Fees (per term – approx. 11 weeks)
Sessions Cost per term:
10 Sessions - £4,137
9 Sessions - £4,137
8 Sessions - £3,686
7 Sessions - £3,226
6 Sessions - £2,811
5 Sessions - £2,695
4 Sessions (minimum) - £2,467
You can choose any combination of morning and/or afternoon sessions (subject to availability), with a minimum of 4 sessions. Morning Session – 8.30am to 12.30pm (includes lunch). Afternoon Session – 12.30pm to 4.00pm. Universal Early Years Funding is currently available for all 3-4 year olds and can be claimed for 3 hours per session up to a maximum of 15 hours. You will be charged for the cost of additional hours and extra services. We do not offer the 30 hours means-tested Early Years Funding. Please contact us for a quotation, stating the number of sessions/days you will require plus times (i.e. 8.30am-4.00pm, 8.00am-6.00pm etc).
Polam School and Nursery has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.944) out of 10, based on 12 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Polam School and Nursery has 36 reviews.
Review from M E (Mother of Child) published on 19 March 2025
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you so much for your kind words! It's wonderful to hear how much your daughter loves Polam. Our team is dedicated to creating a nurturing and engaging environment where every child can thrive, so knowing that she's growing both academically and personally means the world to us. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to seeing her continue to flourish with us!
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Review from R M (Mother of Child) published on 19 March 2025
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5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you for your lovely review! We're so pleased to hear that you've found Polam to be such a welcoming and nurturing environment. Our team is dedicated to ensuring every child feels supported and valued, so it's wonderful to know that your little one has settled in happily. We love building strong relationships with our families and watching our pupils grow in confidence and ability. We look forward to seeing him continue to thrive with us!
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Review from J H (Father of Child) published on 19 March 2025
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5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful review! It's fantastic to hear how well your son has settled in and how our team's dedication has made such a positive impact on his progress. We understand how important it is to provide personalised care, especially when it comes to health and allergies, so we're really pleased to know that you've felt supported. It's also great to hear that our communication helps you stay connected with his learning journey, and building those links between home and nursery is something we really value. We love seeing his confidence grow and look forward to continuing to support him!
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Review from Amna Z (Mother of Child) published on 19 February 2025
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you so very much for taking the time to leave us a review! We love having your son with us, it has been a joy watching him settle into our Nursery. I have passed this on to the rest of the team and they are so grateful for the kind words.
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Review from M G (Mother of Child) published on 27 December 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you so much for the kind words and review of our Nursery! We absolutely love having your little boy with us (as well as his big sister). I will pass this on to the rest of the team to read. Have a lovely day!
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Review from H S (Mother of Child) published on 6 December 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
What a lovely review of our Nursery! It has been our pleasure to welcome your child into our home from home and we couldn't be happier to hear how pleased you are with the start he has had with us. We are excited to watch him grow through the rest of his time at Polam. Thank you so much for the kind words, it means the world to us.
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Review from R G (Father of Child) published on 5 December 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you so much for the lovely words. We absolutely love having your son with us here at Polam and have also seen the growth he has gone through (and not just in height!). We appreciate you and your family. Have a great day!
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Review from L T (Mother of Child) published on 7 October 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review. We love having your son here with us - he is an absolute delight!
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Review from Gemma A (Mother of Child) published on 9 February 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you so much for this lovely review and kind words. I am so glad to hear that you appreciate the care and attention that we give to Polam children and I will pass on your comments to the rest of the team. I appreciate you taking the time to write this and for recommending us to others.
Have a great day!
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Review from A K (Mother of Child) published on 8 February 2024
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5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Thank you so much for such a lovely review of your time with us at Polam Nursery and Preschool, I am thrilled to hear you decided to continue on to our school after your daughter had such great learning experiences with us!
We appreciate your time to write this and hope you have a wonderful day!
