Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End)

Shenley Road, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes MK5 6AB
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9.9 107 Reviews
  • Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End), Milton Keynes
Acorn’s nursery in Shenley Church End is extremely popular, and the former village primary school offers a spacious interior with well equipped, light and airy rooms. There is an extensive outdoor play area, and the local environment provides several attractive walks and a Forest School site at the nearby Shenley Wood.

All meals and snacks are freshly prepared on site and the children have their own children’s kitchen within the nursery to encourage their involvement. The staff team is very experienced and highly qualified, and they look forward to showing prospective parents around the nursery.

The nursery has extensive gardens and outside play areas, including the timber-framed outdoor classroom. Outdoor play is a key aspect of Acorn’s ethos and the children benefit from spending time outdoors every day, whatever the weather. They also take full advantage of their local setting, which has retained its village feel and has several attractive walks which the children enjoy.

Acorns menus have been carefully planned to be both seasonal and nutritionally balanced and tasty ensuring clean plates every time! All food is cooked from their hub kitchen based onsite, providing nutritionally balanced meals which are both healthy and appetising. They only use fresh, local, ethically sourced produce to create their delicious meals and can accommodate most dietary requirements.

A home visit from the nursery manager and your child’s key person is offered to all new families as Acorn believe children benefit from meeting their key person in a familiar environment, before attending the nursery for settling-in sessions.

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Care Provided by Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End)

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Helen Price (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 16
  • Registered Charity Number
  • 1145108
  • Total Places for Children
  • 48
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 4 months
    • to 4 years 11 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:15-18:15
    Tuesday 07:15-18:15
    Wednesday 07:15-18:15
    Thursday 07:15-18:15
    Friday 07:15-18:15
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays, Staff Training Days & between Christmas & New Year

Funding & Fees Guide for Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End)

  • Full time place starting from £1,560
    Full day from £81.50
    Morning session from £45.50
    Afternoon session from £41

  • Fees are inclusive of all meals, snacks, drinks (including approved formula milk), nappies and activities.
    We do not charge registration fees, only a £100 deposit which is refunded against the first month’s fees. We don’t charge for settling in sessions, but we do expect payment for all nursery fees to be paid up front at the beginning of each month, which is standard practice for all childcare providers. We do not charge for bank holidays, our four training days each year, or for the three days closure between Christmas and New Year. We do, however, charge for days children don’t attend through illness or holidays, apart from exceptional circumstances.
    Please view the prospectus on our website for a full fees guide.
  • Parking

  • Limited parking available directly outside the nursery, however there is ample parking in the street and the church.


Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) Reviews (107)

Total of 107, showing 21-40
9.9

Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.941) out of 10, based on 27 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) has 107 reviews.

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Review from Richard C (Father of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Since October 2020, our children have been attending Acorn Day Nursery, and we couldn't be more pleased. The kids have a blast every day, enjoying messy play, fun adventures, and outdoor exploration. The staff are outstanding, fostering strong relationships with our children, promoting learning and
development, and bringing out the best in them. The nursery's location is fantastic, with great facilities including mud kitchens and proximity to local parks. We highly recommend Acorn to anyone looking for a nurturing and stimulating environment for their children.

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Review from T Z (Mother of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our boys love attending this nursery and we wouldn't want them to go anywhere else. The staff are amazing, the love and care they provide to the children is incredible. The children are always happy and there are plenty of facilities and space for the children to play, explore, and learn. We enjoy getting
the daily updates and hearing about the boy's days upon collection. All the staff know and understand the children and cater to their individual needs. I'll be gutted when my eldest leaves in September to attend school!
If I could give more than 5 stars I would!

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Review from Zoe C (Mother of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We couldn't be happier with our experience at Acorns Shenley Church End. One of the standout features of this nursery is its excellent provision for outdoor learning. The emphasis on outdoor education is remarkable, with children actively participating in forest school activities, learning about wildlife,
and understanding the importance of the environment. We appreciate how the nursery makes local connections, such as with the local council, allowing children to engage in activities like litter picking, instilling a deep appreciation for the environment they live in. The staff at Acorns Shenley Church End are simply outstanding. They are always caring and supportive, and what sets them apart is their consistency with the parenting approach we take at home. Whether it's following our lead on toilet training or weaning, the staff seamlessly integrates our preferences into the nursery routine, providing a sense of continuity for our child.

