Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

49 Richmond Road, Circular Road South, Colchester CO2 7FJ
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8.8 19 Reviews
  • Butterfly Blue Day Nursery, Colchester
Butterfly Blue Day Nursery opened in January 2013 and is situated in the former Garrison Theatre opposite Abbey Fields. While the building maintains its stunning historic appearance the internals have been fully redesigned and refurbished to a custom layout with a car park to the rear of the premises.

Butterfly Blue's aim is to provide all children with treasured memories of their wonderful time at nursery. They aim to promote positive outcomes for future learning but also ensure that children flourish in a safe, happy and fun environment.

The nursery has an extensive range of high-quality resources that encourage children to explore and experiment, opening their minds to new and exciting idea's.

Their dedicated and trained staff allow the children to learn in a friendly, caring and open environment. Staff provide an environment where children can learn the joy of discovery whilst feeling secure in a homely and caring atmosphere. They acknowledge that every child is unique and understand the importance of nurturing children to learn at their own pace within an environment that is caring but also rich with learning opportunities.

Butterfly Blue offer a range of enhanced experiences which enable children to become successful, lifelong learners including, Forest School, French lessons as well as a range of activities which promote your child’s well-being and confidence. Some examples of these activities are cooking, yoga and music and movement sessions.

The Nursery Chef prepares all the children’s meals fresh on the premises each day, and the menus have been designed to ensure they are nutritionally balanced, as well as delicious.

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Care Provided by Butterfly Blue 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 Graham (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 24
  • Total Places for Children
  • 120
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays

Funding & Fees Guide for Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

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

  • Please get in touch for information on or current fees and to discuss funding options.


    We accept 15 and 30 hour stretched funding with a top up fee.
    Butterfly Blue are accepting the 2 year old working funding from April 2024.
    we are also accepting 9 month old funding from September
  • Parking

  • Butterfly Blue Day Nursery have their own private car park to the rear of the building.


Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Reviews (19)

8.8

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery has a Review Score of 8.8 (8.825) out of 10, based on 7 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Butterfly Blue Day Nursery has 19 reviews.

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Review from Lauren T (Mother of Child) published on 18 March 2025
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All staff are amazing and care greatly all the children. My little boy enjoys his time at Butterfly Blue immensely and has great bonds with all the staff including those not based in his room. He comes out happy every day and always talks about what he has done. I am so grateful to the team for making
my sons experience so warm and welcoming.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

thank you for your amazing review, it is an absolute pleasure looking after yours son, we offer a wide range of activities to challenge everyday and i am glad he loves his time at butterfly blue


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Review from A H (Mother of Child) published on 23 October 2024
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has attended Butterfly Blue Day Nursery since she was one year old (now nearly 4). We have always found her care to be of a high quality. The staff always display a positive and caring attitude, as I always feel assured she is in safe and caring hands. There are a good range of activities
on offer and great food.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for such positive feedback. At Butterfly Blue, we strive to give the children the best opportunities in their learning. The staff all have healthy eating and healthy diet training to provide nutritious menus.


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Review from H S (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The bond my little girl has with the three lovely ladies who care for her and the other children in her room is so beautiful to watch! All three ladies and other staff that we come across are an absolute delight! Their attention to detail when it comes to adapting activities to each child’s individual
likes is amazing. They honestly can’t do enough for your little ones! My little one loves nursery so much, it’s sometimes hard to get her to leave. The original plan was just to be there for the year till she could start nursery full-time in a school nursery, but after seeing how well she’s settled and the love she has for everyone there! They’ll be stuck with her till it’s time for her to start school! Something which they are all very happy about. Would highly recommend!

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your wonderful feedback. we aim to ensure every child has a voice, is given the opportunity to grow to their full potential with tailored activities regarding their interests and experiences.


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Review from Ammara S (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Very good nursery.
Very accommodating.
My child is very happy here.
Staff are amazing.
Had to have a few changes around the days, and they were very understanding!
You know the place is good when your child wants to attend the nursery on his off days as well.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely feedback; the staff are very passionate about the children in their care and take great care in building a bond with them.


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Review from G L (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A caring and friendly nursery with a great outside area. My children really enjoy going to the nursery, and the staff are friendly and care lots about the children. The activities set out for the children are engaging and help with their learning. Food sounds tasty, and there is a varied menu which
changes regularly.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your kind review; the staff plan for the children's unique talents and interests, and help them reach their full potential through meaningful activities.


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Review from S D (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are very impressed with the nursery; they take wonderful care of our son, and he loves it there. Everyone is very kind and caring and invested in the development and growth of the children. There are lots of learning opportunities and activities both indoor and outdoor for the children, and we have
really noticed the positive effect on our son. It is always lovely and clean, the children are fed a varied healthy diet.
The nursery and staff have also been super helpful and supportive whenever we have needed additional help with something or some extra hours here and there, particularly when we were having a difficult personal time, they were very good at assisting us in making sure our son was minimally affected by it.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely feedback; we aim to make sure every child takes part in unique activities according to their interests and experiences.


