Willows Farm Day Nursery

Willows Activity Farm, Coursers Road, London Colney, St Albans AL4 0PF
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9.3 86 Reviews
  • Willows Farm Day Nursery, St Albans
Fresh air, nature-based play and farm animals are aplenty at Willows Farm Day Nursery and Pre-School, set amidst the grounds of Willows Activity Farm.

The modern, purpose-built day nursery is split into four rooms (based on the children’s age). As children become toddlers, they enjoy free flow access to large private nursery and pre-school gardens. And as you would expect being based at Willows Activity Farm, one of the daily highlights are supervised visits to the farm attraction’s outdoor play and animal barn.

Throughout the week and seasons, the activities vary. Children enjoy weekly pony grooming sessions, hatch ducklings for the farm’s duck pond and get extra close during the lambing season.   

This is in addition to weekly French lessons and weekly forest schools, which help develop children’s five senses. The wide range of activities give children numerous rich learning experiences, both indoor and outside.

The Nursery was also proud when they updated their teaching ethos to ‘Planning in the Moment’ in 2019. The child-led teaching builds upon a child’s natural interest in an activity and fits well with the Early Years Framework.

The nursery cares for children aged from six weeks to five-years-old with staff working in partnership with parents and guardians to ensure they are happy, healthy and ready for mainstream school.

Tours are available daily for prospective parents, however, the Nursery also usually opens on the first Saturday of each month for tours. Please see the website for details and how to pre-book tours.

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Care Provided by Willows Farm Day Nursery

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Lucy Nicholson (Senior Childcare Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 70
  • Total Places for Children
  • 188
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 2 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Willows Farm Day Nursery

  • Full-day session: 7:30 am - 6:30 pm
    Morning session: 7:30 am - 1:00 pm
    Afternoon session: 1:00 pm - 6:30 pm

  • Each situation is different and bespoke to your childcare needs. To find out more about our fees, please do get in touch so we are able to build a profile and give you a breakdown of what we believe best suits your child’s needs.

Willows Farm Day Nursery Reviews (86)

Total of 86, showing 21-40
9.3

Willows Farm Day Nursery has a Review Score of 9.3 (9.319) out of 10, based on 27 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Willows Farm Day Nursery has 86 reviews.

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  • 77
  • 6
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Review from Sabrina L (Mother of Child) published on 25 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little one has moved from the baby room to pre-toddlers room. He is thriving at Willows Farm Day Nursery and I can see how much the staff show love and care to the children as if they were their own.
He loves his daily farm visits and adventures at soft play each day! A great way to burn off energy.
It
is great to see there are no screens and instead lots of play opportunities, exploring outdoors, promoting a love of reading and opportunities for language development.
The staff in the pre-toddler room are able to communicate with parents about their child's day and are all very knowledgeable in order to pass this information on to parents.

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Review from Demi L (Mother of Child) published on 17 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our twins attend this amazing nursery and we couldn’t be happier with our choice! They’re both so happy and well looked after in the pre toddlers room. They have only attended Willows since September, but their learning and development have come so far in a short space of time. The staff are all very
welcoming and friendly and stop to have a chat with you. There is such a nice atmosphere when you enter. The communication is great. They plan lovely events and activities for the children, I love seeing the photos on the app. The farm and soft play is a bonus. The setting looks beautiful and Christmassy at the moment. I cannot recommend Willows Farm enough thank you to you all, you’re amazing.

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Review from Victoria T (Mother of Child) published on 28 September 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been at Willows for a couple of years and absolutely loves it there! The staff are warm, and communicative and she has a wonderful bond with so many of them. Being able to go to the farm and soft play on site is fantastic.


So happy with our choice to send her here.


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Review from L C (Mother of Child) published on 9 August 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

When booking my 20-month-old son into Willows I was really nervous about how he would cope. However, from the get-go the staff were amazing! From the pre-visit contact and the settling-in session, I had strong feelings my son would love it. He has now been there for a few months and loves being there
more than home! He talks about all his teachers and has already developed in so many ways! The room itself is so inviting and always greeted with a friendly face on arrival. The setting meets his dietary requirements which was something I was also nervous about but again they put me at ease from the first conversation. The staff know my son so well and this is very reassuring. His key worker always communicates very positively with me about his day and all staff make a great effort to make sure all children in their care are happy, content and developing. I'm very excited to see what Willows offer him for the next few years. Would definitely recommend it to friends and family. Can't speak highly enough.

