Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill)

Wadhurst Lane, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes MK7 6JF
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10 171 Reviews
  • Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill), Milton Keynes
Acorn Early Years nursery at Kents Hill is ideally located for local families; close to the Kingston retail district and approximately four miles from Junction 13 of the M1 and four miles from Central Milton Keynes.

The nursery has been purpose-built in an innovative octagonal shape, offering lovely, spacious play rooms and a central atrium. Each room leads to extensive garden areas so that the children have access to a range of activities both indoors and outside. Acorn places a strong emphasis on outdoor learning and the children benefit from Acorn’s forest school sessions. They even help to grow vegetables and look after the nursery chickens in the extensive outdoor play area.

The key person system ensures children know there is always somebody there for them at Acorns. The team believe children benefit from meeting their key person in a familiar environment, before beginning their time at the nursery, and so home visits are offered to all new families to help establish those bonds.

All meals are freshly prepared on-site by the nursery chef and menus are carefully designed to offer nutritionally balanced and seasonal options, with something for every child's preferences and requirements.

The friendly staff team welcome visits from prospective parents, so please get in touch if you'd like to find out more.

Care Provided by Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill)

  • 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
  • Elena Martuccio (Senior Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 24
  • Registered Charity Number
  • 1145108
  • Total Places for Children
  • 60
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 4 months
    • to 4 years 11 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, Staff Training Days & between Christmas & New Year

Funding & Fees Guide for Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill)

  • Full time place starting from £1,560
    Full day from £81.50
    Morning session from £44.00
    Afternoon session from £41.00


  • 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
  • There is secure parking in the nursery grounds


Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill) Reviews (171)

Total of 171, showing 41-60
10

Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill) has a Review Score of 10 (9.961) out of 10, based on 39 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill) has 171 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter started nursery at Acorns Day Nursery (Kents Hill) in January 2023 and I have been extremely impressed with the manager and the team there. My daughter has settled into the nursery extremely well (she was previously at a different nursery). She can't wait to leave home for nursery and is
very attached to her key worker already. The team are kind, patient and compassionate. I can tell that they do many activities during the day and the facilities/play areas for them are great (always clean and well-maintained). The manager is very friendly, helpful, organised and informative. An outstanding nursery all around!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter goes to Acorn Kents Hill Nursery and it came with high recommendations from other parents. Although my daughter has only recently joined but I'm quite impressed with the professionalism of all the staff so far. Every action is meticulously recorded, every day updates are so detailed and
the staff is very friendly and personal. I also appreciate their conscious step towards reducing single-use plastic and encourage all parents to provide wet bags. They are very outdoorsy which I believe is essential to develop the child's fine motor skills. I do wish the best for the nursery!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

It's hard to put into words how much we love Acorn Nursery Kents Hill and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend to others. Our eldest started when he was 11 months and finished in August when he was due to start school. The transition to school has been seamless and I put a lot of that down to the time
he spent at Acorn. The team are amazing and make every day fun for the children along with teaching them key skills ready for school. My daughter is currently in the squirrels room and runs in happily every day. It means the world to us to know she is so happy and the team at Acorn are just wonderful, super fun, caring and just the best! They create a super special environment for our children every day and no day is the same!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Speaking from experience, I have noticed the great development my daughter has made at the nursery. The activities and learning for the children is age-related and the teachers are all experts in dealing with kids. We have been sending our daughter for the past year and she really enjoys it. She has
built her confidence and also learnt numbers and letters a lot quicker than imagined. Nothing seems too difficult for the staff as you update them about the child and they'll spend time teaching them based on their recent experiences maybe from what they've seen or what they did over the weekend - everything is targeted to make learning fun and relatable to your child. We are very happy with Acorns and their staff.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

