Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Maidstone Road, Sidcup DA14 5BQ
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9.6 51 Reviews
  • Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley, Sidcup
Grace’s Day Nursery, rated Outstanding by Ofsted, is set in two buildings. Little Grace’s is for 3 month to 2 year olds and Grace’s, in the Manor House, is for 2 year olds to 5 year olds. The benefit of splitting the age groups is that it allows them to ensure that both buildings are entirely age appropriate. Little Grace’s is an extremely light and welcoming building, with easy access to the outdoor play area and is perfectly suited to younger children. Grace’s is set in a beautiful 17th century manor house that has the benefits of not only the beautiful features of a building of its age, but also the sympathetic renovations that have taken place ensure that it is an ideal, safe place to care for children. It has modern facilities in a spacious and bright environment together with a fantastic outside play area. All rooms are spacious, light and fully air conditioned and two large outdoor play areas, along with a large vegetable bed ensure there is plenty for the children to do outside.

The nursery strives to be the stand out childcare facility in the area, employing only the best nursery practitioners who plan activities to stimulate and support the children's individual development whilst also creating a warm and homely environment. Meals are freshly cooked on site each day.

Care Provided by Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Donna Cullen & Stacey Wilson (Nursery Managers)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 32
  • Total Places for Children
  • 120
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:00-19:00
    Tuesday 07:00-19:00
    Wednesday 07:00-19:00
    Thursday 07:00-19:00
    Friday 07:00-19:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley Reviews (51)

Total of 51, showing 21-40
9.6

Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley has a Review Score of 9.6 (9.559) out of 10, based on 14 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley has 51 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We moved our son to Grace's over a year ago and from our initial enquiry to now we have found the teams so welcoming. The staff in the back office were our initial points of contact before joining Little Blooms and now Saplings. Everybody is very friendly and approachable and most of all provide such
a lovely experience for our son. The rooms are bright and clean with lots of different activities from messy play to forest school to surprise trips from the farm animals!
There’s always a varied food menu, cooked on-site that’s on rotation. I find there are lots of meals I wouldn’t usually cook, meaning he gets to try lots of different flavours and cuisines.
We look forward to our daily updates on the app and the pictures to see what the children have been up to.
I cannot rate Grace's highly enough and have recommended it to a friend whose child starts in July!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Danielle,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your son is doing well and that you are happy with the nursery and that you have recommended us to a friend - thank you!
Kind regards,
Grace's Day Nursery Team


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been there since she was about 18-months-old, she came from the Little Graces where she had an okay time. Since moving over to the Manor House she has thrived massively - we spent part of this time in lockdown too.
My daughter loves going and is very excited to return to forest school
again.
As she is due to leave soon and start primary school in September, I feel the saplings one team have been making real progress with her and her phonics, learning and routine.
She enjoys attending ballet with the teacher on a Thursday.
Since being able to return to the building she enjoys showing me her rooms and likes to head straight upstairs in the mornings.
I think she will miss Grace's Day Nursery 2massively but it would have been a huge part of her education in the last few years.
We are very grateful for the nursery.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Dear Harriet,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased that your daughter is doing well and loves coming to Grace's!
Kind regards,
Grace's Day Nursery Team


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My eldest daughter started at Little Grace’s in 2017 and my youngest is there now. From my first visit, I felt so at ease at leaving my girls with the wonderful staff at Grace’s, and this has never changed. As a parent returning to work I was anxious to leave my first daughter, but instantly felt reassured
and confident at the care, comfort and support she received. When it was time for my youngest daughter to go to nursery I had absolutely no doubt where I wanted her to go - Grace’s! Both Little Grace’s and Big Grace’s have an excellent friendly, welcoming and professional approach to the children in their care but I have to say it is the staff that are such a credit to the nursery. They are wonderful! Both my children have loved, learned and thrived when attending Grace’s.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Sarah,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your daughters enjoy coming to Grace's and that you feel confident in the care they receive.
Kind regards,
Grace's Day Nursery


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter always goes to nursery so excited for the day ahead and that’s because of the great staff and learning experiences they offer. From forest school to play activities to a wide variety of food to offer her pallet, everything here helps develop my daughter into a wonderful little girl. Thank
you for everything that you do!

