University Nursery at West Cambridge

The University Nursery, 8 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FZ
Submit a Review
10 136 Reviews
  • University Nursery at West Cambridge, Cambridge
University at West Cambridge is a purpose built nursery situated on the West Cambridge campus of Cambridge University.

A friendly and enthusiastic staff team works closely with the children to provide continuity between nursery and life at home. Professionals believe parent partnership is important to allow key people to support each child and their families as individuals.

The nursery offers childcare for employees of the University of Cambridge but also have a restricted amount of spots for local families who do not work or study at the university.

Each age group has its own designated garden directly outside its playroom, enabling all children to access a secure outdoor environment at any time of the day. The nursery has also obtained their Green Flag Eco-Schools Award.

In each of the five age groups, the children explore in light, airy and spacious rooms which provide them with the opportunity to grow and develop through a stimulating and sociable environment.

Show University Nursery at West Cambridge on the Map

Care Provided by University Nursery at West Cambridge

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Lesa Clare (Manager)
  • Admission Criteria
    • Current Students and Staff of Cambridge University only
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 64
  • Total Places for Children
  • 120
  • 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 (excluding May Bank Holidays)
  • Parking

  • Parking is on a shared carpark pass.


University Nursery at West Cambridge Reviews (136)

Total of 136, showing 61-80
10

University Nursery at West Cambridge has a Review Score of 10 (9.962) out of 10, based on 33 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time University Nursery at West Cambridge has 136 reviews.

Overall Experience

  • 128
  • 8
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Date Published

136
5
16
33
103

Review from Richard E (Father of Child) published on 3 September 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been well taken care of during the past year in pre-school. I can see the tremendous progress she has made in different aspects of her learning journey, including but not limited to meaningful conversation, expression of emotions, personal confidence, developing relationships, awareness
of her social environment, and curiosity to learn. Thanks to all the practitioners and manager for this feat.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from R B (Mother of Child) published on 21 July 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The University Nursery at West Cambridge is excellent. The entire team is exceptional, highly knowledgeable, kind and child-centred. My boy absolutely loves the nursery, so do we.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from R B (Mother of Child) published on 21 July 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The university nursery at West Cambridge is exceptional. All the staff are absolutely fantastic and very supportive. I have seen my daughter developing confidence and other important skills. She now has a very strong foundation that certainly will help her journey at school.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Prajina B (Mother of Child) published on 7 July 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