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Review from Laura R (Mother of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are so happy with our choice of sending our son to Acorn Shenley. Every single member of staff is fantastic. We love how much outside time they have, and the great variety of food and activities. Our son has come on leaps and bounds since starting and goes in every day happy and comes home exhausted
from all the fun he’s had! As a parent, I know he’s going to be well looked after by the staff and they are there to help me with any concerns or questions. We couldn’t have wished for a better start to our little ones' Nursery adventure. Thank you Shenley Team.

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Review from J P (Grandmother of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I'm loving watching my Granddaughter grow in confidence at Shenley Church End Nursery. She's looked after so well by an enthusiastic team who encourage her to explore her surroundings and develop her skills at every opportunity. It's wonderful to collect a happy settled child at the end of the day.
Thank you, Shenley.

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Review from C D (Father of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has not been at Acorns long (one month), but have been very impressed so far. The settling period was thorough (including a home visit) and engaging, personalized around what he likes to do in his play.
Communication has been very good throughout our time so far.
All nursery practitioners
have been welcoming, friendly, and encouraging, as well as providing advice where we need it (first-time parents)
He is usually outside playing when I pick him up, and it's great to see him running around with the other children. He loves the Forest School, walks, and going in the minibus. He actively asks to go to nursery, which he hasn't ever done at previous nurseries.
Only downside day-to-day is the increase in clothes washing, but that's usually the sign that he's had a good day, more than anything else.
There is quite a long waiting list to attend; we were on it for almost two years, but it was worth the wait.

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Review from Stephanie W (Mother of Child) published on 21 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both of my children attend this nursery, and they are very happy and settled there. The staff members are so friendly and welcoming. They really care about the well-being and development of the children in their care, and it’s clear that at the end of each day my children have had a fun, active and
varied time, which is the most important thing!

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Review from S N (Father of Child) published on 8 March 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Having my child mostly spend her time in a foreign country and not speaking much English to now be able to communicate and be more comfortable with other kids is marvellous. The attention from staff and the care provided gained her trust. Plenty of activities to keep her occupied and planned weekly
activities keep her excited. Nutritious and tasty food she loves. Everyday feedback from the staff and the frequent updates of the child through their app is worth mentioning.

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Review from Hannah R (Mother of Child) published on 8 March 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been going here since September 2021 when she was one and since then we've moved to the other side of MK but love it so much that we decided to keep her here.
The team are fantastic, making learning fun and providing a warm, nurturing environment for our daughter to grow and develop.
I thoroughly recommend this nursery. It's given us peace of mind knowing our daughter is being well looked after whilst we're working.
Thank you to everyone at Acorns in Shenley, we really appreciate everything you do!

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Review from Samantha E (Mother of Child) published on 17 November 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have 2 children currently in this nursery, they have been and continue to be amazing. They have provided advice, guidance and support throughout our time with them. Specifically, they have helped my eldest son's development as when he joined (nearly 2yrs old) he couldn't say any words and now he can
read and talk confidently.

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Review from Omid M (Father of Child) published on 17 November 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My baby goes to the Acorn Day Nursery and we are so happy with everything. Both the manager and my baby's key worker are super professional and helpful. I 100% recommend this nursery to anyone.

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Review from N B (Mother of Child) published on 25 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has been going to Shenley nursery for a year. We love this nursery, the staff are friendly and super professional. Our son loves to go there. His development has been great and we are always amazed by the activities they do and what he is learning every day. We get very frequent reporting on
his progress and we know what he has eaten, and how well he slept every day.

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Review from E S (Mother of Child) published on 20 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has been at the nursery for a year and a half and we are delighted with how much he enjoys attending. The communication between parents and key workers is brilliant and we love seeing all about their day either through logs or photos on the app. The staff work incredibly hard and the activities
the children are able to participate in are widely varied. We love how much time is encouraged to be outside, whatever the weather! Our daughter is due to start in a few months and we can’t wait to see her settle in and see her enjoy her time at nursery just like her big brother! Thank you Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) for allowing us to feel so confident in a nursery, you’re a credit to Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End).

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Review from Abimbola O (Mother of Child) published on 17 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started Acorn Day Nursery Shenley Church End at age 2 years and I must say the nursery is exceptional. The atmosphere and surroundings are welcoming for myself and son. The staff are all fantastic and cared for the children well and make sure their development and core skills needed are met.
My son will always be the one to remind me in his little voice, mummy it's time to go to nursery I don't want to miss anything (bless him that is how much he loves going to Acorn Day Nursery Shenley Church End). My son will come home and do all the different activities put in place at the nursery. The nursery also helped and is still supporting my little champ from diaper to pant. I will highly recommend the nursery any time any day.

