Children 1st @ Buckinghams

Buxton Road, Leek ST13 6NE
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10 131 Reviews
  • Children 1st @ Buckinghams, Leek
Children 1st @ Buckinghams was rated as 'Good' by Ofsted (May 2022) and is a very popular nursery conveniently located on Buxton Road in Leek. The nursery is part of Children 1st which is in the Top 3 in the UK for Ofsted outstanding results according to the 2021 Nursery World Nursery Chains Report.

The nursery has large, well resourced learning environments designed for babies, toddlers and early years. The environments provide the perfect opportunity for children to learn in small groups. The nursery also benefits from a large, outside space which is very popular with children.

Nursery staff are trained and supported by a designated early years teacher to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and they work hard to ensure children develop into self motivated and enthusiastic learners.

Care Provided by Children 1st @ Buckinghams

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Nicky Hardy (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 18
  • Total Places for Children
  • 140
  • 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

Children 1st @ Buckinghams Reviews (131)

Total of 131, showing 41-60
10

Children 1st @ Buckinghams has a Review Score of 10 (9.975) out of 10, based on 43 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Children 1st @ Buckinghams has 131 reviews.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been going to Children 1st @ Buckinghams Day Nursery for nearly two years now. I have high praises for the nursery and the lovely members of staff! My daughter's development has come on amazingly since she started and her confidence boosted. The meals they provide are fantastic! It's
a lovely setting, very organised and clean. I am so happy I came across this nursery and I would recommend it to everyone.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been attending Children 1st Buckinghams for the last 12 months. All the staff are excellent. My daughter absolutely loves nursery and enjoys all the various activities throughout the day. Every day is varied with lots of time spent outdoors. Lots of focus on development. Nothing is too
much trouble, I can not fault the team at Buckinghams

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has only been attending Children 1st @ Buckinghams since February and he is thriving. It is due to the manager and the team that he has settled into the nursery so well and that he is now also receiving tailored support for additional needs. I cannot thank everyone enough for their constant support
to my little boy and to us as a family. I couldn’t wish for a nicer setting nor staff and I am incredibly grateful to the manager and her team. Their care, compassion and attention to detail when it comes to every aspect of my little boys learning, his development and his needs as a whole is fabulous.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been attending this nursery for eighteen months. He absolutely loves it and his development is constantly improving, thanks to the lovely staff here.
I couldn't recommend this nursery enough, I feel so comfortable leaving my son here knowing he is safe and in such good hands.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

It's a brilliant nursery, the staff are friendly, my little boy has settled in straight away and loves going. His understanding of things and questions and his speech I can already see a big difference in.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

What an incredible team of caregivers, if I'm honest, I've never wanted to send my little guy to nursery and I went with the hope I'd still not want to but when there, my whole opinion changed. You can tell just how much they care about their children there and the parents! They're super supportive
and caring and my little guy absolutely loves being there, which I can see from the pictures they kindly take and upload to their app which is amazing!
Cannot wait to see just how much my little guy develops with them there!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A lovely nursery! My son has attended since March this year, he took no time at all to settle and build an amazing bond to his key worker and all the staff in the room and around the nursery. He has recently moved into the next room and again has settled really quickly and built great relationships
with the staff and is loving all the different activities they do in there. He always enjoys his dinner and there is lots of variety each week. I love how they go outside each day - they have a great outdoor safe space. Overall, all staff are kind, caring and well-trained and my little boy loves coming in each morning!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The nursery staff are very friendly and welcoming not only to the children but also to the grown-ups who bring the child.
The children are involved in lots of lovely activities to enhance their learning and development.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I am very pleased with the nursery, the staff are very friendly and always helpful. My baby daughter seems to be having a wonderful time there and she is always learning new skills. I have already recommended it to other mums with young babies.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