Reply from Michelle, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Emily,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your daughter enjoys coming to Grace’s!
Kind regards,
Grace’s Day Nursery Team


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Our child has been so happy at Little Grace's and now Grace's Day Nursery for 2 years now. The staff really take the time to get to know the children and they really bring the children out of themselves so they discover a love of learning and confidence to express themselves. Our child needs a lot of
prompting to speak and answer questions but now talks with confidence and has developed real independence. I would say little blooms had a tighter bond with our child than saplings but maybe the policy of saplings is to leave children to their own devices more. The daily logs are prompt and the observations are detailed, meaningful and regular. I am sometimes concerned our child does not eat as much as I would like or drink enough water. Parents' evening appointments were limited and not convenient to us so more dates and times would enjoy welcome. The report and targets are very detailed so we’re quite clear on feedback and progress.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your child enjoys Grace’s! Thank you for raising your concerns. We have passed this on to the nursery management team so they can discuss this with you in person next time you are at the nursery.
Kind regards,
Grace’s Day Nursery Team


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Wonderful nursery. Caring, attentive staff. My son settled in quickly when he moved to Little Grace's from an existing childminder and again when he transitioned to Big Graces. His development has come on loads. Lovely place for children to be nurtured and develop. Excellent facilities.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Sally,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are pleased to hear that your son settled in well and is enjoying Big Grace's!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Beautiful nursery and lovely staff. My daughter has so much fun there and I always feel safe leaving her in their care. I think they have a great choice of food options and I think this has also helped with her eating at home. Would recommend this nursery highly!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Jody,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are pleased to hear that you would recommend Grace's!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I feel very emotionally attached to Grace's Day nursery, not least because the staff there are exceptional - they genuinely love and care for the children, which means they go above and beyond for each of them, making sure they do everything they can to meet their needs and more. My son has additional
needs and I have never had to ask for or prompt them for certain paperwork, they are so conscientious and proactive when it comes to what they think he might benefit from in terms of furthering his development and are so tender in their approach to him, fully accepting his beautifully "unusual" ways, wholeheartedly. I completely trust them with him, despite the fact that he is non-verbal and needs a particular approach - they care enough to spend time understanding him. They truly are specialists in childcare and the facilities mean that each child gets exactly what they need, daily. The healthy, homecooked food is a huge bonus too, they actually have my son eating carrots! They are wizards!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Sophie,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that you feel confident in the care our team provide for your son and that he's now enjoying carrots!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started at Grace's in September 2021 and with him being a lockdown baby I was so worried about him not settling and crying all day as he wouldn’t even go to a family member without screaming, but from day one I felt reassured by the staff in the seedlings room that he would be okay and it wouldn’t
take long to settle.
I now go to work knowing he is safe and happy and that makes me feel so content.
They have helped to transform my son from a baby to a toddler and he is now a confident and friendly little 18-month-old.
He now loves arriving at Grace's and spending his days with the children and staff in his class.
The staff are fantastic from the teachers to the leadership team.
I can’t rate this nursery enough! We are so happy we chose Grace's and can’t thank them enough for everything they have done for our son and can’t wait to watch him grow here for years to come until he has to leave and start big school.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Carol,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased that your son is doing well and enjoying his time at Grace's!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We stumbled on Little Grace's/Grace's Day Nursery when visiting the garden centre one day and we knew then we wanted our children to go there. We applied for both children to go before they were even born and we are very happy we did.
Both our children are always excited to attend and it is so reassuring
hearing your child tell you they are happy at the end of the day. I can definitely say the nursery has made them confident, sociable and inquisitive, which is amazing, especially as our eldest was born a month before the pandemic.
The staff are always so professional, helpful and friendly. They will always help you in any way they can. Could not recommend this nursery enough!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Dear Shivani,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased that you and your children love Grace's!
Kind regards,
Grace's Day Nursery Team


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Best nursery in the area with good indoor and outdoor space. It also benefits from being within an actual nursery. My daughter loves going to the nursery and misses it on the days she doesn’t go.
Love it!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Santosh,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your daughter enjoys coming to Grace’s!
Kind regards,
Grace’s Day Nursery Team


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Returning to work and leaving your child in the care of someone else can be very daunting. Grace's made this transition with as little stress and disruption as possible. All the staff are very friendly and approachable and communicate on a daily basis with how your little one is getting on. The team
keep the parents involved with forums, parents evenings and nursery visits such as Mother’s Day tea. Overall, very happy that we choose Grace's.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Charlotte,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are pleased to hear that your experience at Grace's has been positive and that you feel happy choosing us!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been at Grace's Day Nursery for almost a year now and we are so happy that she is in safe hands. We have enjoyed seeing her little updates on the app, we love the little things she makes for us and love that we are included on family days like Mother’s Day afternoon tea. They have taught
her so much. A 5-star nursery with the most caring team, we wouldn’t have our daughter anywhere else.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Lauren,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your daughter is enjoying nursery with us!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Absolutely amazing nursery! The people are what makes it such a lovely place for the children. I have already recommended my sister and my best friend who are also now at Grace's and love it just as much as I do.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Danielle,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased that you have had a good experience with Grace's.
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Our child absolutely loves his nursery, recently having moved from one age group to the next with seamless transition. They are catered to perfectly with dietary issues greatly taken care of.
They have a wide range of activities to fill their days; these clearly have a hugely positive effect on development
as motor skills and speech have improved rapidly.
Manners are taught very well, especially with greetings, goodbyes and table manners.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Daniel,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that your child loves coming to Grace's!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Very happy with the care my son receives at Grace's Day Nursery, we're regularly updated with his progress and there have been noticeable improvements in his speech and socialising.
The frequent forums/parents' evenings allow us as parents to feel more involved in his development and the family events
are such a treat, to meet other parents and mingle with the staff.
Grace's is a little family and I'm so glad we're a part of it!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Chloe,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are pleased to hear that your son is progressing well with us and we are looking forward to seeing you at the next parents' evening and family fun day!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

