Polam School and Nursery

43-45 Lansdowne Road, Bedford MK40 2BU
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9.9 36 Reviews
  • Polam School and Nursery, Bedford
Polam is a small, caring and happy independent school & nursery for children aged one to seven years.

Occupying two large Victorian houses on a leafy avenue in the heart of Bedford, it provides a unique home from home learning environment where each child is known by every member of staff. In 2021, Polam was named National Independent Pre-prep of the Year, commended specifically on their outstanding commitment to pupil wellbeing and for their innovative immersive learning programme.

The nursery provides care for up to 48 weeks of the year; term time (~35 weeks) and holiday club (~13 weeks). There is a strong sense of home in a safe and caring environment. The nursery has been judged 'outstanding' for the last four inspections in a row, the most recent being in July 2023. In 2021, Polam received the Millie's Mark accreditation, which is the gold standard in paediatric first aid and acts as an indicator that the nursery goes above and beyond the minimum requirements to keep children safe.

Parents can book half-day sessions or full day double sessions, with a minimum of 4 sessions a week. The school day runs from 8.30am to 4pm with add-on wrap-around care from 7.30am to 6pm. Food, drinks and snacks are made fresh on-site and included in the fees.

Children in the nursery benefit from specialist teachers providing weekly lessons in; music, wellbeing, PE, outdoor education, and more! Preschool children make use of the on-site Polam Swim School which is included in the fees.

Care Provided by Polam School and Nursery

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Darren O'Neil (Headteacher)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 8
  • Total Places for Children
  • 50
  • Age Range
    • from 1 years 0 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays, 2 weeks at the end of the Summer & 2 weeks at Christmas

Funding & Fees Guide for Polam School and Nursery

  • 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 Reviews (36)

Total of 36, showing 21-36
9.9

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.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has really enjoyed his time at Preschool in Polam. Since leaving his other nursery his development has flourished. Oaks class has prepared him well for reception at school.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter did fantastic at Polam. She joined for pre-school only and we wish we'd found it when we first moved to the area. At the beginning of the school year, the pre-school staff listened to our concerns and areas needing help and guidance and at year-end, we couldn't be happier especially regarding
her emotional and social development. Our daughter was very happy here.
From the admissions staff, maintenance staff, school head, the pre-school staff and to the before/after school help, they are all amazing, really approachable and work so hard caring for the pupils and families.
We highly recommend this school.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has just finished in the Oaks class of Polam Nursery having previously been in Saplings. Since she started with the nursery I have found the nursery staff to be attentive to her requirements, while gently encouraging her. I am very impressed at the level of dedication shown by the staff,
and the variety of activities on offer. I think the communication is very good, I always know what's happening in the nursery and what she's been doing. My daughter adored going into Polam and I felt happy that she was being well cared for and educated. My daughter is continuing into the main school and she simply can't wait!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Polam staff have been excellent from day one ensuring a smooth transition for my son's first time at nursery. That he is in such a caring, supportive environment is so reassuring for us both.


We are both so impressed with the activities on offer, especially forest school, the communication we receive

and overall care.


Members of staff have been excellent in understanding my son’s needs and communication is to the highest standard.


