Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Farnham Sixth Form College, Morley Road, Farnham GU9 8LU
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9.4 17 Reviews
  • Starfish Childrens Day Nursery, Farnham
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Care Provided by Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

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

Good to Know

  • Owner
  • Charlotte Dartmouth
  • Person in charge
  • Maddy Pears (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 16
  • Total Places for Children
  • 52
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & 1 week at Christmas
  • Parking

  • Onsite Parking


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Starfish Childrens Day Nursery Reviews (17)

9.4

Starfish Childrens Day Nursery has a Review Score of 9.4 (9.378) out of 10, based on 15 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Starfish Childrens Day Nursery has 17 reviews.

Overall Experience

  • 13
  • 0
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  • 0
  • 4

Date Published

17
2
5
15
2

Review from R H (Mother of Child) published on 24 December 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Starfish is an incredible nursery. It's nurturing and full of fun for my kids. They love going there! Two of my children have attended, both for 3 years, and had a wonderful experience. The staff look after them with such kindness and plan an array of exciting and educational activities for them. The
manager is brilliant. She supports her team and knows each child very well. Starfish are well preparing my son for school - he now loves to draw, write, sing the alphabet, and try to read books all by himself. Thank you Starfish.

Reply from Shulamay Davis, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your positive feedback, we are so glad your children enjoyed their time at Starfish!


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Review from S W (Mother of Child) published on 7 October 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Really pleased with Starfish Childrens Day Nursery.
The staff are so warm and friendly and it's clear that they care a great deal for the children.
The location is so convenient with a quiet road nearby and it's surrounded by green space.
My son has been at Starfish for over a year now and there
have been vast improvements made from the introduction of yoga/cooking to field walks and more structured days. The management team is great and they are so quick to make any changes where necessary.

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Review from E B (Mother of Child) published on 15 July 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Homely and friendly, my children have enjoyed every day at this nursery, they have thrived and continue to do so. There is a range of activities provided with plenty of outside time.
Staff have always been thoughtful with new ideas and the children grow strong bonds. Little ideas like the library
and trips to the playground keep things interesting.
We are happy parents with (most importantly!) happy children.

Reply from Maddy Pears, Deputy Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely review! We are so please to hear that both you and your children are happy!


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Review from I S (Mother of Child) published on 10 July 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My child has been attending Starfish Nursery since February 2024 and has had a great experience overall!
The staff including the manager have always been caring and dedicated, willing to adapt to requests and needs (nap times, food, etc) and clearly know all the children well.
My child likes everyone,
is always happy at drop off and pick up and seems to have lots of fun during the day.
I would definitely recommend Starfish to anyone considering it for their child, I'm so glad we chose it!

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Review from C E (Mother of Child) published on 9 July 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Having had 3 children go through the nursery, over 9 years, we can see the many changes that have been made. All of our children have been happy here. Our youngest is currently still there and in the last 6 months, the changes have been wonderful to witness. There is more transparency with parents,
the rooms and nursery have been revamped, all the staff are friendly and have great relationships with my child. We have always recommended this nursery to people and will continue to do so.

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

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter started attending Starfish in September last year, she has flourished so much since being there! She has built great relationships with all the staff, she always comes home talking about her friends, her teachers, and all the amazing things they seem to get up to! The nursery has such a
warm, welcoming, family feel to it. They seem to have great facilities, my daughter always comes home talking about the top garden and going to forest school, they also recently did an outing to the local park. We are kept well in the loop of day-to-day activities through the app, we receive newsletters and the nursery even held a parent forum where we were able to have input and insight into the nursery! I have noticed the nursery seems to be making improvements all the time with lots of new resources and learning opportunities for the children.
We are so happy here and so is our daughter!

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

This was a lovely review to read, thank you! I'm so pleased that parents can notice the improvements of the nursery, and that the children are so happy here that they come home chatting about everything they have been doing.


