Patacake Day Nursery

Sedley Court, Malta Road, Cambridge CB1 3LW
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9.9 130 Reviews
  • Patacake Day Nursery, Cambridge
Patacake Day Nursery is a private day care nursery situated in a light and spacious building in Sedley Court in Cambridge.

The nursery is conveniently situated with easy access to the A14 and M11 and is only a short walk from Cambridge train station.

Patacake Day Nursery is open full-time from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm caring for children from 3 months to 5 years.

The nursery recently underwent a full refurbishment. The environments have been designed to cater for the individual ages and stages of the children and to provide a caring and nurturing environment which stimulates their curiosity and imagination.

The rooms are equipped with state of the art educational resources, providing environments rich in exciting and engaging learning opportunities and experiences which are tailored to meet children's individual interests.

The nursery's on-site chef prepares all the children's meals fresh on the premises each day and the menus are designed in conjunction with a paediatric dietician.

The nursery also offers extracurricular activities including a gardening activity which is supported by the Royal Horticultural Society’s School Gardening Awards training programme.

Patacake nursery were finalists at the 2023 NMT awards in the SENCO category.

Care Provided by Patacake Day Nursery

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • James Seaman (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 40
  • Total Places for Children
  • 131
  • 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 & Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Patacake Day Nursery

  • Please contact us for a copy of our current fees or for any information on funding.


  • Parking
  • Short stay visiting can use the drop off spaces outside the nursery, long stay will need to use a side road near by.


Total of 130, showing 21-40
9.9

Patacake Day Nursery has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.929) out of 10, based on 32 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Patacake Day Nursery has 130 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending since she was a baby as she absolutely loves it! She gets to do lots of different activities, spend lots of time outside, likes the food and the staff. They have been really helpful with potty training and always listen when I had any kind of feedback. They recently brought
in the use of an app for feedback and it’s great to be able to see how they day is going and get pictures.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your review, we really appreciate the feedback.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our children started at Patacake a little over a year ago, and we're very happy. We've gone through a few nurseries due to covid and life changes, and Patacake makes us feel we're part of a big family. Staff are well trained and attentive to the child's needs. They are very understanding of us parents'
needs and helped us a lot when our eldest was potty training. The manager maintains good communication, and we know what activities the children are engaged in and when the next dress up day is. There are lots of nurseries and each has its own culture. We like Patacake for making us feel very welcome and at home.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you for your review, we are so pleased to hear of your positive experience with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter absolutely loves going to Patacake, she is always so happy and keen to go in and see her friends and the staff.
The staff are always so welcoming and cheerful and overall it had been an excellent experience for my daughter and for us as a family - as we are always so reassured that she
is in such good hands. I would certainly recommend Patacake to anyone who is considering a nursery for their child.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you for your wonderful feedback, we are so pleased you have had a great experience with Patacake.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our child has been at this nursery for almost 2 and a half years and attends 5 days a week. The staff are kind, approachable and pleasant to interact with. The range of activities at the nursery is great and staff use an app to post videos or photos of our child doing these activities. The facilities
and outside spaces are good. The food and its nutritional value are also very good.
Staff helpfully comment on our child's activities during the day as well as their overall progress. The nursery holds 6 monthly parents' evenings.
Recently, when our child was diagnosed with social and communication difficulties, nursery staff (including SEND-Co) worked with us and third parties to put in place extra help for our child, who has made good progress.
Our child enjoys going to nursery and I would highly recommend it to other parents - indeed we plan to send our second child there in the near future.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your feedback about the nursery and in particular our SEND team who work extremely hard to support families like yourselves. It has been lovely seeing your child grow and we look forward to this continuing.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter absolutely loves coming to nursery everyday, has made amazing relationships with the staff and forming great friendships. She has been at the nursery since the baby room and is now in the pre-school room.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you for your feedback, it has been a pleasure to watch your child grow with us and move through the rooms.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have had a fantastic experience at Patacake. Our 3-year-old daughter adapted very well and quickly to the nursery, even though she didn't speak English when she joined. The caregivers are very well-trained and have provided a safe and stimulating space for our daughter. Communication with the staff
is very good.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback we have enjoyed having her with us at Patacake and we have loved seeing her grow with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Thank you to the wonderful staff who care so well for my precious nephew. Staff are caring and attentive to his needs and we believe nursery has contributed to giving him the best start in life! Thank you team Patacake Day Nursery

