Rocking Horse Nursery

Newbury Racecourse, Newbury RG14 7NZ
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8.5 20 Reviews
  • Rocking Horse Nursery, Newbury
Established in 1992 and based in the unique setting of Newbury Racecourse, the nursery has extensive experience in nurturing the early development of children and in August 2015, it moved to a brand new, purpose-built facility.

The vision is to provide the highest possible quality of care for the children who are entrusted to them. The building was planned meticulously with experts to create a bespoke nursery designed to meet the modern demands of childhood.

The setting is designed and equipped to encourage creative and imaginative play with easy access to beautiful traffic-free countryside and nature walks. There are five rooms for different age groups and well-equipped, secure outdoor areas.

It is registered with West Berkshire Social Services and is inspected annually.

The nursery is flexible and offers value for money.

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Care Provided by Rocking Horse Nursery

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Good to Know

  • Owner
  • Newbury Racecourse PLC
  • Person in charge
  • Melanie Godliman (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 23
  • Total Places for Children
  • 120
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Rocking Horse Nursery

  • Flexible pricing, based on sessions
  • Parking

  • There is dedicated free parking outside the Nursery's main entrance.


Rocking Horse Nursery Reviews (20)

8.5

Rocking Horse Nursery has a Review Score of 8.5 (8.500) out of 10, based on 4 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Rocking Horse Nursery has 20 reviews.

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Review from K W (Mother of Child) published on 8 October 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

An absolutely fantastic nursery with nurturing staff and a competent, approachable, and visionary management team. The nursery looked after and developed my child. They made him feel safe, encouraged him to be his best, and made it fun. I cannot recommend this nursery highly enough.

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Review from H B (Mother of Child) published on 8 January 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The most amazing, caring nursery! My daughter started at Rocking Horse when she turned three and was there right up until the summer holidays before she started school. She formed close relationships with her caregivers and her peers. The nursery went above and beyond for us. She had a few issues with
her speech, which they helped with amazingly. All the staff were so friendly and helpful. The food was also brilliant, and I loved the app they used with regular updates on my daughter’s day. We were so sad to leave, but I knew they gave her the best start! I couldn’t thank them enough.

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Review from K C (Mother of Child) published on 24 August 2023
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started nursery at 7 months. It is very reassuring to know our "little bubba" was looked after so well and the settling stages are very helpful as a first-time mum. Trust is very important. He is nearly 2. He is enjoying his new room with key person to help him thrive in his early learning years.
We are very grateful to have this nursery on our doorstep. The facilities, cleanliness and learning outcomes are very well planned. The food is delicious and fresh. The staff are cheerful, caring, professional and highly qualified. I highly recommend this nursery. Each morning at 8 am they greet the children in.

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Review from Kirsty T (Mother of Child) published on 21 April 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Love the nursery. Our two boys attend and have been happy and thriving for the last year. It’s a clean and safe nursery. The nursery manager enthusiastically greets parents each day. There are fun activities planned for the children, lots of artwork produced, toys to play with and plenty of outdoors
time. The nursery is purpose-built and modern, so meets the needs of the children well. There has been some staff turnover, but given the national challenges facing childcare providers I would say there has been a very stable set of faces (which is a real testament to the nursery). We are grateful to have such high quality childcare on our doorstep.

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Review from A P (Mother of Child) published on 2 November 2022
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter attended nursery for two years, and here she grew up. From covid days through to preschool the nursery has very friendly and competent staff. They communicated very well with parents and had superb management of the covid situation. My child has English as a second language and this is where
she developed her language skills. I couldn't be happier and I would choose the same nursery again and again.

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Review from G C (Mother of Child) published on 11 August 2022
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All of the staff and I mean all have been so kind, caring and hands-on in helping my two boys settle into Rocking Horse Nursery. We moved house in April and that transition has been pretty smooth which I put largely down to the huge amount of fun they have at Rocking Horse. Their individual needs (one
year old and three years old) have been expertly catered for and the beautifully smiley and caring faces of the team have been such a conform to us all. Thank you!