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Review from Sophia C (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Hi,
Thank you so much for such a lovely review! We are so happy that we could help melt away those concerns and provide a safe and caring place for your daughter to grow and shine. Have a wonderful rest of your day!
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Review from Ankur K (Father of Child) published on 16 January 2024
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Overall Experience
5.0 out of 5
Reply from Ron Hazlehurst, Admissions Manager at Polam School and Nursery
Hi,
Thank you so much for the lovely review and kind words! We are so happy that your wonderful daughters have got so much out of their time at Polam and I can speak for the headteacher and the rest of the team when I say it has been a joy to see them grow and shine during their time here.
Have a great day!
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Review from Sherri F (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from Nisha K (Mother of Child) published on 24 May 2021
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from G S (Mother of Child) published on 29 March 2021
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from Vicki B (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2021
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from Shaneka G (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2021
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from Y L (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2021
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from Neil T (Father of Child) published on 21 October 2020
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5.0 out of 5
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Review from Estella (Mother of Child) published on 13 August 2019
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5.0 out of 5
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The Review Score of 9.9 (9.944) out of 10 for Polam School and Nursery 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 12 Reviews in the last 24 months.
b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 12 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.
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 4.944 for Polam School and Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (134 Excellents x 5) + (8 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 142 Ratings = 4.944
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 Polam School and Nursery is based on 12 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 50 number of registered child places is 10, which has been reached with 12 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.
Please Contact Us for Latest Vacancies
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Job Title: Nursery Manager
Joined: 2017
Qualifications:
Cache Level 3 Diploma in Child Care & Education
Experience:
I have 12 years of experience working in a variety of roles within the Childcare industry. This experience consists of working with children from birth to 11 years. My previous roles have included working as a private Nanny in a family home, a Teaching Assistant, a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant, a Nursery Nurse and a Nursery Manager.
Time at Polam:
I started working at Polam in September 2017 as the Acorns Room Lead (1-2 years). I then moved into the busier room of Saplings (2-3 years) where I began to take on additional management responsibilities. This led to me becoming the full-time Nursery Manager in January 2019.
Enjoys most about her job:
I am very lucky to have such great job satisfaction in my role as Nursery Manager. Knowing that I have a huge impact on putting smiles on children and parent's faces through the decisions I make as a manager brings me a lot of joy alone. I also enjoy having the opportunity to work across the nursery with all the different age groups, as each room makes me feel an entirely different type of pride.
Acorns is the room where a lot of the 'firsts' happen (first words, first steps etc). It is so lovely to witness a first huge accomplishment for a child. I love working with the babies! Saplings is the room where independence starts to form. The toilet training, small roles of responsibilities are given, longer sentences are beginning to form in their speech, so they are beginning to express themselves more. There is never a dull moment working in Saplings! Oaks - little personalities are formed! The children have developed such wonderful little individualities by the time they reach this room. It's wonderful to look around the room and see such different characters being expressed through their personal opinions, through their imaginary play and through their own interpretations of what they have learnt. The children are very inquisitive in Oaks which is so exciting to watch. Every new learning experience is a wow moment! You can't beat witnessing moments like that.
Finally, I have saved my MOST favourite part of the job until last, and that is the fact that I can honestly say that I know each individual child on a personal level, which I know a lot of Nursery Managers in other settings wouldn't be able to do.
Job Title: Pre-school Room Lead (Oaks) & Mental Health First-Aider
Joined: 2018
Qualifications:
BA (Hons) Early Years Studies 2012
PGCE Post Compulsory Education 2017
Experience:
From the age of 16 years, I showed a keen interest in working with children from all different backgrounds. I found a specific passion for working with children with Special Educational Needs from volunteering at the Autism Bedfordshire Playscheme. This experience led me to working at a local Special Needs school where I worked within the nursery for many years before training to become a qualified Life-long Teacher. Once qualified, I worked as a Special Needs Teacher within the same school. After having my own daughter, I decided that I would like to begin a career working with younger children.