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your comments and feedback it is lovely to know he is thriving with us here.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Patacake Nursery is extraordinary. This comes not only from their performance but the dedicated, highly-trained carers they employ. My daughter has full time since she was 9 months old and is thriving there at 2 and a half. Her daily experience is so positive she returns glowing and excited to share
her day. I am assured she is treated with top professional - yet friendliest - care when she happily runs smiling without looking back each morning. I trust every carer there implicitly.
This comes down to the excellence in management, from hiring to daily operations; the nursery amazes us in the details - leaving fruit for tired parents and a book exchange for kids - to big picture - monitoring wellness, development, and happiness. Patacake is remarkable. The new app improved life at home, too: knowing the healthy foods and carefully planned activities she enjoys helps us keep apace with her growth. Baby #2 starts in the autumn, and we’re certain she’ll have the best start possible here.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your feedback, we are so happy to hear of the wonderful experiences you have had with us and we hope for this to continue.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My two boys have been attending this nursery since last September and we are having a fantastic experience. Our children are both very happy to go there. All the staff are very kind, available and always smiling with the children and their parents. We have a continuous exchange of information with them
about what our children had been getting on during the day and which activities they were involved in. Our older child, who had a delay in language, is doing great progress there. When he started the nursery, he was able to say a few words and now, just after 6 months, he is able to build sentences, singing, asking questions and replying. The staff are also very kind at posting on the nursery app children's pictures taken during nice moments of their day. The app also reports a very detailed description of the activities the children have been involved in, what they like and what they have for meals. We could not ask more for our children. I strongly recommend this nursery!

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback it is so nice to hear about your experiences with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending Patacake Day Nursery since February 2022, when she turned ten months old, and she goes there five days full time. She is currently in pre-toddlers, and will soon be moving to toddlers.
Patacake has been amazing since the beginning, the staff members care deeply about
my daughter, and I can see how she's loving her time there.
When in the baby room, the beginnings were difficult emotionally for her, as she was adjusting to spending most of her days there, but she developed strong bonds with the lovely staff, who learned what makes her happy, and she was thriving there.
In pre-toddlers she is stimulated by the fantastic environment, lots of music, books, activities like painting, drawing, arts, lots of sensory things, bike, play outside and interacting with staff members and other children. She often doesn't want to go home when I arrive.
The menu is amazing, with lots of variety and my daughter loves eating there. Lots of fruit and veg, balanced, not many sweets. I would highly recommend it!

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback we are so happy to hear you are receiving wonderful care.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been at Patacake since 2020, started from the baby room and is now in preschool. He enjoys coming to nursery and learning so much. He eats all the offered and says his enjoying the new menus.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback; it is lovely to hear of your positive experiences with us and, hopefully, have many more.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Patacake is a great nursery with amazing staff and such a warm, friendly and wonderful atmosphere. My grandson enjoys his time there so much, he gets upset when it’s time to go home! I think that alone, says it all, well done to an amazing team!

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback it has been great to read about your experiences with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This nursery has been part of our family for many years. Both my son and nephew came here and I wouldn't use any other nursery. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the management team are extremely helpful. Great location and amazing variety of activities planned for the children.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you very much for your great feedback about the nursery it has been great to hear about your experiences.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fantastic nursery with great staff. My son started there as a baby and he settled well straight away. His key worker was fantastic. My son really loves it there and I will be sending my younger child there in the new year.

Reply from Kelly Hajroussi, Manager at Patacake Day Nursery

Thank you for your feedback about our nursery, it is very much appreciated and great to hear of your experiences.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Patacake has been wonderful for my family. My daughter and son attended Patacake through out their nursery years.


My daughter struggled immensely with separation, and as someone who had tramautic experience of boarding school myself I found her distress overwhelming. Patacake helped us every step

of the way, if they hadn't been so good we would probably have had to remove her. I also met other parents who had the same experience and had to remove their children from the first nursery but who were successful when trying Patacake.


My daughter transitioned to school with no trouble at all despite being one of the youngest in her year group. While other kids were struggling to adapt.


When the new management took over they helped us manage with the changes in the nursery so my son was able to still attend. When they brought cooked meals into the system I was always impressed with the standard and variety of food.