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Review from Kay F (Grandmother of Child) published on 2 June 2023
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My grandson was at another nursery where he screamed all day, it was distressing for me as I take and pick him up from nursery. So we chose to move him to Butterfly Blue Day Nursey. He does show slight signs of autism and one of the staff quickly picked them up and acted upon it with referrals. I cannot
begin to tell you how quickly he changed, he is so happy and runs into the room. The staff show how much they care. Lifesaver for his mum and myself. Thank you Butterfly Blue.

Reply from Emma Clow, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review. We like to ensure that every child enjoys their time with us and it is lovely to hear how well they have settled and enjoy it at Butterfly Blue. We are always here to help.


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Review from A J (Mother of Child) published on 18 February 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Amazing nursery, my little boy continues to thrive. Lovely staff and setting. He has attended since 14 months old and he continues to learn and develop beautifully. The staff are genuinely caring and know him so well.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased to hear your views and how well your child is learning and developing with us. It is a pleasure looking after your child.


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Review from Lois D (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Excellent nursery, my son has been attending for three days a week (he is now one) for three months. He has settled in very well and always gives a big smile on drop-off. He has an excellent choice of food and activities to do. He is well looked after. With help of the nursery, he is developing really
well and hitting all his milestones. Definitely recommend.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you very much for leaving your lovely review. It is a pleasure looking after your son, he has settled into our nursery brilliantly and it is lovely to see how he is developing.


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Review from Lindsay L (Mother of Child) published on 28 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fantastic nursery, our daughter goes twice a week and she loves it! Always doing lots of activities and have noticed the development progression since she’s started. Lovely friendly staff who are great with her.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you so much for the lovely review, it is a pleasure looking after your daughter and seeing her progress with us.


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Review from Mariya M (Mother of Child) published on 11 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Amazing nursery. My son was 3 when he started coming to Butterfly Blue. The building is stunning - very spacious rooms full of activity toys. There is a nice garden area with little activity stations. They have very interesting activities for him and delicious lunches. Teachers are caring and friendly.
My little boy was very happy going to nursery. What a shame we moved out from Colchester.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for leaving us a wonderful review. We are pleased to hear how much your son enjoyed Butterfly Blue, it has been a pleasure to look after your son and wish you all the best


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Review from Jill C (Mother of Child) published on 11 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son has been attending Butterfly Blue Nursery since September 2020. We are extremely happy with his development since starting at the nursery. He is so excited to attend and loves all the activities that are planned for him. After taking him out of a different nursery last year, we are absolutely
blown away by all the thought and processes that goes into the children’s activities every week. It does not go unnoticed, thank you.
Our son is always full of excitement when coming out of the nursery to tell us what he has done that day. All the staff are brilliant and caring with him. They have had a change around of staff but we see it as a positive. The sensory room and garden are fantastic and a real added bonus for the nursery.
Thanks to all at Butterfly Blue Nursery.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a positive review. We are so pleased to hear you are extremely happy with Butterfly Blue, it is a pleasure looking after your son


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Review from Crystal E (Mother of Child) published on 6 June 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has only been at Butterfly Blue for a few weeks, but having to find a new nursery at such short notice for her, ended up turning a very stressful situation in the most amazing one. The staff have been absolutely exceptional in every way, clearly explaining everything from the beginning.
The nursery is incredibly clean and organised with so much for the children to do/explore. My daughter took immediately to her new surroundings and her lovely new Key Worker. I get kept well informed via tapestry of her day to day activities and it’s a great insight to what she’s been up to during the course of the day. This is our 3rd nursery setting for our daughter and is by far the absolute best out of them all.


Thank you Butterfly Blue for all that you do! I will recommend you to any parents in a heartbeat.


x


Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your brilliant review and recommendation. We are so pleased to hear this, it has been a pleasure settling your daughter in with us.


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Review from Kim G (Mother of Child) published on 27 May 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son currently goes here and he absolutely loves it. He has progressed so much since coming to this nursery.
His key worker is amazing with my boy and he is very well looked after.
Unfortunately, he is having to move nurseries, no fault to their own but I know he will miss his friends and his
key worker.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your time leaving a lovely review. It has been a pleasure looking after your son and wish you and your family all the best for the future.


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Review from S P (Mother of Child) published on 27 May 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The nursery is amazing. The rooms are large and laid out with fun and varied activities for the children. It's bright and welcoming and the children always seem happy. Our son cannot wait to get to nursery on his days and has developed immensely since attending. The staff are very kind, friendly and
helpful. Nothing is ever too much of a problem. We love seeing the updates on tapestry. The place always looks clean and they go to enormous lengths to keep the children safe and well in light of Covid.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your amazing review and recommendation. Your kind words mean so much to everyone. It is a pleasure looking after your son.