Time at Polam:
I began working at Polam on a Maternity Cover contract in January 2018. This was then extended to a full-time permanent contract where I worked in the Acorns room as a Nursery Nurse. I learned so much very quickly working with the little ones in Acorns, that I was soon promoted to a Room Lead position. Whilst working at Polam, I have also gained a qualification to support adults in Mental Health First Aid.
My role as a Mental Health First Aider:
As a MHFA, my role is to help support staff and families with stresses they may be facing in their work or personal lives, that may be influencing their mental health. My role is to provide a listening ear to anyone that may need to talk about issues they are facing. I can also provide details of multi agencies that may be able to offer further support in a variety of areas if needed. Being a named MHFA, often helps others to identify that help and support is available if they should need it, and my door is always open for that purpose.
Enjoys most about her job:
Although there were many enjoyable qualities to my role as Room Lead in Acorns, I missed the 'teaching' aspect of working with older children. In 2020, I was made Room Lead of Polam pre-school (Oaks class). Oaks brings a wonderful balance of being a teacher whilst still incorporating play-based learning of early years, which I absolutely love being a part of!
My absolute favourite part of my role though would have to be watching the children achieve developmental milestones. No matter how big or small, each of those progressions brings me so much joy!
Job Title: Nursery Nurse
Joined: 2009
Qualifications:
BTEC Childhood Studies (Nursery Nursing)
BTEC First Diploma (Caring)
City & Guilds Family & Community Care
Experience:
My career as a Nursery Nurse started in 1992 at a nursery in Bedford called Acorns. I began working here as soon as I left college. In 2009, Acorns Nursery merged with Polam School to become 'Polam Oaks Nursery'. Since becoming a Nursery Nurse, I have worked with children aged between 2 - 4 years.
Time at Polam:
I have worked at Polam since Acorns Nursery merged with Polam in 2009.
Enjoys most about her job:
I find my role very rewarding to watch how the children progress through their journey with me. Every little achievement makes me feel so proud of them. No day is the same in this line of work and I love the excitement that it brings. I am also loving working in the Oaks room which has been a huge change from working in the Saplings room for many years, and just as rewarding!
Job Title: Nursery Nurse
Joined: 2010
Qualifications:
HND – Interior Design
BS(Hons) Architecture
BTEC – QCF – Diploma Level 3
Experience:
I have worked as a Nursery Nurse for 11 years. Becoming a Nursery Nurse was a change of career choice as I was previously qualified as an Interior Designer/Architectural Assistant.
Time at Polam:
I have worked at Polam from the beginning of my Childcare career (11 years).
I started working at Polam School in the afterschool and Breakfast club with intentions of pursuing a new qualification in Childcare. I worked really hard to gain my Level 3 Childcare qualification whilst working at the school and have never looked back!
Enjoys most about her job:
As a Nursery Nurse, I have cared for so many children over the years. It is wonderful to watch the children grow and flourish as they move through the school. I feel very proud that I can have such a great impact on children's early years development which sets them up for the rest of their school life.
Job Title: Nursery Nurse
Joined: 2017
Qualifications:
B.Ed (1994) MA (1997)
CACHE Level 3 Diploma 2013
Experience:
After volunteering at my own children's schools as a Parent Governor, I discovered that working with children brought me great joy. This led me to working as a Childminder's Assistant where I really enjoyed the responsibilities of caring for children. Whilst working in this role, I studied to earn my Level 3 qualification. Once I had achieved this, I decided to start my own Childminding business. I was a registered Childminder for 5 years in London before moving to Bedford. After the move, I decided to work as a supply Nursery Nurse, working in a variety of different settings.
Time at Polam:
During my time working as a supply Nursery Nurse, I worked at Polam covering in the Saplings room. This led me to being employed here in 2017.
Enjoys most about her job:
EVERYTHING - but mostly knowing that I have an input on the children's early years, the most important years of their lives.
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