The staff are competent and caring. Thank you Patacake!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff at Patacake are brilliant, very knowledgeable, kind, generous and approachable. All the teachers have taken very good care of our son and we are sad to see him leave such a loving setting. He has had a wonderful time, learnt a lot and developed a strong sense of friendship and generosity thanks
to Patacake. It is also one of the cleanest and brightest settings we have visited and are ever so grateful that our kids can/could attend this nursery school. Communication with parents is outstanding and the teachers/managers are very accommodating when possible and do know every child really well.
The transition between preschool at Patacake and school has been absolutely seamless, this means they were really well prepared and confident to start school. We can only recommend Patacake.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been so happy with our son's time at Patacake. He has been in all four rooms and has really enjoyed it. The staff are professional and kind, and always willing to go the extra mile - they have been especially helpful when he found things difficult such as transitions between rooms, and the home
communication was great too during the pandemic. The food has also been good, healthy and varied, and we particularly appreciated the detailed report we received on his day at each pickup. All in all, we unreservedly recommend Patacake, and we will miss it now he is moving up to school!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been with Patacake Day Nursery for 7 years with our two children. The staff are amazing, so caring and really take time to help children settle. Both our kids loved it there. The nursery is very well managed and there is a lot of feedback to parents on what is going on at the nursery. Also,
the menu is really varied and the staff are really good at encouraging the children to try new things. I have recommended Patacake Day Nursery to lots of friends.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been absolutely delighted with our daughter’s time at Patacake Day Nursery and she has been very happy there. She joined the pre-school room and – in spite of her hesitancy with new settings - she settled in very quickly thanks to the warmth and kindness of the staff. Staff really take the
time to get to know the children and support them with whatever they need. The staff also provide a very good level of communication with parents, so I can understand how things are going each day. As time goes on, I am always impressed that there are constantly new and fun activities to keep the children engaged both physically and mentally. My daughter also seems to learn a lot – for instance she previously refused to engage with numbers/counting but since being at Patacake Day Nursery she now enjoys counting. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Patacake Day Nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We love this nursery. Our daughter started in the baby room and is now 2.5 and has just moved in the toddler room after a brief stint in pre-toddlers. We cannot fault a single staff member. They are kind, treat the children as individuals and are utterly professional. Our daughter is thriving thanks
to their remarkable care.


Patacake also has a robust and sensible approach to Covid and has done since the beginning. We have felt informed throughout but experienced very little disruption - the best of both worlds.


Perhaps the admin side could be a little more efficient but to be honest I think that may be par for the course with nursery settings. For any anxious parent worried about their child starting in a new setting I could not recommend this place more highly.


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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.929)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.929) out of 10 for Patacake Day Nursery 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 32 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 32 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 4.929 for Patacake Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (354 Excellents x 5) + (27 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 381 Ratings = 4.929

  • 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 Patacake Day Nursery is based on 32 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 131 number of registered child places is 26.2, which has been reached with 32 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 (6)

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Meet the Team (6)

Kelly

Kelly Hajroussi

Job Title: Manager

Joined: 2003

Kelly is the nursery manager and has been at Patacake for 20 years; she is qualified with a level 5 and is the nursery-trained DSL.


James

James Seaman

Job Title: 3rd in charge/room leader

Joined: 2007

James has been at Patacake for 15 years and has a level 3 in childcare as well as leadership and management. He is our nursery SEND lead as well as behaviour management lead as well as running the toddler room.


Philippa

Philippa Shaw

Job Title: 3rd in charge/room leader

Joined: 2006

Philippa has been at the nursery for 16 years and is not only the room leader of the preschool room but is also the nursery ENCO. She is qualified for a level 4 in childcare.


Charlie

Charlie Barry

Job Title: Room leader

Joined: 2019

Charlie is our room leader of the Pre toddlers and over see's under 2's. She is qualified to a level 4 and is the nursery deputy E-safety lead.


Courtney

Courtney White

Job Title: Baby room leader

Joined: 2021

Courtney is our acting baby room leader covering for Rosie who is on Maternity leave. She is qualified for a level 3 and has been with Patacake for a year and a half.


Rosie

Rosie Whitehead

Job Title: Room leader

Joined: 2017

Rosie is our room leader of the baby room and is currently on Maternity leave. She is qualified to a level 3 and has been at Patacake for over 5 years.