Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Union Hall Farm, Brasside, Durham DH1 5SG
Submit a Review
Top 20 award
9.9 67 Reviews
  • Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School, Durham
As part of the Farm Day Nurseries group, Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School is purpose-built to offer the very best early years education within a countryside environment.

Offering quality childcare for children from 6 weeks old, children will enjoy daily visits to the farm animals and free flow access between the nursery building and the private nursery and pre-school gardens. Adventure Valley was recently rated 'Good' by Ofsted in their April 2022 inspection.

Children also enjoy a new woodland space, exclusive for nursery use, where children enjoy a number of woodland activities.

The new day nursery & pre-school offers 2, 3 & 4-year-old funding including 30 free hours.

Please register for a Showround at their website.

Nursery opening hours: Monday - Friday 07:30 am - 06:30 pm.

Show Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School on the Map

Care Provided by Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Julie Norton (Nursery Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 20
  • Total Places for Children
  • 94
  • 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

Funding & Fees Guide for Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

  • Full-day session: 7:30 am - 6:00 pm
    Morning session: 7:30 am - 1:00 pm
    Afternoon session: 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
    Late collection: 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm

  • Each situation is different and bespoke to your childcare needs. To find out more about our fees, please do get in touch so we are able to build a profile and give you a breakdown of what we believe best suits your child’s needs.

Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School Reviews (67)

Total of 67, showing 1-20
9.9

Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.865) out of 10, based on 17 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School has 67 reviews.

Overall Experience

  • 67
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Date Published

67
2
5
17
50

Review from D P (Father of Child) published on 18 March 2025
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

It's our daughter's first couple of days at nursery and ecstatic at how well the staff are treating her as well as us! We are kept up to date with how our daughter is getting on and both days she's been in, the staff have been excellent in caring for her where's she's returned as happy as she was when
we left her.
We are thrilled with our decision to send our daughter here!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from G W (Mother of Child) published on 3 December 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I can not recommend Adventure Valley Nursery enough! I am so glad our son has started here, he clearly adores it and will constantly ask to go to nursery on his days off. He comes home happy, full and tired out. We love how much they are outside during the day and access to the farm is an incredible
bonus. In the few short months he has been with Adventure Valley, he has come on so much in every area, most notably his social skills and his confidence. He comes home talking about his classmates, something he never did at other childcare settings. He comes home singing songs and talking about the farm and the animals. The outside spaces the children have is amazing. The staff are all happy, friendly and welcoming and show a real interest in the children. We enjoyed Stay and Play sessions and bonfire night events too. We could not be happier so far with our experience of Adventure Valley.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from D A (Mother of Child) published on 5 September 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Adventure Valley is a fantastic nursery that we would recommend to any parent. The team are incredibly engaged, professional, and invested in our children. The nursery setting is brilliant and in comparison to other settings, offers a huge space and range of activities. Our children particularly love
spending so much time outside and at the farm.
The food is cooked on-site and enjoyed by our children with plenty of snacks.
Adventure Valley uses an app to keep parents updated with each nursery day, and this provides additional reassurance.
My children love going to the nursery and have incredibly strong relationships with all teachers and wider staff across the nursery.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from S D (Father of Child) published on 23 April 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fantastic nursery. Staff are very attentive, caring and reassuring. My child loves attending. We are kept up to date with everything going on in our child’s development and also anything that has been happening throughout the day or week. Photos are a very welcome addition that they send via the app.
It’s a very clean establishment. With great and varied food options.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thanks for your lovely review it's great to hear that you are fully updated regularly.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Ben A (Father of Child) published on 12 April 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The nursery has had our child twice a week for a year. She is an amazing girl with complex needs on the autism preschool pathway. The nursery has been preemptively put in support, communicated with us and assisted with our child. The nursery deserves some form of Special Educational Needs classification
as they have far surpassed every school/nursery that we have dealt with our other children who also have additional needs. They have a great ethos around all of the children's environment, they are very observant and I have nothing but praise for the entire team, both management and the staff on the floor.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you for this fabulous review. We always strive to give children the best start in life and are happy to help in any which way we can.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Alexandra C (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I couldn’t be happier with the baby room at Adventure Valley. My little girl has been there for almost a year.
She walks in to see the staff and is always so happy to be there. The staff know her so well. She loves all of the team and you can tell they love all the children too.
Thank you so much
to everyone.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thanks for your lovely comments. We love seeing the children's confidence and relationships with staff develop. The staff love the children as much as they love us.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Kirsty N (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The staff are so welcoming, my little boy struggled at first when he started nursery with separation issues. He has came on in leaps and bounds creating some amazing friendships with not only the other children but staff too. He talks about nursery all of the time, telling me all of the exciting things
he has been doing. I love that this nursery is very outdoorsy which is perfect for my son learning through play and experiences.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you for your lovely comments its lovely to hear that your little boy talks so positively about nursery and enjoys his time with us.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from K M (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We can’t recommend the nursery enough. All of the staff are fantastic and our little one has settled in well. Our little struggles at times with drop off but everyone is so reassuring and supportive towards him.
Engagement with parents is great and we are kept up to date using the app.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Lovely to hear that the staff are supportive and reassuring. Thanks for your lovely comments.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from George S (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son hasn't been attending long and it is his first nursery. The staff there are an absolute dream not only with my son but guiding me and my partner through every question we have.
He walked straight in on his first visit and barely looked back which is a testament to the great environment they
provide. The kitchen always smells great and every time we go in there is something different going on. I can't wait to see how my wee guy thrives here.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thanks for your lovely comments we will pass this onto our chef. Pleased little one has settled in well.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from A D (Father of Child) published on 15 February 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I wholeheartedly recommend this place.
My child is in the baby room at Adventure Valley Day Nursery and he absolutely loves going for his two days a week!
The staff are very supportive and helpful even when up against it with all the madness of multiple babies, they always have time to give cuddles
(the children) and 1-2-1 learning through play.
Once the 2 year funding comes in, I shall be looking at more sessions a week.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

