Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

73 School Lane, Hartford, Northwich CW8 1PF
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10 51 Reviews
Hartford Old School House Day Nursery operates from a beautiful, old building in Hartford, Cheshire and aims to offer local parents a professional approach to childcare and an environment that is ideal for early years learning.

The setting is run by an enthusiastic management team and a team of nursery nurses with a vast range of experience in childcare. Most of the staff have been with the setting since it opened in 2006.

All education is age-specific with a wide range of resources to suit progress through the early years. There is a strong focus on literacy and numeracy, as well as active play. They encourage a natural, open-ended environment and are currently working towards an award for Surfers Against Sewage, which is a plastic free pledge to reduce the amount of single use plastic they use.

There is a large outside play area, with a separate 'growing area' for the children to learn about the world and grow their own vegetables. The nursery also has two guinea pigs, 3 fish, snails and stick insects.

The nursery has access to 2 minibuses and they are regularly used to transport children to forest school twice a week, for trips out to various places and they are also used to take and collect children from local schools who access wraparound care.

There are weekly visits during term time from Development First Couching who provide sports activities for the Pre-School and Jolly Giraffe room. Diddi Dance come weekly and provide a dancing class for the Busy Bees room. The local church outreach worker also come in once a fortnight to work with pre-school children on fun activities which vary each visit. Rhythm time visit Babies and Tiny Tiger children once a week too.

They also run a thriving before and after school club and holiday club (wraparound care) supporting there local school, Hartford Manor, Hartford Primary School and Davenham Primary School.
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Care Provided by Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Sarah Butler (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 23
  • Total Places for Children
  • 100
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 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 & 1 week at Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

  • £66.50 per day nursery session (7.30am - 6.00pm)
    £42.50 per half day nursery session (8am - 1pm) or (1pm - 6pm)
    £7.00 Breakfast club (wraparound care, 5-11 years)
    £10.00 After school club 3.00pm - 4.30pm (wraparound care, 5-11 years)
    £16.00 After school club 3.00pm - 6.00pm (wraparound care, 5-11 years)
    £40.00 per full day Holiday club (wraparound care, 5-11 years)
    £25.00 per half day holiday club (wraparound care, 5-11 years)


  • Discounts for full weeks of daycare or wraparound care, ask for details. Sibling discounts available, subject to conditions


  • Parking
  • Nursery has parking facilities directly outside.


Hartford Old School House Day Nursery Reviews (51)

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Hartford Old School House Day Nursery has a Review Score of 10 (9.961) out of 10, based on 34 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Hartford Old School House Day Nursery has 51 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

They provide varied and stimulating activities for the children and always have their best interests at the centre of their practices. All three of my children have loved their time at Old School House over the past six years!

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hello, thank you for your lovely review, it's been a pleasure to have your children here with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Excellent nursery, my daughters absolutely love their nursery days. I particularly like that a lot of the events, eg Christmas party are at the end of the nursery day so working parents don’t miss out.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hello, thank you for your lovely review, it is a pleasure to have your children here with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

From day one my daughter has run into nursery with a smile on her face and not looked back. The staff are supportive, nurturing and very experienced, offering a homely, safe and comfortable experience. Food is all cooked fresh in-house and sounds delicious. The range of activities available each day
is imaginative and varied, and the nursery engages external personnel to offer additional activities too. We also use the out-of-school provision which is absolutely fantastic!

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hello, thank you for your lovely review, it's been a pleasure to have your children here with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Hartford Old School Day Nursery are all around amazing!
I have a daughter who has a chronic medical condition, not only did this nursery welcome us with open arms they rapidly put into motion how they could best adapt the area, train the staff and accommodate my daughter's delayed development. The
manager is so sympathetic to our situation and very quickly put us at ease. With previous experience of trying to put my daughter in a similar setting not going so well - people being afraid, people not willing to help or even try. The manager did the complete opposite and said “ we have to help” I was nearly in tears.
My daughter has many appointments and lots of struggles and all of the staff have understood this and taken it in their stride to help her develop.
In my opinion, this setting is truly exceptional and I’m so grateful my daughter is able to flourish and develop in a safe and playful environment.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thank you so much for your lovely review, it has been a pleasure to go on your journey with you as a family and supporting you is a great pleasure. Inclusion is key to all children and families and supporting everyone is what we do. She is a pleasure to have in nursery and always brings a smile to everyone's face and doesn't let her challenges get in the way of her day in nursery.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

