Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

36 Hadham Road, Bishop's Stortford CM23 2QS
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9.9 95 Reviews
  • Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school, Bishop's Stortford
Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school has a well-earned reputation as the leading provider of childcare in Bishop's Stortford, offering outstanding care to children aged 3 months to 5 years, the nursery is open from 7.30am to 6:30pm Monday - Friday, for 51 weeks of the year (closed during Christmas week).

Located on Hadham Road less than a mile from Bishop's Stortford Town Centre and Railway Station, the nursery enjoys the benefits of a large character property with airy rooms and an outdoor play area, which the children love and thrive in.

There are separate rooms for babies, toddlers and pre-school children, furnished with 'age-appropriate' toys and resources, ensuring they provide the best standard of care, development and education.

Sycamore House Day Nursery operates a Key Person policy, ensuring that your child is cared for by a member of staff who gets to know you and your child really well supporting their development.

Carers place great emphasis on creating a loving, nurturing and warm environment for your child.

Care Provided by Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Kerry Braulik (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 40
  • Total Places for Children
  • 72
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 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 & 1 week at Christmas
  • Parking
  • Small private car park for staff & parent drop off & pick ups.


Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school Reviews (95)

Total of 95, showing 61-80
9.9

Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.853) out of 10, based on 24 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school has 95 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

From the moment my daughter started at this nursery, all the staff were very kind, friendly, accommodating and understanding. The activities that my daughter has done has really helped her to develop and we are very impressed with the nursery overall. The children's needs are their top priority ensuring
they are cared for and looked after properly. The food that is served is highly nutritious with a fantastic range of different meals and snacks each week. Within the time my daughter has attended the nursery, her development, confidence and speech has gone from strength to strength all thanks to the nursery staff and the activities that are done. The staff take time in getting to know your child and form a bond with them, making them feel safe and secure and putting the parent's mind at much ease. It is managed very efficiently and professionally with no task being too much trouble. I would highly recommend this nursery to anyone wanting to put their child into childcare.

Reply from Courtney Skeggs at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Abbey-Lee,


Thank you for the lovely review of our Nursery and for being such a great supporter of everything we do here at Sycamore House!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We moved to the area in July and had to change nurseries for our 2-year-old little boy. Already during the initial viewing, I felt very positive about Sycamore House Nursery. The environment is great and the staff are fantastic. The settling in sessions were great, and our son settled in very quickly.
Messy play and outside play are our favourites. As this is our 2nd child and we have been to different nurseries before with our older son, so we can notice the difference. The setting of this nursery and the play with natural resources is great. I can highly recommend Sycamore House Nursery.

Reply from Courtney Skeggs at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Stefanie,


Thank you for the wonderful review of our Nursery!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

As a Parent, we were looking for a nursery that offered the full package, a safe, warm, friendly, exciting learning environment for our 2-year-old to flourish in. The manager and her team of brilliant staff delivered this to the highest standards at all times.


Our 2-year-old gained independence,

developed her language and built on her confidence. The nursery is clean at all times and the staff always more than happy to spend time reviewing and discussing with us her development which was very encouraging for parents.


We are very grateful to Sycamore House for building a foundation on which she can grow through her education.


Reply from Courtney Skeggs at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Belinda, thank you for taking the time to write your lovely review about our Nursery!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My three year old boy and one year old girl started at Sycamore in April this year, after moving from London to Stortford. My boy settled with absolute ease into the pre-school class, absolutely loving his time from day one.
My girl, on the other hand, had a tough time separating from me having never
been in a nursery environment before. She had effectively one to one care from one of the baby carers and formed an amazing bond with her after a few weeks.
She has since moved up to the toddler room and is pounding around the nursery as though she owns it! Sycamore nursery is a safe and caring place where the carers know all of the children’s names and show a real interest in their lives.

Reply from Courtney Skeggs at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Sarah, thank you for your lovely review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are so happy with Sycamore House! Our son has settled in very well, loves the staff, enjoys himself and wants to stay on at the end of the day.
All the staff members are outstanding in their dedication, and unfailing in their kindness and support. I have learned a lot from them and have been putting
their suggestions into practice with my son at home.
The main reason we chose Sycamore House was that we felt safe leaving our child with such capable and loving people. My husband works abroad and I am often a couple of hours away from the nursery, so we had to feel confident that the school could deal with any emergency. Out of all the wonderful nurseries in the area, Sycamore House inspired us with the most confidence.
We also love the fact that they are so knowledgeable and passionate about education. They work hard to provide creative and engaging activities for the children, and their Curiosity Approach is very interesting and original.

Reply from Courtney Skeggs at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Diletta, thank you for your lovely review, I am really pleased that you like our approach to care and learning! I know that you have been taking on board the team's suggestions for things to do at home which is a great extension of what we have been learning at Nursery!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

The nursery and the staff are really great. They love every child and they look after them. My little man likes the nursery so much. Good communication.

