his days. More importantly than this though, is how well they know him and how much they love him. They know how independent he is and they tailor everything to that, right down to how they serve his breakfast and how he learns and plays. They are affectionate and really care about him as his own little person. My younger son is starting in a few months and I have no doubt that he will be as happy there as his brother. If he’s going to spend his day with someone other than me, I’m so glad he’s with them. I cannot recommend this nursery highly enough, I am so, so glad I found this hidden gem.