From the moment we stepped through the doors, we knew Children 1st @ Buckinghams Day Nursery was the nursery for us and especially our boy. The staff are so friendly and always welcome you through the doors with a warm smile. They take the time to listen to any questions you may have and it's so clear
that they all effectively follow and implement their procedures in place for the safety of all. When handing over at the room door, my son is always greeted by his care worker with enthusiasm and her caring nature always shines. As parents, we are kept updated and receive daily diaries keeping us in the know of the day our son has had. I have always been so impressed by how quickly the staff, especially my son's key worker and team, have got to know his individual personality, likes and dislikes, supporting and encouraging him accordingly. The activities he takes part in are so varied and it is clear that time has been taken to support a range of his developmental needs, for which I'm so grateful.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little girl started at Children 1st @ Buckinghams Day Nursery in June of this year and, as parents, we can honestly say wow, what a great move we made!
She absolutely loves to come here and gets so excited when it's nursery day! The staff are amazing at what they do and are so accommodating in
everything they do.
Each day is different and the topics they cover are so wide and varied - the resources available at Buckinghams are amazing and allow the imagination of my little girl to run wild! She comes home singing songs and telling us all about her day with such enthusiasm.
The nursery is always clean and tidy (aside from the wonderful creativity of children!) and there is always a friendly face to welcome you on arrival.
The menu/food is always great and varied and my little girl never comes home hungry!
The outdoor play area is great and no matter what the weather the children are allowed outside due to it being sheltered.
Overall, we are so happy and impressed with Buckinghams Nursery!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our little boy has been attending Children 1st @ Buckinghams Day Nursery for over a year, we had moved to a new area and were apprehensive about finding a nursery. We visited Buckinghams and we both instantly loved it.
We receive updates for each day along with regular pictures of activities. There
is always a variety of things for the children to do, our son particularly loves baby yoga and dance sessions.
He settled in so quickly and loves attending nursery.
All the staff are accommodating and help with any request, there have been times when we have needed extra days and staff always helped to fit him in. The nursery nurses really take time to get to know your little one, what they like and what helps them settle.
Our son has come on so much with his speech, learning to share and in so many other areas.
The rooms are lovely, well-equipped and clean, our son loves the meals and snacks he gets at nursery.
We couldn't be happier with our choice of nursery and wouldn't want him anywhere else.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fantastic nursery. The staff are absolutely wonderful, great communication with parents and my son is really happy and settled with them. The facilities are nice and clean, lots of space and there are always different toys and activities each day and time outdoors. Lovely, varied diet too so I know
my son is trying lots of different types of good, healthy food and getting his five a day. Really happy with the experience so far.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This nursery has to be one of the best around. The children aren't just cared for, they are well cared for and cherished.
The staff are what makes this nursery so great. They are always going the extra mile.
My son was a clingy, antisocial and shy child when he first started. He is a completely
different child now and for the better. He loves going to nursery and has so much fun.
His speech and eating have come on amazingly and that's all thanks to everyone at the nursery!
I highly recommend them! A-star.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fabulous nursery, caring, well-trained staff and management. Great environment indoors and outdoors. Lots of activities for the children to take part in. Food menus vary week to week giving the children lots of choice and variety. Clean nursery with excellent standards, including professionalism. Very
happy.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Well-run nursery with kind and caring staff and lots of different activities going on. Great outdoor area for safe play. Very happy to recommend to other parents, a lovely environment for children to learn, grow and have fun!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My girls love coming to nursery and the care for them is great. Their key person is lovely and the management are very supportive and helpful. I am a little unsure about the 'key fob' safety system for the setting as I worry if a parent was to lose the key fob and someone else found it they could enter
the setting if the missing key fob was not reported. A fingerprint system for parents would be a safer system to use as every parent has their own individual fingerprint. Maybe this safeguarding system could be implemented?

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son absolutely loves nursery and settled in very well. He loves his class and nursery teachers. He only goes once a week but you can see the improvement in his confidence around other people, which with being a Covid baby I was worried about. He always comes back with new life skills he’s learnt.
If there’re any concerns they will work on that as well e.g road safety etc. Definitely a great choice in nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Children 1st @ Buckinghams Day Nursery have always been amazing with our son! He absolutely loves everything he does with the nursery girls! He enjoys all indoor and outdoor activities and the care he is given is fantastic! Every day he comes home happy!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We chose Buckinghams for our daughter as it felt very safe, well organised and managed, and that she would be well looked after there. We haven't regretted our decision. Our daughter has enjoyed her time there so far, has developed well, and seems really happy at the end of the day after doing lots
of fun and educational activities!


The daily updates and photos are useful, and it's good to see what our daughter has been up to. The staff are friendly, professional, and always willing to help out with special requests. The daily menus are good and varied, and my daughter who is normally a picky eater at home seems to enjoy her meals at nursery (thanks to the chef!) - wish we could send her in every single day!
I can't think of any negatives really, as it has all been a good experience so far for us and our daughter.


I would recommend Buckinghams to anyone looking for a safe, friendly environment for their littles ones to learn and develop.


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Current Review Score: 10.0 (9.975)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 10 (9.975) out of 10 for Children 1st @ Buckinghams 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 43 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 43 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 4.975 for Children 1st @ Buckinghams is calculated as follows: ( (502 Excellents x 5) + (13 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 515 Ratings = 4.975

  • 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 Children 1st @ Buckinghams is based on 43 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 140 number of registered child places is 28, which has been reached with 43 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.

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Awards / Recognitions (5)

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Meet the Team (1)

Nicky

Nicky Hardy

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Joined: 1992

Hello my name is Nicola Hardy I am the Manager @ Children 1st @ Buckinghamsl.


As well as working full time I am also a Mum of two Children Louis who is 13 and Molly who is 8 both of my children attended nursery from the age of Nine months old I feel this has been a great start for my children socially and intellectually.


I started my career in childcare 26 years ago and have experienced various roles working with all age groups within our nurseries.


A deputy position came up within the company this would potentially be a great move I was a successful applicant and I started my new position in October 2016.


I was given the opportunity to develop myself as a Manager. I have found this move a great experience
Since working with Children 1st I have been able to continue my training completing a NVQ Level Three in customer services.


During my time with children 1st I have become more confident and have developed skills in all aspects of my job role


I have a passion and am fully committed to providing high quality day care and education to all our children. And for caring for children and their families, ensuring that they are happy and settled whilst attending our setting.