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Review from Hannah (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have always been really pleased with Butterfly Blue Nursery. One of our two daughters is still there now. I regularly recommend the nursery to others and we changed from a different local nursery to this setting and both children settled very well. The staff are caring and warm and friendly.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you, Hannah, for your time leaving us a review and for recommending us. This means a lot to us and it is a pleasure looking after both of your daughters.


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Review from Tarryn (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My son has been with Butterfly Blue since he was 8 months old. He loves going to nursery every day. The staff in his room are amazing and have a genuine connection with my son which makes me trust he’s safe during the day. The staff work tirelessly to ensure the children have exciting activities to
do on a daily basis and my son has done so well in their care. I would recommend Butterfly Blue to anyone moving to Colchester.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you, Tarryn for your time taken to leave a review and for your kind words. It is a pleasure to look after your son and see him progress through all of the activities he participates in.


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Review from Rachael A (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2021
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

We are very happy with the care received by our daughter and communication from her room via the Tapestry App/Site is particularly good thanks to an excellent room leader and key worker. The quality and variety of activities and meals that she does/receives are also excellent. She is obviously very
happy and often chats about her nursery friends and practitioners.
We feel the communication from the nursery itself could be better though. We still struggle to receive the general emails (unless it’s to do with the finance side of things which always seem to come through) with often one of us receiving something and not the other and vice versa. On some occasions neither of us have received news for a while and had to ring the office to check we haven’t missed something.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you, Rachel, for taking the time to leave a lovely review and recommend us. It is a pleasure looking after your child and seeing her develop through all of the exciting activities she participates in. Thank you for your feedback regarding communication we will make improvements with our emails for information and monthly news.


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Review from K M (Mother of Child) published on 11 September 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

Unlikely to recommend this nursery. The rooms are badly run, chaotic, inconsistent staff members, staff would leave with no notice period which can be unsettling for the children. Management would lie and claim to have sent letters. Funding isn’t well utilised, keeping fees very high.
My child was
actually happy to not be returning which I think says a lot!

Reply from Sadie Taylor, Director at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

I'm sorry to read that you have not been happy with the service we have provided. This was unknown to us as we would have discussed these concerns with you and hopefully restored your confidence with the nursery. All our rooms follow routines so there is always structure to the day. We offer a variety of planned activities to develop the children's next steps as well as include free flow to enable the children to explore their own interests. Like all Nurseries, we have experienced our own challenges with staffing due to COVID which may be linked to the inconsistencies you are referring to. However, we always do our utmost to minimise any disruption caused. We pride our self on having clear communication with all our parents. I'm aware that at times emails sent to Hotmail accounts can end up in the Junk mailbox which we advise our parents to check. This is a technical issue and something we are looking into. We wish you and your child all the best for the future.


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Current Review Score: 8.8 (8.825)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.8 (8.825) out of 10 for Butterfly Blue Day Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 7 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.0 out of 5 from 7 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 4.833 for Butterfly Blue Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (71 Excellents x 5) + (12 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 84 Ratings = 4.833

  • 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 3.992 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Butterfly Blue Day Nursery is based on 7 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 = 3.7

    • 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. 7 Positive Reviews ÷ 24 = 0.292

  • 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 (6)

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Meet the Team (3)

Sarah

Sarah Graham

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 2023

Hello, I am the Nursery Manager at Butterfly Blue, I have been in childcare 21 years.
At Butterfly Blue we believe that all children and their families need to feel secure in their relationships with us, they need to feel emotionally contained and can make secure attachments with their child's keyperson.
We believe that all children and their families have a right to access our services and be welcomed as equal partners.
We recognise that everyone that comes to Butterfly Blue with a journey to share, from which we can learn, we understand that this needs to be voiced and listened to.
We celebrate the process of learning, making connections, imagining and problem solving, recognising everyone as a unique thinker


Holly

Holly Cooper

Job Title: Deputy Manager/SENCO

Joined: 2021

Hello, I am Holly, I have been in Childcare 3 years, I have a level 3, and I am the SENCO


I am passionate about being an advocate and a voice for children with additional needs and signposting parents


Mollie

Mollie Green

Job Title: 3rd in Charge/Room Leader

Joined: 2021

hello, I am the 3rd in Charge/Room Leader, I have a level 3 and have been in childcare 3 years


Frequently Asked Questions about Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

What is the Age Range of Children that Butterfly Blue Day Nursery accepts?

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Open?

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery is open: Monday 08:00-18:00, Tuesday 08:00-18:00, Wednesday 08:00-18:00, Thursday 08:00-18:00, Friday 08:00-18:00.

How many Children does Butterfly Blue Day Nursery have capacity for?

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery has capacity for a total of 120 Children.

How far is Butterfly Blue Day Nursery to the centre of Colchester?

1.1 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

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