What I like about the West Cambridge Nursery is their open-door policy, if I have any issues or concerns I can approach a senior staff member and discuss anything that’s maybe worrying me. By being approachable and discussing things together we have been able to identify the problem, action and implement
a plan in the nursery setting with staffs help and support. By working closely with the staff and by making small changes we have seen a massive change in our daughter in the last two weeks. She is very content and she is has been glowing when I collect her in the afternoon. This indicates that she has had an amazing day, eaten well, napped and joined in various activities throughout the day. We appreciate the staff taking the time and energy to truly understand a child. Seeing her happy makes us happy while we are at work.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Ian C (Father of Child) published on 23 June 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have sent both of our daughters to University Nursery at West Cambridge and they both love it. The staff are very friendly and show an obvious love for the children. Our children have developed well and are very happy.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Kieran M (Father of Child) published on 4 May 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff at University Nursery at West Cambridge are always friendly and polite. My daughter really enjoys her days at nursery and always returns home happy. My daughter really enjoys the activities set up each day and has learned a lot from the activities and staff. The menu caters perfectly for my
daughter's dietary needs and she seems to enjoy the range of different meals and snacks. My daughters favourite part of nursery is the outdoor space. The staff offer informative feedback every evening when I pick up on how my child's day has been and what she has been up to.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from D U (Mother of Child) published on 27 November 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Wonderful nursery. Staff are very attentive, professional and kind. They serve great food and do wonderful activities. Their communication during lockdown was always on point, and I felt they took great care of their families, even when they were not in the nursery.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from William (Father of Child) published on 23 November 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The University Nursery at West Cambridge is excellent. The team is exceptional - child-centred, brilliantly collaborative with parents, nurturing, stimulating and well-led. Everything the staff do “oozes” excellent care, and there is a strong, positive and welcoming culture across all staff groups,
from management to the practitioners. They made our transition from parental leave very easy with their confidence and reassurance. We are very happy our child is able to benefit from the time spent at the nursery.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Savvina T (Mother of Child) published on 6 October 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter started two weeks ago. We were quite stressed at the beginning as she is 2 years and 2months old and it was the first time leaving our house and spending the day with new people without us around. Two weeks later and the smile on her face every time we pick her up says it all! She is a
happy toddler!
Plenty of activities and amazing staff! Special shout out to the best key person we could ever ask for! Always patient with a smile and made this transition so much easier for our little one! Very professional and always happy to answer any of our questions!
Definitely recommend it!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from K W (Mother of Child) published on 23 September 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter loves her nursery and care workers, and we do too. They provide a caring, interactive and exciting environment for her, and provide us with updates, safety information and ideas to follow things up at home. Her social, motor and language skills have developed rapidly since attending (she
has been there a year) and the food provided is nutritious and varied (and she eats better at nursery than home!). The staff are such high quality, and we couldn't be more pleased that she is there. Thoroughly recommended.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Beth W (Mother of Child) published on 23 September 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I literally cannot rate this nursery highly enough. I have been a parent at West Cambridge for 4 years. The exceptional standard and stability of care, service, professionalism, fun, and supported learning has been outstanding. This includes across 4 years, two very different children, all staff, and
various periods of change and disruption at home, nursery and in the world around us. West Cambridge has been our constant. This includes the support, can-do attitude and care we and our son received following his serious illness and surgery last year which involved a period of special needs and medical treatment.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Diana I (Mother of Child) published on 14 August 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter started at this nursery when she was 10-months-old, and we have seen her move through different milestones with the support of the nursery team.
We are very thankful for the dedication, professionalism and approachability of the team. The nursery has a family feel which we really enjoy
and appreciate. Our daughter has flourished with all the support and tailored activities she’s presented with, where she has an opportunity to learn, enjoy and challenge herself as she plays with her carers and classmates.
As well as the dedication in the classroom, we were very impressed with the support we received during the lockdown and all the reading material and activity ideas that were shared. Also, the transition back into the nursery has been fantastic.
We would definitely recommend this nursery to friends and family!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Sarah N (Mother of Child) published on 11 August 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Today is the last day of almost six years in which we have had children full-time at West Cambridge Nursery. From the day that we came for a visit (then still expecting) until the last day, staff have been most welcoming. Management has shown a remarkable interest in the children (even the manager knows
every child by name and their parents), attention to parents' wishes and commitment to staff's growth. For us, the nursery was truly home away from home. After day one, we realised we did not have to feel guilty about sending our children full-time to the nursery: they were offered activities and a peer group we could never give them at home. We were impressed by the nursery's implementation of a healthy-food programme: no more sugar, more vegetables. Whilst we love cooking at home, the youngest continues to say that "nursery food is best". The nursery's encouragement to play a lot outside has made our boys stronger and more self-confident. I give it my strongest possible recommendation.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Jan M (Father of Child) published on 8 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This is an excellent nursery, with a nice setting but most importantly wonderful staff. The only negative is the waiting list!