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Review from S W (Mother of Child) published on 19 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have had two children go through Starfish from the baby room until they are ready for school with my second child only having a few months left.
We have had a wonderful experience with the nursery. It is a space of warmth, support and fun for our children. I have always felt my children are safe
there and well cared for. The staff achieve a good balance between making the nursery setting fun and preparing our children for school.
Despite a recent turnover of staff, the nursery has done a fabulous job of keeping a consistent and happy environment. There are nationwide challenges for this sector in staffing and rising costs but Starfish have managed this very well.
I continue to be a happy parent with happy children.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you very much for your lovely review. The nursery has had some challenging times, and we are grateful to all parents who still feel that this is a wonderful nursery for their children. The childcare sector has been hit hard in recent years, and hopefully people can see what an amazing job we continue to do!


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Review from C S (Mother of Child) published on 15 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 1.0 out of 5

In February '24, we (and 9 other families) decided to withdraw our children from the nursery. We no longer considered it a safe environment due to unstable management, lack of transparency, and staff turnover. Parents observed inconsistent staff-to-child ratios, including inexperienced university students
who weren’t all DBS checked hired as bank staff, without first notifying parents. Hygiene declined, and our kids often came home with soiled pants. Despite promises of improvements, the situation didn’t change in my opinion. After giving notice, they initially agreed to release early years funding to the new setting but later reneged. The funding has since been released after we sought intervention from Early Years Funding. All 10 families have also since been sent emails by them threatening legal action if we post negative reviews, which to me just highlights the transparency issue. In my view, this nursery is unreliable and unstable.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you for your review. All concerns raised had previously been addressed, and we had our Ofsted inspection on January 30th, full report not yet published, who found that all of these allegations were unfounded including the allegation of non-DBS staff. I know the nursery had a rough time over the 18 months before I joined, with one Manager being very ill, and in hospital, and the second Manager not finding a managerial position the right fit for her. We have a fantastic team here at Starfish, and we are all extremely passionate about making this the best nursery in the area for our families.


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Review from O W (Father of Child) published on 16 January 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 1.0 out of 5

I have considered whether or not to review this nursery for a while, as I do not like to leave negative reviews due to the impact it can have. However, due to the nature of my dealings with this nursery, I feel should say something. Some of the staff at this nursery are very nice, kind and caring. However,
there are some that should not be allowed to work with children (my opinion). I will not go into the details of what my child told me but I absolutely do believe them. Months later, my child is still talking about them. A complaint was made to the nursery and Ofsted were involved. I immediately withdrew my child from the nursery. The Ofsted report showed that Starfish were not meeting requirements. I would never send my child somewhere where I do not feel 100% sure they are safe and happy. I do not recommend this place to anyone.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review. I’m very sorry that you have had a negative experience with our nursery. Starfish Children's Day Nursery has made lots of changes since you attended our setting back in April 2023, and are striving towards an outstanding setting.


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Review from Christopher R (Father of Child) published on 18 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very friendly nursery with wonderful staff. Varied activities to cater to both fun and development of our children. They have a strong community focus, making the whole experience feel like one big family.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely review. It’s really nice to hear that we have such a great family feel.


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Review from A W (Mother of Child) published on 18 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We joined Starfish in January 2023 and my little girl has been very happy there. The staff in her room were very supportive whilst she settled in and she now skips in each morning. Staff turnover is high but that’s a sector issue, not a Starfish issue. There have been lots of improvements recently with
clear structure and learning activities and I feel like her development is a priority. Overall, very happy with the kind care and attention and how hard the room team works.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

What a lovely review, thank you very much. There definitely has been lots of great changes recently, but I’m pleased that your daughter is getting the best care she can.


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Review from G S (Mother of Child) published on 13 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff at Starfish are amazing! Kind, personable, committed and my kids love it! We’ve had our children here since 2021 and since then the nursery has grown better and better, not only fantastic staff but fantastic premises, the top garden is my son’s (who is an avid bug hunter) favourite place to
be, also where they run an amazing forest school. We have a preschooler here age 3 and baby in the baby room age 1.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

We love the top garden! It's such an amazing space for the children to explore and play.