An outstanding nursery with very caring staff. They do plenty of activities to keep the children entertained and genuinely bond with the children to make it a nice experience for them. We're very pleased that we sent our daughter here.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hello, thank you for your lovely review, it's been a pleasure to have your child here with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started here in April, going one day a week. He can be very shy, so I was worried about how he’d settle in. One member of staff in particular has been absolutely amazing with him though, and he’s growing in confidence each week. I can see how much more confident he is around other people outside
nursery now too. It’s done him so much good.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thank you for your lovely review, I will be sure to feedback this to the team.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A great setting with a lovely bunch of staff. My son has loved his time at Hartford Old School House and will be sad to go. During his time here, we have seen him come out of his shell and is now a confident and happy boy who's always excited to go to nursery. Each day is different, and he loves coming
home to tell us what he's done that day with his friends.
I'd recommend this nursery to family and friends!

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thank you for your lovely review it is a pleasure to have your child here with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both my children have attended the nursery.
One currently is still there and will be moving up to the preschool room.
The nursery has been excellent in supporting both children through transitions and through their learning.
Both me and my partner love that the nursery use a child-led approach.
The
food always smells amazing!
Also, the management is very approachable should we have any questions.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thank you for your lovely review it is a pleasure to have your children here with us.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter started at Old School House Day Nursery in December 2022, after being at her old nursery since she was six months old and absolutely loves it there. Due to moving house, we moved our daughter to the nursery, feeling worried about the change of nursery, staff, environment etc. We should have
not worried at all - the nursery, staff, setting and approach to the child’s development and growth are truly fantastic. The staff go above and beyond for the children and parents and make you feel welcome, and nothing is too much trouble. My daughter had a food allergy for a short period of time, and the nursery adapted to her requirements and supported me in the introduction of milk back into her diet.
My child is due to start school in September, and she will truly miss the nursery and her key workers. The graduation ceremony was just wonderful too.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thanks for your lovely review, it has been a pleasure to have your daughter here in preschool.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both of my children have attended this nursery, preschool and wrap around care. The staff are what makes this nursery so fantastic. They all work together to provide a friendly and happy environment for the children. They are always developing and improving the facilities and the activities on offer
to the children. I would highly recommend this nursery to anyone.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, Thank you for your lovely review, it is a pleasure to have your children here with us at Hartford Old School House.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both of our children have been through this nursery, they're excellent and I can't recommend them highly enough. The staff are lovely and they really do prepare the kids with all the confidence and independence they need for when they move on to primary school.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely feedback your children are a pleasure to have in our nursery and out of school club, Sarah


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been going to Hartford Old School House Day Nursery for the last 6 months, and absolutely loves it! The nursery set up a different range of activities each day, all with the aim and focus of developing different skill sets. My son suffers with his hearing due to ear infections and the nursery
have gone out of their way to support him with different methods of communication to ensure that his communication doesn't fall behind. We get regular updates and pictures via the app which we love as it allows us to see what he's up to during the day. The nursery do loads of lovely things around special events, such as a garden party with the children for the King's Coronation recently. All the staff are so lovely and welcoming, and the variety of food on offer each day is amazing and all cooked from scratch! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hartford Old School House to any other parents. I'm so happy we found it for our boy!

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely review, it means a lot to us a team and we will ensure your feedback is shared with everyone.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All three of our children have been at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery and they have all loved it. From the moment we stepped in we knew it was right for us and the staff genuinely love what they do.
Even now two of our kids are in school they still love seeing the staff and saying hi!
The facilities,
care and extra activities are all brilliant and it shows by how much my son loves his days at nursery.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thank you for your lovely comment. It has been a pleasure to have all three of your children here. Regards, Sarah


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been here for a while now, and she loves it, loves the staff, she has made new friends and really excited to go after school, the staff are super friendly and easy to approach.
Highly recommend.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Hi, thank you for your lovely comment, regards, Sarah