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Review from Elizabeth E (Mother of Child) published on 26 July 2022
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been very impressed with Rocking Horse Nursery and we feel very much part of a family with everyone knowing you and your children's names regardless of which room they are in. The staff are cheerful, caring, professional and articulate. They clearly are highly qualified in early years education.
They have been particularly helpful in helping us navigate my youngest son's intolerances and my eldest development 'leaps'. The activities are always very educational and the environment is bright and clean.

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Review from Caroline M (Mother of Child) published on 4 July 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been coming to this nursery for the past year, we both absolutely love it, it’s the best nursery he could have gone to. They have all helped him a lot with his communication with other peers and he has come out of himself a lot before he started he wouldn’t talk to any children his age and
now he talks to everyone. I would 100% recommend this nursery and when my little girl is ready for nursery this will be the only one I consider her going to. He loves having access to a big garden where they have a huge range of activities for all the children to do. The staff are all extremely friendly and take time out of their day to talk to all parents about how the child is doing and what that child has done in the day.

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Review from Laura T (Mother of Child) published on 13 December 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been extremely happy with The Rocking Horse since the moment our daughter started over 2 years ago. The standard of care has been outstanding and all of the staff are extremely professional but also there is a personal touch. Each room has been excellent and we have always been sad to see our
daughter move rooms. We have seen our daughter develop so much in her time here and we truly have the nursery to thank for this, all staff have helped lay the foundations of her development. The management is outstanding and they communicate very clearly with parents each week. They have also been outstanding during Covid. We cannot recommend this nursery enough and are very sad to be leaving.

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Review from Shital R (Mother of Child) published on 29 October 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our children have been going to Rocking Horse Nursery since they were ten months old.
One word to describe how we feel about the nursery is "trust". Whenever we went through turbulent times like having our second child and covid they have always handled these changes delicately. They have a good
leadership team and we can see the value and ethos are trickled through the teams. Each team member is approachable. They know how to keep children enthusiastic about real-time events - Olympics, Sir Tom, Prince Philip's passing, and so on. They celebrate all festivals which is so important in today's inclusive world. I cannot recommend this nursery enough.

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Review from Charlotte D (Mother of Child) published on 5 October 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Rocking Horse is an utterly fantastic nursery! We had ours in for 11 months and we so wished we could have kept her there for the full 5 years but we were moving house. The ladies here have been so fantastic with her and truly developed a very special bond. We always felt so secure handing her over
every morning and she was always so happy and excited to go there. Her development was always discussed regularly and any developments shared from home were taken seriously and aided in the nursery. We will happily recommend Rocking Horse Nursery to any new parent!

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Review from Graham K (Father of Child) published on 16 September 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

In the 3.5 years my son has been at Rocking Horse Nursery, we've been extremely happy from day one. The staff are friendly and very welcoming as soon as you step inside, my son has been fond of and often talks about how nice the staff are. Facilities are fantastic, my son never has a boring day it's
always full of fun and has made some lovely friends. Overall, we are all very pleased and would recommend Rocking Horse Nursery.

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Review from K S (Mother of Child) published on 8 April 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We really rate Rocking Horse. Our first son has been there for 2 years. They have worked so hard to make it a warm, safe, caring and developing environment for the children. Whenever anything hasn't been right they have gone the extra mile to improve processes, involving us finding the best solution.
Anything that has concerned us at home they have worked with our son to improve in just the right way, we feel they're part of our team.

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Review from Tamsin H (Mother of Child) published on 30 August 2019
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The nursery has excellent staff in my daughter's room they show genuine interest in my child's wellbeing and development. They are always open and attentive when I ask questions or have any queries about my daughter's progress or day to day activities. The nursery has helped my daughter so much, especially
in the last six months with developing her confidence, numeric and special language skills and overall learning.
My only real criticism is food and activity-related. My daughter has food allergies and no extra provision/different food types are ever created/cooked to accommodate this, especially for puddings/treats despite asking several times. More outdoor events and outside of nursery activities would have been beneficial eg. visits to care homes.