It's lovely to hear that he will be joining us more in September. Thanks for your lovely comments.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Claire T (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We viewed lots of nurseries for our little boy and Adventure Valley Nursery was head and shoulders above them all. The staff are brilliant and really support each child, their needs and your parenting style. The children get a very unique experience at the nursery as they visit the farm nearly every
day and have access to vast outdoor space and even soft play. The food is all made fresh on site too which was really important to us in ensuring our child had a well-balanced diet.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

Thank you so much it's lovely to hear positive comments about the nursery.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from S A (Mother of Child) published on 15 February 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Excellent knowledgeable staff. Very friendly and caring towards the children and supportive to child and parents. At ease when leaving child at nursery and full confidence they are being taken care of in a positive way. Great outdoor areas and access to the adventure park is a great bonus for the children.
Very happy overall about the nursery and hopefully my next child will start attending like his older brother next summer too.

Reply from Julie Norton, Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

It's lovely to hear that you as a parent feel supported as this is very important to us. We agree we are very lucky to have access to Adventure Valley and have great fun taking the children around it.


Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from David W (Father of Child) published on 16 June 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We enrolled our daughter when she was 7 months old and she is now 11 months old. From the get-go, the amazing staff made her feel safe and comfortable, helping her to come out of her shell and adapt to a new environment from a young age. After just a couple of months, we could see a massive change in
her confidence with other people and her overall development when it comes to various physical activities. She loves all of her key workers and has fun playing and visiting the farm to see the animals when they take the kids around. We feel safe leaving her there two days a week as we know the girls go above and beyond to look after the kids, making sure they are all well-fed, slept and have fun along the way! Couldn't recommend Adventure Valley any more highly!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Rachel F (Mother of Child) published on 14 June 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I have just recently started taking my little girl to this nursery and she has come on so much in just a month! She is only 9 months old but they have supported her with trying new foods, encouraging her to speak more and she has started clapping and waving now! I felt so nervous about her starting
nursery being so little but all the staff were so lovely and approachable they really made me feel at ease and comfortable about leaving her. It's such a lovely setting, it's always clean, bright and airy and I love the fact that she can experience using Adventure Valley itself to see the animals! I visited 6 other nurseries prior to this one and it definitely was the best choice for us! One thing that really made me feel so content was my little girl practically jumped out of my arms to the staff members which makes you feel so happy!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from B E (Mother of Child) published on 14 June 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Amazing nursery! My daughter loves going here, she can’t wait to see the back of me at drop-offs now. The staff are amazing! She loves them all. They do so many activities with the children, indoor and outdoor play, and they also have regular trips to the farm and park on-site too. She loves animals,
so I’m glad this is something they have the opportunity to do with the children. My daughter’s development has progressed so much since starting at adventure valley a few months ago. The management here is great also! Whenever I’ve had issues with getting my daughter in on certain days, or had plans ahead of time, they’ve always accommodated where they can to ensure my daughter can still attend her three sessions a week. I couldn’t have chosen a better nursery for her.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Jasmine B (Mother of Child) published on 14 June 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I couldn't be happier with our experience at Adventure Valley Day Nursery. My son started last year in the Baby Room when he was 10 months old and the staff worked so hard to get to know him, build bonds and settle him that he quickly adjusted to me being back at work and his new routine at nursery.
I have noticed a huge difference in him since he started, his language improves weekly, his skills such as eating with a spoon are incredible and I can't take credit for all of that. The nursery work so closely with the individual child that they are vital in his development. He loves visiting the farm, playing at the park and the soft play and getting involved with all of the activities like messy play and crafts. I am so happy leaving him there knowing he is cared for, valued and supported. I recommend this nursery to everyone I know!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from J H (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