Our daughter started about a year ago in the preschool room and we have been very happy with all aspects of her care.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Ruzaika (Mother of Child) published on 8 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending West Cambridge nursery since January 2020. She has flourished during her time there and has a great rapport with all the staff members. The staff have been really eager to get to know her and have tremendously helped in her social, intellectual and physical development.
My daughter started crawling within a month of starting at the nursery. Her physical development had been a bit behind but she started to learn to walk in the nursery and took her first steps there. They were extremely encouraging and actively promoted children's welfare and intellectual growth. She has been engaged in creative and sensory play to reading and mark making. Her word count has expanded exponentially and continues to grow. They have helped her to bond with the other children and she recalls the names of her friends and keyworker. Everyone from management to classroom staff knows my daughter and enjoy interacting with her. She loves her time at the nursery.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Jing X (Father of Child) published on 8 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter attended West Cambridge Nursery from September 2017 to March 2020. She was very happy at the nursery and made many friends there. The staff was courteous and professional. They provided tremendous support at the beginning to help her settle in the nursery.
The communication between the
nursery and the parents was excellent. Every day we were briefed about what our child did and ate when we picked her up after work. Weekly newsletters were sent to parents to forecast the food menus and activities in the coming week. Pictures of children and reports, evaluations, and observations about their growth and intellectual development are shared with parents via an app/website.
My daughter developed a strong bonding with her three key workers and often imitated their behaviours at home. We could tell her key workers were excellent role models to her. She learned to help with household chores, to share things with others, and to care about others.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Chris W (Father of Child) published on 3 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We placed our daughter in nursery at around 18 months, and can not have been more pleased with her growth and development. The staff are fantastic, professional, and provide wonderful care and nutriment. The front desk staff are always welcoming and 'know' who our daughter is, the class, and any issues
that we should be aware of (e.g. how her day was, any virus going around, and any upcoming events to be aware of). The 'room' staff are a fantastic mix of individuals who each contribute to make a safe, nurturing environment to which our daughter feels comfortable to learn and grow. Most importantly we feel that her room staff really know our daughter, what she likes, doesn't, and which children and activities she likes to engage in/with most. We feel very fortunate to have our daughter at this nursery.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Noga G (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A wonderful nursery that is very well-organized, loving, and efficient. Our girls have been attending it for a few months (minus lockdown weeks), and we have all been very satisfied with both the high level of care and the efficient management. The facility itself is very well kept, clean, and provides
easy access for the kids to go to the bathroom or play outside. The caregivers we had the opportunity to meet are truly wonderful; our girls talk about them fondly at home and are always happy to go to nursery in the morning. Communication with the parents is done primarily through the app/website, though they are always easily accessible by phone for immediate things. The nursery also implemented new safety measures due to COVID-19 that seem to have been working well so far.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Ingrid (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter has been with this nursery for almost 3 years and I've been very happy with them throughout. Especially her first key person was absolutely wonderful in helping her settle in, quickly forming a strong bond with my daughter. Since then I've watched her grow more confident in the nursery
setting, learn new things, and form friendships with some of the other children. Most importantly, she enjoys going to nursery every day. The staff provide excellent care, a safe and nurturing environment for the children to thrive in, with lots of fun and educational activities, as well as healthy nutritious food that my daughter clearly enjoys. I am also very impressed with the measures that have been taken recently by the nursery to manage the risks associated with the Covid-19 crisis. They have done everything they can to make it as safe as possible for the children, families, and staff, with minimum impact on the children's comfort, enjoyment and learning at nursery.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from V F (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My first child has been going to West Cambridge since he was 18 months and he's now almost 4 years old. Every morning he is so excited that he barely says goodbye to us when we leave him.
Coming from a foreign language household we were a bit concerned that he would have struggled with the English
but the carers took great care of him, also with regards to this aspect. He is now very confident when interacting with his peers in English, and this is mostly thanks to the staff at nursery.
Very warm and attentive staff, amazing outdoor spaces, management and reception team very professional. I'm glad my second child has been offered a place there and will start attending soon!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Current Review Score: 10.0 (9.962)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 10 (9.962) out of 10 for University Nursery at West Cambridge 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 33 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 33 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 4.962 for University Nursery at West Cambridge is calculated as follows: ( (380 Excellents x 5) + (15 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 395 Ratings = 4.962

  • 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 University Nursery at West Cambridge is based on 33 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 120 number of registered child places is 24, which has been reached with 33 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 (20)

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading events

Meet the Team (1)

Lesa

Lesa Clare

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2009

Lesa is the Manager of West Cambridge Day Nursery in Cambridge and has a wealth of experience, having worked in the early years sector for 21 years. Lesa has several qualifications, including an NVQ Level 3 Early Years Care and Education and has been with Childbase Partnership for 12 years.


What is your favourite feature of West Cambridge?
I love the family environment at the nursery, the warm and welcoming staff and the outstanding practice delivered throughout all of our rooms.


What are you most proud of about your nursery/team?
Being recognised as a top 20 rated nursery in East of England from DayNurseries parent reviews.


Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact University Nursery at West Cambridge to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. University Nursery at West Cambridge has a Platinum Service – more info.