As a family, we couldn’t be happier and would not hesitate to recommend the nursery.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Such a lovely place for my boy to develop in. The staff are amazing, very caring and approach teaching with enthusiasm and patience.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We love Polam. It is a fantastic nursery with great facilities. The staff are always friendly and helpful and extremely experienced with looking after little children. My daughter has been happy from day one and so am I. The range of activities on offer are always fun and/or educational. When older
they even get to swim and do forest school which is great.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Polam School and Nursery has been excellent since my son started in September 2017. He loves going to nursery, he now goes in independently and happily, always smiling. The staff are all brilliant with him and encourage him to be outgoing and independent. He loves PE lessons and music which has become
part of his weekly routine. The staff are excellent I never feel rushed at drop off or pick up If I want feedback, the communication is always in depth and I always know what my son has been up to. I feel safe and secure leaving my son as I know the values of Polam School and Nursery are the same as when my son is home with me.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son joined Polam family when he was 21 months old. At that time he didn't know a word of English and was still breastfeeding for comfort so it took him slightly longer to settle. Within weeks he moved from being constantly comforted by staff to being more independent and taking part in the nursery
activities. There was always the same nursery staff looking after him and every day I was told how his day went. If on a particular day something was off with my son, they would chat with me about it. Even such a thing as a potty training was a mutual strategy.
What I love about Polam nursery is that it is not a factory processing children. Every child has different needs and develops differently and this is in the heart of Polam's provision. Every day is enjoyed by my child so much that he doesn't want to go home. Even though he is not yet 4 and I feel he is already ready a big school. How great is that! I simply cannot recommend Polam highly enough.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son used to go to Polam and now my daughter is there. We didn't hesitate in sending her there as my son developed so well and loved going.
My daughter is talking so much since being at Polam and also loves going.
No tears in the morning and she is very happy. The food is excellent and nearly
every time she eats all that is given. I go to work knowing she is well looked after.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Polam has been an outstanding nursery for my daughter, She has thrived since starting here in September 2016. She is an active outgoing and independent little girl and her teachers encourage her in all these aspects and many more. All the staff are friendly, reliable and approachable. I have no qualms
in leaving my daughter in their care, as I know she is safe, well cared for and guaranteed to have fun whilst learning. The food they provide the children is fantastic, it is all homemade on-site and they can even have 2nds or 3rds if needed, which is great for growing bodies and minds. I fully recommend this nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The care my daughter receives is outstanding at Polam Nursery. The facilities are excellent and she loves the gym and music sessions which are extremely beneficial to development. The staff are professional, friendly and highly committed to ensuring the children are well looked after. I can't praise
Polam Nursery enough.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are very pleased with the ethos of the school. Our daughter is happy and she enjoys going to school. The learning journal is great for parents to view at any time online where you can track the progress of your child. The activities (extracurricular) eg. Ballet and swimming is great in building confidence.
Teachers are fantastic and we appreciate everything the school is doing for our daughter.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Polam Nursery is a joyful, well organised and homely setting with thoughtful, caring staff who make learning through play fun. The small classes and experienced nursery manager are wonderful and each child is treated as an important individual. The nursery children benefit from access to the main school's
facilities and teaching staff such as the music teacher. I have no hesitation in recommending Polam to anyone!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Extremely caring nursery with experienced staff. Our son is happy and settled, he even waves us goodbye! The termly parents evenings are fantastic as is the involvement of parents through the term. The uniform makes life easy and our son is well stimulated. The food variety could be improved with more
vegetables and less meat would make this perfect! Overall, we highly recommend Polam School and Nursery and are so pleased we made this choice.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We couldn't be happier with Polam, we love watching our daughter flourish and we can't wait to see what she learns next.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Cannot recommend Polam highly enough. We as parents believe it was the best choice we made for our son after first putting him in a different nursery. The difference in him since he started in February 2016 is incredible. He has grown as a person and so has his confidence. The children are taught to
respect each other, to have manners and to enjoy learning. The extra activities included in their learning such as PE, French and swimming from a young age provide excellent opportunities and ensure the children get variety. Every member of staff knows each child by name and there is a real sense of 'home'. Communication is very good and we are confident our son is getting the best possible start.


Wrap around care/holiday clubs are always enjoyed. Lunches and snacks are always eaten and apparently are 'better than mummy's'!


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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.944)

Overview of Review Score

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.

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 4.944 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.

Child Vacancies

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Awards / Recognitions (5)

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Meet the Team (5)

Laura

Laura Bennett

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.


Vicky

Vicky Walker

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!


George

George Bird

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!


Reshma

Reshma Patel

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.


Harman

Harman Mondair

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.