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Review from Emily S (Mother of Child) published on 23 July 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Where do I start with this fabulous nursery? Firstly, the nursery itself is a new building with great facilities. A sensory room, great outside spaces, library and kitchen for the children to use. It's brightly decorated and the children's work and photos displayed proudly on the walls. There are not
enough words to describe the staff, they are beyond amazing. It has been my privilege to meet, get to know and work with these ladies. All of the staff are genuinely beautiful, caring and wonderful people. When my daughter started she had delayed speech due to a hearing problem. I would not have found this out without the staffs help. My daughter is now a confident, clever, funny and very cheeky little miss. I am truly grateful to the staff. All of the staff not only make the children comfortable and welcome but also their families.

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Review from A T (Mother of Child) published on 11 July 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Nice, modern facility with very caring staff. Children were well behaved and have access to an outdoor area and play.
Approachable staff with a 'meeting the child's needs' policy.
Excellent food with a good variety of fruit, veg and pulses.
The nursery did not support a stimulating learning environment.
It did, however, focus on learning through child-initiated play activities.

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Review from Nichola E (Mother of Child) published on 28 May 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started the Rocking Horse in July 2017, transferring from another local nursery. I was immediately impressed with the child-focused nature of the nursery, it's facilities and the management and staff who made sure my son's transition was a success. My son has some difficulties with his fine motor
skills, which room staff observed and talked to me about. Since then they have gone out of their way to support my son and me. The staff, facilities and communication at the nursery are excellent.

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Review from Vicky W (Mother of Child) published on 11 January 2016
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We cannot recommend Rocking Horse highly enough. Our daughter thoroughly enjoys her time and is always excited upon arrival and excited to chatter about her day upon collection. The nursery staff are friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating which when balancing a toddler, full time work and a new baby
has been invaluable. The nursery are open to feedback and work to act upon it, making continuous improvements. The new setting is amazing, spacious, well equipped rooms filled with toys and allowing plenty of space for activity. The library, gardens and sensory room only add to it further!

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Review from Yue R (Mother of Child) published on 11 December 2015
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little one started to go to this nursery since 9 months old. She absolutely loves her time there. All the staff seem to know her, greeting her, calling her name. Each day, her carer will write down in detail with what she had for breakfast, lunch, snack, teas.. What she enjoyed playing with, what
time she slept etc.
They do lots of activities with the little ones and take them to see the horses when the races are on, dress up for charity donations. Halloween, art crafts etc. They encourage our little one to explore, develop and have fun. Each week, they will send us an email for activities they plan to take action for next week, also the reason behind these activities. Food is fab, even make us jealous. They do as much as they can to support parents The nursery is brand new, new toys, new facilities etc.. We highly recommend this nursery.

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Review from Helen W (Mother of Child) published on 7 December 2015
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started in nursery in September. I could not be happier with how things are going. All the staff care caring and thoughtful. My son is very content and happy when i leave him. He has some medical conditions and the staff are very helpful and accommodating with getting things right. I am very
pleased I chose this nursery.

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Current Review Score: 8.5 (8.500)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.5 (8.500) out of 10 for Rocking Horse Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 4 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.5 out of 5 from 4 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.958 for Rocking Horse Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (46 Excellents x 5) + (2 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 48 Ratings = 4.958

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 3.542 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Rocking Horse Nursery is based on 4 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 = 3.375

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 120 number of registered child places is 24. 4 Positive Reviews ÷ 24 = 0.167

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Rocking Horse Nursery

What is the Age Range of Children that Rocking Horse Nursery accepts?

Rocking Horse Nursery accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Rocking Horse Nursery Open?

Rocking Horse Nursery is open: Monday 07:30-18:00, Tuesday 07:30-18:00, Wednesday 07:30-18:00, Thursday 07:30-18:00, Friday 07:30-18:00.

How many Children does Rocking Horse Nursery have capacity for?

Rocking Horse Nursery has capacity for a total of 120 Children.

How far is Rocking Horse Nursery to the centre of Newbury?

0.8 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Rocking Horse Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Rocking Horse Nursery has an Enhanced Service – more info.