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Review from K P (Mother of Child) published on 15 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My two children both go to Acorns in Shenley and love it, and so do we. We’ve experienced all three rooms (Acorns, Squirrels and Oaks) and they’re all really well adapted for the age group: a cosy baby room, through to forest school and school-readiness later on. All three rooms have really caring,
experienced staff who show so much interest in each child. Settling in is good, daily updates and regular parent observations are helpful, and we trust them with our little girls every day.

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Review from Linda S (Mother of Child) published on 15 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I cannot speak highly enough about this nursery - it is the most lovely nurturing environment and my daughter has just thrived since she arrived in the Squirrels Room at age 2. She is now in the Oaks room age 4 and doing more hours than before including 2 full days. She absolutely loves it there and
adores all the staff. The level of communication from this nursery is second to none - I never have to 'pull' information out regarding my daughter - every one of the staff are always forthcoming with information to the greatest detail. My daughter has both a speech delay and is quite a fussy eater and the staff have helped her so much with her confidence and with her eating. Just wonderful and can't say enough thanks for the value you add to my daughter's life and for the support you provide all of us on a daily basis.

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Review from Terri R (Mother of Child) published on 14 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The nursery really provides an inclusive and exciting programme for the children. My son loves going to nursery, he is always doing something new and learning in a safe and warm environment. The team that run the Acorns room are wonderful so are the rest of the team throughout, including the caterers,
I never have a hungry boy at the end of the day!

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Review from D Y (Mother of Child) published on 9 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending Acorn Day Nursery since she was 1 year and 10 months old. We went there two and a half days a week in Squirrels Room, she was still having breast milk at that time, I was going to give her breast milk every day at noon. Every time I stayed in an hour or so, probably lasted
more than two months, during this period, I observed the Nursery with the children, every day activity theme is different, very rich, involving a wide range, more than two months of the time, I didn't see a recurring theme, and designed the games carefully. Every teacher here is very kind, full of love, patience, parenting experience, they give the children a lot of common sense and cultivate their daily habits. Now my son has joined too when he was 1years. Both my son and daughter are from 7:15am to 6:15pm, my daughter is 5 days a week at this time, and my son is 4 days a week. They both like Acorn very much.

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Review from Nelya P (Mother of Child) published on 9 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been attending Acorn nursery for almost 2 years now and I can honestly say that staff are amazing. I have never felt so comfortable leaving him with anyone and I know he has a lot of fun from all the awesome stories he tells and pictures and reports via a handy app. The food, play equipment,
variety of activities, and outdoor space are excellent and it’s clear that everyone who works in the nursery enjoys what you do and it shows in how they interact with kids.

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Review from J H (Father of Child) published on 9 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very happy with the nursery, standard of care and support very good, physical space and outside space very good, food very healthy and enjoyed nudging child towards eating as an adult. Communication and follow-up of things identified is very good.

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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.941)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.941) out of 10 for Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 27 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 27 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 4.941 for Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) is calculated as follows: ( (303 Excellents x 5) + (19 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 322 Ratings = 4.941

  • 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 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) is based on 27 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 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • 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 48 number of registered child places is 9.6, which has been reached with 27 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • 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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Awards / Recognitions (14)

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Meet the Team (3)

Helen

Helen Price

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2005

Helen joined Acorn in 2005 and started as an unqualified lunchtime assistant. Helen gained qualifications from level 2 right through to her BA in her early years, taking on additional training such as SEN, Forest school leader and minibus driver. After 13 years of looking after children, Helen decided the time was right to start her own family and in 2020 had her daughter who attended Acorn.


Helen has a passion for outdoor learning and enjoys not only watching children learn and develop but also helping staff develop!


My favourite quote “The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky”


Helen is also Shenley's Designated Safeguarding Lead, so if you ever have any concerns or would like to chat about anything safeguarding-related, please visit or call the nursery on 01908 507782 and ask to speak to Helen directly - alternatively, the setting can provide a direct email address for her.


Laura

Laura

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Joined: 2008

Laura - Deputy Manager


Becky

Becky

Job Title: Senior Administrator

Joined: 2019

Becky - Senior Administrator


Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Acorn Day Nursery (Shenley Church End) has a Platinum Service – more info.