If I could give this nursery ten stars I would! You know it is an amazing place when they don’t ever want to leave at pick up. I love that they feel as though it is their home away from home. The staff are all amazing with so much heart and a caring mindset. It’s wonderful seeing our children get excited
about going here as soon as they see the sign at the gates. The staff really make an effort to engage the kids and develop them in a very individualised way and every member of the team knows each and every child. The management is really committed to providing a safe, fun and loving environment and we’re very thankful to the whole team at Adventure Valley Day Nursery, our children have come on leaps and bounds with the support of the staff here and it is so good to see the loving relationships between staff and peers alike.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from L B (Mother of Child) published on 16 February 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My children have been attending holiday club over the past year and absolutely love it. They are always excited about the day they get to spend at holiday club. The activities are always varied, with direct access to the farm they get to explore and play outdoors which they love! The staff are all
extremely friendly and caring, making each day fun. They also really enjoy the meals that are freshly prepared on site each day for them, which is included in the cost. Would highly recommend if anyone is looking for childcare during the holidays.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from Rebecca B (Mother of Child) published on 16 February 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son moved to the nursery in November after a horrendous time at a previous nursery. Everyone was so warm and friendly and helped put us at ease leaving him again. Everyone has gone above and beyond and my son loves going every day. I really can't thank them enough.

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Review from B W (Father of Child) published on 16 February 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Great set-up full of good and trustworthy people. The kids get to do so many great activities and are always excited to arrive and love their days when they get to play and go to the farm. Thank you!

Facilities / Outside Space

Learning

Resources / Equipment / ICT

Care

Activities

Staff

Food / Nutrition

Management

Cleanliness

Safeguarding

Value for Money

Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.865)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.865) out of 10 for Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School 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 17 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.9 out of 5 from 17 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 4.961 for Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School is calculated as follows: ( (197 Excellents x 5) + (6 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 204 Ratings = 4.961

  • 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 4.904 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School is based on 17 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 94 number of registered child places is 18.8. 17 Positive Reviews ÷ 18.8 = 0.904

  • 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 (5)

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading

Loading events

Meet the Team (1)

Julie

Julie Norton

Job Title: Nursery Manager

Hello, my name is Julie Norton and I am the Nursery Manager at Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School. I have worked in childcare for almost 20 years and hold a BA Hons in Early Childhood Studies and an NNEB Diploma in Childcare.


I take pride in building those early relationships with both children and parents and love to see children at my nursery grow and develop each day.


Being the Nursery Manager in this fantastic new setting brings me a lot of joy, seeing children learn through nature-based play including taking daily visits to the farmyard animals is a very unique experience for all.


Frequently Asked Questions about Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is the Age Range of Children that Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School accepts?

Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School accepts Children aged from 0 years 2 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School Open?

Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School is open: 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.

How many Children does Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School have capacity for?

Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School has capacity for a total of 94 Children.

How far is Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School to the centre of Durham?

2.7 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 Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Adventure Valley Day Nursery & Pre-School has a Platinum Service – more info.