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has attended the nursery since she was two years old and has been through the rooms, just finishing Preschool this July. I honestly can’t speak highly enough of the nursery and their staff. They are very experienced, and this shows in the care they give each child and the relationships they
build with them. They are great with communication and are always there to offer advice and support. We will honestly miss the nursery so much. I couldn’t have wished for a better start for my daughter in preparing her for school.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely review; your comments mean a lot to us here.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All of our three children have attended Hartford Old School House Nursery, most recently our son, who moves up to school this September. The nursery has always and still continues to feel like a home from home for the children - a very caring and welcoming environment where the staff feel like an extension
of the family. Although we looked at different nurseries each time for our children, we were always drawn back to Hartford Old School. We feel it has given our children a fantastic grounding for their further education, as well as instilling good values and strong friendships.
Our older children still enjoy visiting, and the staff always welcome them with open arms, and I believe that is what makes this nursery so special.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thanks for your lovely comments; it has been a pleasure to have your children come through the nursery.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This is a wonderful nursery and has been a great start for both of my daughters. The staff are excellent and have built their confidence and encouraged a huge variety of activities. Both girls are big fans of the meals too!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been using Hartford Old School House Day Nursery since he was10 months old in the baby room in 2018. He worked his way through all of the rooms and into pre-school and now uses their breakfast and after school club. The staff are absolutely fantastic and take such good care of the children.
All food prepared is homemade and good quality and they are brilliant with any specific dietary requirements. His time here was definitely great preparation for the transition to school life.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thank you for a lovely review. It is always nice to hear we are doing well.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been going here since she was 9 months old and has been through 4 rooms. She loves her days at nursery. The staff are amazing, they develop such a good relationship with the children and have created an environment for the children to thrive in. They are caring and approachable and we
receive daily updates on her activities on the app, including photos, her meals, toilet training progress and sleep. The activities are educational and well organised. They even do trips out. When we pick her up she is buzzing and can’t wait to tell us about her day. I’m so happy we went with this nursery. I can’t recommend them enough.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thank you for a kind review and our ethos here at the nursery is to provide what you have said.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have used Hartford Old School House to care for both of my children since they were very young babies. After my first walk around I was in no doubt that this nursery was right for us. The staff are warm, welcoming and friendly and they have created a wonderful environment for the children to thrive
in. For us this nursery feels like an extension to our family, there is always a story to tell about the interesting and exciting things that they have been up to and I always feel well informed about their day. They have regular trips out and through the years we have seen them use external activity providers, which both my children have loved. We now have one in pre-school and still use the nursery as wrap-around care for our eldest in primary school. I can’t imagine them being anywhere else and would highly recommend this setting to any parent or guardian.

Reply from Sarah Butler, Manager at Hartford Old School House Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely words, it is always heart-warming to receive such lovely feedback.


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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 Hartford Old School House Day Nursery 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 34 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 34 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 Hartford Old School House Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (392 Excellents x 5) + (16 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 408 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 Hartford Old School House Day Nursery is based on 34 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 100 number of registered child places is 20, which has been reached with 34 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

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Awards / Recognitions (2)

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Meet the Team (3)

Sarah

Sarah Butler

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2020

Hi, I'm Sarah, I am 40 years old with too many years of childcare experience to count! I did my level 3 back in 1999 followed by my foundation degree in 2012 and more recently a management qualification. I live at home with my husband, son and dog. I have had several childcare careers, including nannying, childminding and finally settling in nurseries, becoming a deputy manager in 2010 followed by a manager in 2012 and have stayed in management ever since.

Early years are my passions and I believe the best years are those of children 0-5, I feel honoured to be part of their early year's journey and nurture them to become the best!

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Sophie Woodcock

Job Title: Nursery Third in Charge

Joined: 2015

Hi I'm Sophie, I started as an apprentice at Hartford Old School House in 2015 after leaving sixth form with 4 A levels. I was based in Tiny tigers for 3 years before moving to Preschool for 2 years. I have now taken on the role of Out of School Club leader, SENDCO and Third in charge. I enjoy working with all ages and I am a firm believer of learning through play. It has been so lovely watching little ones from back in tiny tigers leaving for big school and joining our out of school club room and carrying on their journey with us.

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Stephanie Garton

Job Title: Room Leader - Tiny Tigers

Joined: 2019

I'm room leader In Tiny Tigers and I'm Level 3 qualified Nursery practitioner. I first started at Hartford Old School House as a student and mixed in all different rooms to gather and gain experience with all ages. I instantly enjoyed my time here and found my forever place in Tiny Tigers. I love watching and helping your young ones grow into independent little humans. I love making messy/sensory hands on activities for the children to explore. I'm confident and want to be able to help your children achieve the best that they deserve and reach their full potential. In my spare time, I love spending time with my family and friends.

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