I have 2 daughters that attend Graces. My youngest is in Little Graces and my eldest was there but has moved over to the other building. The reasons I chose this nursery were:
The amazing outdoor space and garden centre grounds.
The settling process for the children to adjust.
The chef and meals
provided.
The soft play and cookery opportunities.
The day trips.
Forest school.
The app so I can see what they’re doing and eating each day.
Unfortunately, Covid put a stop to some of the above but the children still get a great opportunity to experience and do things they wouldn’t do normally. The staff are friendly and loving so I don’t worry about my children being left in their care - I know they are well looked after. I like the fact the chef rotates the meal plans each term so they always get variety and nutritious food. I love that the nursery holds events for the families to be involved such as Mother’s Day afternoon tea, family fun days, grandparents day/afternoons etc.

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Julianne,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are so pleased to hear that you're pleased with the care and facilities we offer. We look forward to seeing you at the next family fun day!


Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

First child went from age one to age four, second child from 9 months and is still there. Great staff, very friendly, they get to know your child and even you. Loads of activities, clear educational slant.
Very accommodating when the kids are ill they try to see if they can keep them there before
calling you to come and collect, for a working parent the healthcare policies are wonderfully sensible.
Keep you up to date with emails - e.g. through the pandemic. Really worked hard to keep going and look after the kids.
Lots of social events for parents to join the kids.
Would recommend Grace's to anyone and everyone!

Reply from Michelle Brockwell, Director at Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley

Hi Jhumur,
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review. We are pleased to hear that you would recommend Grace's and look forward to seeing you at the next family fun day!
Kind regards,
Michelle


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Grace's Day Nursery is such a fantastic nursery and I feel lucky that I've been able to send my 2 children there. My eldest has food allergies, and prior to him joining they really put me at ease and always answered any questions or concerns I had. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them. The handover
you get at the end of the day is very detailed and you can really tell that the staff enjoy spending time and working with the children. At Grace's you really get the sense that both the staff and families work together to do what's best for your child. If you are struggling with anything in particular (like potty training etc) they are always willing to speak to you and give advice on what could be done. I consider them as my extended family now, and I know I will be incredibly sad once my youngest leaves nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are so happy with Grace's Day Nursery. Our daughter has been going there for 2 years now and is so happy and so well cared for. She’s made great friends and her learning has come in leaps and bounds. Would highly recommend this nursery to everyone.

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Current Review Score: 9.6 (9.559)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.6 (9.559) out of 10 for Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley 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 14 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.6 out of 5 from 14 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 4.976 for Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley is calculated as follows: ( (164 Excellents x 5) + (2 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 167 Ratings = 4.976

  • 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 4.583 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Grace's Day Nursery - Ruxley is based on 14 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. 14 Positive Reviews ÷ 24 = 0.583

  • 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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Awards / Recognitions (2)

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Meet the Team (3)

Stacey

Stacey Wilson-Rea

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2013

Stacey is our Nursery Manager for our under 2's building. She originally joined Grace's in 2013 as a Nursery Practitioner. She has worked across several of the rooms, specialising mainly with the under 2's. Stacey has a range of skills and as well as being a fantastic Practitioner, she is very skilled at making wonderful new resources for the nursery. She is incredibly creative and can often be found with a hammer and drill!


Donna

Donna Cullen

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2013

Donna manages our over 2's building. She joined us in 2013, the year we set up our dedicated under 2's unit and managed this building for 10 years. She has a wealth of experience in a range of settings, spanning over the last 20 years. She has continued to challenge herself and is currently studying for a degree in Early Years.


Debbie

Debbie Sams

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Joined: 2011

Debbie has worked at Grace's since it opened in 2011. She has experience working with children across a range of ages and will often be found having fun with the children. Debbie has a real flair for training and loves keeping herself up to date with new knowledge as well as sharing with others what she knows. Debbie is an excellent example of a team member who has progressed within the Grace's family.