Reply from Courtney Skeggs at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Thank you very much Sandra!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both our children have attended Sycamore House and have been very happy there. We (they!) really appreciate the variety of activities on offer, many of which are very creative and they wouldn't get the chance to do them at home. The meals and snacks are healthy and balanced. The staff are kind, attentive
and build excellent relationships with their little people.


For me the most important thing is picking up a happy child and that happens without fail every day. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sycamore House.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been coming to Children Nest/Sycamore House for the past 7 and a half years now. We have seen many changes, staff come and go and come back again, and had 2, soon to be 3 very happy children 'graduate' from this wonderful environment, and each and every one of them have gone on to be happy,
confident and advantageous children, something I do really believe their time at the nursery has contributed to. Each one of the children has enjoyed their time at the nursery and as a family, we have seen them thrive during this time, a big thank you to the staff past and present. I/we want to wish Sycamore House all the best in the future and here's to its continued success; I for one will be recommending the nursery to anyone and everyone. I feel the nursery has been such a big part of our family's life for so long now, it will be difficult to drive past in the mornings and find myself not pulling into the car park.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We moved our son to Sycamore House in the Spring and he's has had a wonderful time since joining. The staff are lovely and all so friendly. We're always so impressed that even workers in the baby rooms know my son's name in the pre-school room and he knows them too. This has shown us how settled he
is.


The weekly newsletters keep us updated and there is regular communication from the manager too which is great.


At the end of the day when we collect there is always a good handover from the staff and he is happy which for us is the main thing. His confidence has grown and he comes home telling us about what he has done each day which has meant we've shaped activities at home too because he's eager to show us what he can do.


I would definitely recommend the nursery and would consider using it again in the future.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Sycamore House is a very warm environment which values the individuality of children/their families. They are encouraged to play and learn independently, but with focused activities on offer frequently. The adoption of the Curiosity Approach is impressive and the new manager is excellent, with real
drive to constantly improve both the nursery environment and the well being of staff and children alike.
Previously there has been a relatively high staff turnover, however, the team in place now seem committed and have an obvious good rapport with their charges. My child is very happy at the nursery and as parents, we feel informed and valued as customers. Any questions or feedback we have had have been met with honesty and a desire for mutual understanding and improvement. The social media and email updates are very informative and regular.
On a practical note, Sycamore House has the best opening hours locally and the staff are always ready with the day's handover, even at hectic times.

Reply from Courtney, Nursery Manager at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Thank you for your lovely review!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Sycamore House have been looking after my child since he was 7 months and he is now about to move into pre-school. He has developed very well at Sycamore House due to the care and support he has been given throughout his time here. The nursery has improved greatly over the past 18 months with a real
focus on the children's development. A key worker approach is used and my child has developed a great relationship with his making him feel secure, they also allow the children to explore things for themselves and are given lots of outside time which is great. The nursery can appear chaotic at times but I would not hesitate in recommending them and I will be enrolling my second child shortly.

Reply from Courtney, Nursery Manager at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Catherine,


Thank you very much for writing a review about us at Sycamore!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My daughter has just turned 3 now has been attending this nursery from 1 year old. She has an amazing journey full of fun learning, playing outside and indoors with her friends. She always loves the food served there and she is not a fussy eater. The staff are kind, supportive, knowledgeable and great
with the children. Even when staff leave the place, the transition is always smooth and in the best interest of the children. Great location, opening hours and everybody is helpful and kind.

Reply from Courtney Skeggs, Nursery Manager at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Ewelina,


Thank you very much for your review!


Courtney


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter is 3.5yrs old and has been at this nursery since she was 9 months. There have been changes of staff, these are always done smoothly with no disruption to the children. We have regular parents evenings and interaction with staff at the drop-off/pick up and the care and consideration they
show is second to none.


Our daughter loves going and seeing her friends, both staff and peers. There’s a great indoor and outdoor learning.


It’s lovely to see staff as a team. All are so approachable and helpful with any issues. We’re kept up to date with news, activities and new initiatives the nursery have through the newsletters. The Facebook page shows the level of learning and development of the children and staff and the fabulous team building and training for staff that goes on, it’s really heartwarming to see.


All credit to the manager and her team, and special thanks to the pre-school team. Well done on a job outstandingly done.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I found this nursery at the last moment when I was looking for childcare last year. I have been always satisfied, the staff are incredibly hardworking and nice, I love the opening hours. My daughter has improved her language skills so much since she has been there. I find it a good idea that the nursery
is on social media so I always see what activities they have been doing. Overall I am very happy with Sycamore, and would totally recommend it to other parents who are looking for childcare.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I can't thank you more for the support and care which two of my kids receive from the staff. They joined the Sycamore Nursery in October. The whole lovely team at the nursery were and are fabulous and very very supportive. Both of my kids don't speak English and that was a huge challenge for the staff
and very difficult for me and especially for my daughter who speaks Polish excellent already. The staff of Sycamore Nursery have done such huge work with them, I can't describe it by using words. The number of different activities and thousands of different ideas they offer are just amazing.
Me and my husband would like to say a big thank you to all who work in the nursery and especially we would like to thank the manager who does a great job, we don't know what we would do without her.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Our daughter has been at Sycamore for 3 months now, ever since we moved from Iceland to Bishop's Stortford. It was a big change for her, as she is a shy girl who doesn't trust adults easily but the staff at the nursery has from day one emphasised on building trust and getting to know her characteristics;
going the extra mile in our opinion which has led to a big positive change in her.