One of the best choices we have made is choosing Acorn Day Nursery Kents Hill for both our children.
The setting is perfect for the development and nurturing of the children. We have seen improvements in both of the children's confidence, attitude, development and social skills.
The staff are excellent
at what they do and are genuinely interested in each child and devote their time to ensure they are supported, encouraged and cared for.
The activities such as forest school, visits to the care home and stay and plays make it even more special.
We feel very grateful that our children get to go to Acorns.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Great nursery, lovely and supportive staff! My son loves to go there, he is always happy and feels safe there. The warm atmosphere makes this place feel like home. My older son was also attending this nursery and he has amazing memories of this place. You can feel a positive vibe in Acorn Day Nursery,
Kents Hill.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We absolutely love Acorns at Kents Hill. The staff are friendly, caring and equipped to care for children. Our daughter has a fantastic time and they're really understanding and flexible about changes going on in their home life too. The updates on their progress are really thorough.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Excellent hard-working staff, good atmosphere. Lots of learning with activities and different ways of teaching. Teachers very friendly and good feedback sessions. The play activities are very innovative.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son loves going to Acorn Day Nursery. The staff are brilliant and he loves them all. They have lots of fun outdoors in the large outdoor area and he particularly loves forest school. He especially enjoys the delicious food by the chef. Communication from the nursery is brilliant with the app and
any queries are quickly answered.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter loved this place so much that it was the only nursery we considered for our son. The staff are great and help give your children the best start in life. They offer a lovely mix of creative play and trips out to the park, local shops and a neighbouring care home - not to mention a forest
school for the older children.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff are very helpful and understanding The kids do a lot of learning activities and parents are kept up to date with their developments and learning progress.
The nursery is also very flexible if you want to change the days and hours for the sessions.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We love this nursery and everything about it! The staff, the space, the food, the outdoors and again the staff! So caring, patient, warm and welcoming! My daughter loves all of them! She goes happily in the mornings and comes home very happy every day!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very friendly staff, my child always comes home with lots of stories from her day and always looks forward to going to Kents Hill. They always eat healthily and the food is fresh, they never get bored with all the activities planned.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter loves coming to nursery! A very nervous child when she first started, she is truly flourishing at Acorn Day Nursery. We could not be happier with the care and attention all of the staff give her.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter attends Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill). The staff are so kind and caring. They are as excited as me when she learns new things. My daughter is enjoying her time in the nursery, she gets to explore and learn through great activities. The app is amazing I get to see how she is doing at the
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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The people at Acorn Kents Hill are incredible. So accommodating to specific needs, helpful, empathetic and most of all, our child loves it! She's learning loads and is always so happy to be there. A massive thanks to everyone at Acorn Kents Hill!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This nursery has a very good manager. Good kitchen. Lots of activities and kids learn new things every day. It's a happy place for the kids. But the most important thing is my child goes there with a big smile.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter started at Acorn just over a month ago and we couldn't be happier with everything. She has warmed to the staff straight away and is already learning so much from her days there. We are expecting our second child early next year and are desperate to get them in at Acorn too, the nursery facilities
and staff are fantastic.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Acorn Kents Hill has been amazing to my 2 little ones and also to me. They always promptly respond to my doubts and enquiries. They serve good meals and have lovelies practices like going to a care home to bring some happiness to the residents, forest school, library, and playground. My children love
them, so this means everything to me.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My child loves going to nursery and the staff always work so hard to grow his interests and curiosities! He has come on leaps and bounds since attending Acorns and has such wonderful relationships with all the staff there. Most importantly, he is well-fed! Delicious food prepared by the chef are worth
their weight in gold!

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Current Review Score: 10.0 (9.961)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 10 (9.961) out of 10 for Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill) 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 39 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 39 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 4.961 for Acorn Day Nursery (Kents Hill) is calculated as follows: ( (450 Excellents x 5) + (14 Goods x 4) + (2 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 466 Ratings = 4.961

  • 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 (Kents Hill) is based on 39 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 60 number of registered child places is 12, which has been reached with 39 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.

Child Vacancies

Please Contact Us for Latest Vacancies

Awards / Recognitions (13)

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Meet the Team (3)

Elena

Elena Martuccio

Job Title: Senior Nursery Manager

Joined: 2011

Elena worked in the Early Years sector for many years and has been part of the Acorn team since 2011.


During her time at Acorn, she completed her Foundation Degree in her Early Years and progressed from Deputy Manager to Senior Manager. She is passionate about creating a nursery environment which allows all families, children and staff members to feel happy and welcome on a daily basis.


As a Senior Manager, Elena strives to share her knowledge with other practitioners, supporting them to achieve and reach their personal goals and qualifications.


She is also Kents Hill'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 and ask to speak to Elena directly - alternatively, the setting can provide a direct email address for her.


Sophie

Sophie Rodwell

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Joined: 2007

Sophie - Deputy Manager has worked in Early Years for many years and joined Acorn in 2007. She is qualified to level 6 and has an Early Years Degree and Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). Sophie enjoys being outdoors and has completed her Forest School training.


Julie

Julie

Job Title: Senior Administrator

Joined: 2016

Julie - Senior Administrator