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Review from Michelle M (Mother of Child) published on 18 July 2023
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My daughter generally loves attending Willows Farm and enjoys spending time with staff and peers. Attending afternoons only means she often misses out on farm trips, forest school and other events/outings. Communication can be sporadic and can feel very disorganised at times. The staff work very hard.
Good resources. Lovely garden. Friendly staff. Overall good experience.

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Review from Laura V (Mother of Child) published on 2 July 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are extremely pleased and happy with Willows Farm Day Nursery. My son is currently in the pre toddlers room and loves coming to all his nursery sessions.
In both the pre toddler and baby barn, each day there are different creative, playful and educational activities on offer, alongside trips to
the farm and soft play.
Both rooms are well led, and all staff show genuine care and passion. Each morning we are greeted by friendly and caring staff who consistently work in the room. At each pick up the handovers are personalised and detailed, showing how well the staff have observed and know the children.
Overall we are very satisfied with the nursery and recommend it to others.

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Review from Tony N (Father of Child) published on 1 May 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 1.0 out of 5

There are significant areas for improvement at this facility.
The high turnover of staff and lack of consistency is concerning, as it can have a negative impact on the development of the children in their care. Children need stability and consistency in their caregivers to feel safe and secure, and
constant turnover can be disruptive to their routines and progress.
The poor development of children is a red flag for any nursery. If a child is showing signs of autism, it's crucial for their caregivers to have the knowledge and resources necessary to support their development. It's concerning that this nursery is not equipped to handle such cases and may be unable to provide adequate support for children with autism.
The lack of honesty from management is alarming, as it can erode trust between parents and the nursery. Transparency and open communication are crucial for building trust.
This nursery has several areas for improvement it may be wise to look for alternative options.

Reply from Kelly Garrett, Senior Childcare Manager at Willows Farm Day Nursery

We're sorry to read your review and hear about your experience whilst at the nursery. Recruitment as an industry is particularly challenging and we work hard to retain our staff team to keep consistency for all our children.


We do have a SEN team within our setting who work closely with our children with additional needs, parents, and outside organisations. Specific training around Autism for our staff is also provided to support their knowledge in this area for our children with additional needs.


We are sorry you felt there was a lack of communication from our management team, parent partnership is very important to us, and we work hard to build a trusting relationship with all our parents and welcome any feedback which could improve relationships.


Should you wish to discuss your feedback further, please get in touch and a Senior member of our team will be more than happy to discuss this with you. We are sorry we couldn’t have resolved this whilst your child was with us.


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Review from Vignas G (Father of Child) published on 13 February 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter is currently in the baby barn and I couldn't be happier.
She has a great time and has developed leaps and bounds in the time she has been there.
All of the staff know her by name and are very caring.

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Review from Danielle A (Mother of Child) published on 25 November 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Having sent two children to Willows I would highly recommend this setting for children who want a fun-packed experience, balanced with caring staff and a great learning foundation for school.
I recently went to two primary school open days and both mentioned how well prepared the children from Willows
Farm arrive into school, being able to write their name and clearly demonstrate an aptitude for learning.
They also tailor their care for each individual child. When we suffered a family bereavement, the team were incredibly supportive of our daughter, buying books for her and the other children to introduce the topic of grief and even attending the funeral to show their support.
Obviously, a review about Willows wouldn't be complete without mentioning the amazing bonus of the children visiting the farm so regularly. Tristan the tractor is a household name for us!

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Review from Beenal P (Mother of Child) published on 9 August 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter is extremely close to me. She is 18 months old and began nursery school in July 2022. Willows Farm Day Nursery staff was (and still is) incredible in their support. They kept me informed every day and were extremely helpful in guiding my daughter and me through this transition. They always
make time to talk to you and never make you feel as if you are bothering them with too many questions. Really lovely, caring and trustworthy staff. My daughter returns home glowing and full of stories about her day. It's the best feeling in the world to know your child is content. I was looking for a forest nursery but couldn't seem to find one. I came across Willows Farm Day Nursery, which were the next best option for me. They take the children out twice a day. If your child enjoys being outside, I highly recommend Willows Farm Day Nursery.

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Review from Laura D (Mother of Child) published on 30 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I couldn't be more grateful for my son's nursery experience at Willow Farm. My son was two and a half years old when he started nursery in the middle of the pandemic. On top of that, he didn't speak any English yet. Despite these challenging circumstances, the staff did a brilliant job making him feel
welcome from the very first day. He really enjoyed himself, especially during the outings to the farm. The staff treated him as if he was their own, something you cannot fake! They always gave us clear updates on what he had done and eaten that day. We have now moved back to Belgium but will always cherish this experience and can't recommend Willow Farm enough to other parents! Thank you so much!