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Review from J L (Grandmother of Child) published on 7 November 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I am a step-grandparent of 3 children who have attended/attending this nursery. They have always been very well looked after and have thrived at this nursery.
Always received great care, and I have found the staff to be so attentive and caring, ensuring they had had access to the right level of support.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your review. It's really lovely to receive feedback like this about how other people find the nursery and the care we provide.


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Review from Conor S (Father of Child) published on 10 October 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started at Starfish mainly due to his speech delay, me and my partner thought nursery would help this. He has come on leaps and bounds, all thanks to the amazing staff! He's settled so well and we couldn't be happier with his overall progress. Brilliant nursery, lots of activities, friendly staff
and always a warm welcome every morning.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely review. The staff we have here are lovely, and always very welcoming, and it's really nice to see that is noticed by parents.


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Review from James R (Father of Child) published on 5 October 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We put our daughter into nursery at a young age due to our work commitments. The guilt we felt was awful, however Starfish Nursery gave us all the reassurance that we needed! The warm welcome we got from the start, to the calm environment of the rooms. We can’t thank them enough for taking such great
care of our daughter, it’s the best thing we could ever do. The staff are amazing, they work so hard with the children and teach them to become independent. Our daughter is very happy at Starfish and will recommend this nursery to anyone.

Reply from Gracie Byford-Smith, Nursery Manager at Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

Thank you very much for your review. I'm really pleased to hear that you have had such a positive start to your daughter's nursery journey.


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Review from Mark G (Father of Child) published on 27 January 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 1.0 out of 5

Firstly I'd like to say that the staff that looked after our children were brilliant (at least the ones that were DBS checked), under extremely difficult circumstances as most of them haven't been paid on time or have been told they're not very good. However as it may be obvious from my above statement,
management and the owner are particularly nasty people, incapable of managing a nursery and as a result, several families including ours have left and are now in a much better place. Don't just take this review, please do some research, look at its history, Ofsted complaints etc. lots of investigations into the owner and the multiple businesses. None of the children have been given leaving dates so we've all lost our funded hours despite them saying it had been done. I think they need every penny and I'm not surprised with the volume of people leaving, avoid for the safety and well-being of your children. As a side note our children are so much happier, it has made a massive difference.

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Review from Camilla B (Mother of Child) published on 19 January 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 1.0 out of 5

If I could give it 0 stars I would. We loved Starfish when we started there but under the owner and the new manager this year, it has deteriorated to the point where we have removed our children as I didn't believe they were safe there. Day-to-day room staff were all amazing, but some do not have DBS
clearance and that was a huge concern. There was an Ofsted investigation due to inappropriate people working there and the owner shut down the nursery reference and opened under a new business ID within weeks, presumably so it wouldn't show to prospective or existing parents. From family-friendly to a mismanaged business that is detrimental to the families who use it. Avoid at all costs.

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Current Review Score: 9.4 (9.378)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.4 (9.378) out of 10 for Starfish Childrens Day Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.4 out of 5 from 15 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 13 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 4.378 for Starfish Childrens Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (130 Excellents x 5) + (26 Goods x 4) + (3 Satisfactorys x 3) + (4 Poors x 2) + (17 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 180 Ratings = 4.378

  • 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 Starfish Childrens Day Nursery is based on 13 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 52 number of registered child places is 10.4, which has been reached with 13 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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Frequently Asked Questions about Starfish Childrens Day Nursery

What is the Age Range of Children that Starfish Childrens Day Nursery accepts?

Starfish Childrens Day Nursery accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Starfish Childrens Day Nursery Open?

Starfish Childrens Day Nursery is open: Monday 08:00-18:00, Tuesday 08:00-18:00, Wednesday 08:00-18:00, Thursday 08:00-18:00, Friday 08:00-18:00.

How many Children does Starfish Childrens Day Nursery have capacity for?

Starfish Childrens Day Nursery has capacity for a total of 52 Children.

How far is Starfish Childrens Day Nursery to the centre of Farnham?

0.5 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 Starfish Childrens Day Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Starfish Childrens Day Nursery has a Basic Service – more info.