We particularly like how much the nursery gives priority to being a learning centre with a different theme every week. We also like how the staff encourages the children to get messy and explore different things from nature etc. The creativity is incredible. Furthermore, we really like the active posts on Facebook and would rate the communication from the staff as excellent.


All of the staff is so wonderful and it is apparent that they love what they do. Our daughter looks forward to going to the nursery every day and talks about playing with her friends from the second she wakes up!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My son started this nursery in September. He initially had some difficulties settling but the staff were very supportive, caring and accommodating. My son now thoroughly enjoys going to nursery.


As parents we are always kept up to date with events, activities by email and images on social media of

children's learning throughout the day.


Recommended!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son attends Sycamore House Day Nursery and I believe it's helped him grow as an individual. He's an outdoors child and he gets this from Sycamore most days, which means he's had a full day once he gets home.
They help him with language and dealing with the (soon) arrival of his sibling.
I believe
he gets great care and personally connects I was looking for.
Also, the new rooms which are in place are great and allow him to explore the things in there as he wants and to use his imagination.
I couldn't recommend the school more.

Reply from Courtney, Nursery Manager at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Daniel,


Thank you for your lovely feedback!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My daughter has been at Sycamore for nearly 3 years, since she was 6 months old, and her little sister will be joining her next year. We particularly like that they really encourage the children to explore and get messy, even if it means she comes home a bit dirty from baking, painting and puddle jumping!
It means I don't feel bad about not doing much messy play at home as I know she does lots at nursery.

Reply from Courtney, Nursery Manager at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Katie,


Thank you for your lovely comments about our Nursery!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter is 4 years old and has attended the nursery she was 9 months old. We are pleased with the care she has received and she is very happy and settled at nursery. Sycamore House has some really wonderful staff who our daughter has formed strong bonds with. Her development has come on brilliantly
and we are confident that she will be very ready for school when she goes next September. Management change at the end of last year has been positive and it is clear that management and staff are looking to continuously make improvements.


Communication with parents at handover, through regular email updates, and via the Facebook page is much better, as is the increase in the range of activities and learning opportunities offered to the children. This being a nursery in the centre of town outside space is limited, but they make the best of it. The children go outside every day regardless of weather which is great, my daughter, in particular, loves the mud kitchen!!


Reply from Courtney, Nursery Manager at Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Hello Helen,


Thank you for writing this wonderful review about us at Sycamore House!


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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.853)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.853) out of 10 for Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school 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 24 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 24 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 4.853 for Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school is calculated as follows: ( (244 Excellents x 5) + (42 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 286 Ratings = 4.853

  • 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 Partou Sycamore House Day Nursery & Pre-school is based on 24 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 72 number of registered child places is 14.4, which has been reached with 24 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 (9)

Top 20 Large Nursery Groups 2024

Recipient: Partou

Date: Thursday 28 Mar 2024 More details

Top 20 Large Nursery Groups 2023

Recipient: Partou

Date: Friday 28 Apr 2023 More details

Top 20 Large Nursery Groups 2021

Recipient: Partou

Date: Friday 28 May 2021 More details

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Meet the Team (2)

Kerry

Kerry Braulik

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2021

My name is Kerry Braulik, and I am the Nursery Manager at Sycamore House Day Nursery in Bishop’s Stortford.


With nearly 20 years of experience in childcare, I am deeply passionate about early childhood education. I am committed to providing the best possible support to help young children reach their full potential, grow, and thrive in a nurturing environment.


Throughout my career in Early Years, I have worked in various settings, including teaching and assessing apprentices in early years education. I hold a Level 3 Diploma in Early Years, and a Level 3 Diploma in Child Psychology, and have recently completed my Level 3 Diploma in Mentoring. I continuously update my training and collaborate closely with our Early Years Advisory team.


It is a great honour to lead the dedicated and wonderful team at Sycamore House.


Sophie

Sophie Burnett

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Joined: 2021

Hello! My name is Sophie, I am the deputy manager at Sycamore House. I am a friendly, approachable and energetic person who enjoys supporting and caring for children of all ages. I love letting children's passions and interests grow, helping them in all areas of their development.


We create a caring and relaxed atmosphere here at Sycamore where friendships are established with both the children and their families, ultimately allowing them to be comfortable and feel like they are at a home away from home.


I am a huge advocate for staff well-being & development, being an approachable & highly motivated individual to inspire staff & make them feel proud of the amazing work they do.