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Review from V K (Mother of Child) published on 21 October 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Most amazing nursery and staff. My son attended from 2 years old until 4 and I was delighted with the level of care he received and variety of activities he engaged in. I could not have chosen a better nursery for my son.

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Review from K W (Mother of Child) published on 18 October 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son attended Willows Farm Day Nursery and he enjoyed every single day. The facilities, food, farm visits and staff were all excellent and we would highly recommend this nursery to anyone.

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Review from S R (Grandfather of Child) published on 15 October 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My three year old grand daughter has just started at the nursery and the staff could not have made her (and my daughter, her mother) more welcome and at ease. All the staff were superb and clearly love looking after the children. Thank you.

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Review from D K (Mother of Child) published on 22 September 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little boy started at Willows Farm Day Nursery when he was 11 months old and had recently left as he is starting school. During his time he has loved coming to nursery and has received excellent care and teaching. He has thrived at Willows Farm and it has helped him become a happy and confident boy
who started school this week with all the necessary skills needed for a successful school start. My little girl who is 2 is also at Willows Farm Day Nursery and loves going there. She has made lots of friends and loves playing in the wonderful outdoor environment that Willows Farm provides. The workers in her room are enthusiastic and caring and I can go to work knowing she is having a great day. I would recommend Willows Farm Day Nursery to everyone who wants their child to have a nurturing and happy nursery experience.

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Review from Rachel N (Mother of Child) published on 22 September 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending Willows Farm Day Nursery since Christmas 2019 and has loved every minute of it. All the teachers are great with the children, she has always loved the food provided and we have been so happy with how far she has come since attending the nursery. Thank you to all of her
teachers who made her time amazing there, we are gutted she no longer attends but looking forward for my youngest to join your school!

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Review from Jen O (Mother of Child) published on 26 August 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been attending Willows Farm since January 2019 and he absolutely loves it. The staff are friendly and kind and really take the time to get to know your child. The outside space is brilliant, with regular trips to the farm including the Peter Rabbit live show, Peter Rabbit playground, trampolines
and rides on the tractor. Overall, we are really happy with the nursery and will be sending our second child there next summer when I return to work.

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Review from M G (Mother of Child) published on 26 August 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son who is in preschool started this year in June and settled in straight away. He is so happy there and loves going there every morning. All the staff are lovely and friendly and my son always comes out happy. What is really nice is they take them sometimes to the farm which is nice. They have a
big garden space for the kids to play in and nice outdoor equipment. I would really recommend this nursery to everyone.

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Review from Gina O (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My second child is in her second year here and my eldest was at Willows for over 3 years. Both children absolutely love the nursery but from a parent’s view, we had two completely different experiences. The management at Willows has come a long way in the last couple of years and it’s made a huge difference
now that the new managers are in charge. The key workers are experienced and kind and both of my children adored their allocated key workers throughout their journeys. The facilities and variety of activities are great and regular feedback and updates on progress is provided.

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Review from Namrata V (Mother of Child) published on 31 December 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending Willows Farm Nursery since October 2020 and she absolutely loves it, so much so that she sometimes doesn’t want to come back home and looks forward to going in the mornings. That’s the most reassuring feeling as a parent, that your child is happy at nursery. The settling
in process was very smooth and her dedicated key worker always gives up detailed updates about her day. The staff are very friendly and professional and they’ve accommodated for her strict dietary requirements well. They have very good covid safety measures in place and we also really love the fact that she regularly gets to visit the farm and being outdoors.

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Current Review Score: 9.3 (9.319)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.3 (9.319) out of 10 for Willows Farm Day Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 27 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.7 out of 5 from 25 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 4.654 for Willows Farm Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (248 Excellents x 5) + (55 Goods x 4) + (12 Satisfactorys x 3) + (3 Poors x 2) + (6 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 324 Ratings = 4.654

  • 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 4.665 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Willows Farm Day Nursery is based on 25 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 188 number of registered child places is 37.6. 25 Positive Reviews ÷ 37.6 = 0.665

  • 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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Meet the Team (1)

Lucy

Lucy Nicholson

Job Title: Senior Childcare Manager

Hi, I’m Lucy Nicholson, Senior Childcare Manager of Willows Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School! Our Day Nursery offers childcare full of discovery and rich learning experiences, with the daily opportunity to meet the farm animals and enjoy forest school sessions in the great outdoors. We are located in the heart of the countryside of St. Albans, where we provide our children with the best in early year’s education and learn through the ‘Planning in the moment’ child-led teaching approach.


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