Mrs Cameron Day Nursery

A sandpit, an enclosed playground and a home in the grounds of Harvey Court give Mrs Cameron Day Nursery a recognisable college setting. This workplace nursery occupies a self-contained unit at Springfield house in Cambridge, with capacity for 25 children from 3 months to school age. Its college connection also shapes who gets priority for a place.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical appeal is a combination of outdoor space, books from an early age and activities that introduce children to making, movement and investigation. Opening hours are 8.30am to 5pm on weekdays.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play and planned activities introduce early number work, reading and simple scientific exploration. Free play sits alongside more structured experiences. Woodwork and craft give children things to make; dance, art and music offer other ways to express themselves. Local visits and walks extend experiences beyond the nursery.

Books have a place from the youngest ages. In January 2025, babies and older children chose books for themselves and listened to adults reading aloud. During painting, staff repeated descriptive vocabulary to connect words with children's actions and sensations. This gives language a practical context rather than treating it as a separate exercise.

Sensory exploration was equally concrete in January 2025. Babies investigated paint with their fingers, while a winter topic included ice. An unexpected hailstorm became an opportunity to examine hailstones and talk about melting as children held them. That example matters: an ordinary change in the weather became something children could investigate directly.

Outdoor and Community Life

The nursery has its own secure outdoor play space, including a sandpit, with landscaped surroundings and an enclosed playground. These are spaces for outdoor activity within the nursery's immediate setting, rather than a college facility children must travel to use.

In January 2025, children made nests and bird feeders outdoors, threading cereal pieces as part of the activity. Forest-school sessions introduced safety rules for handling equipment and tools, giving children practice in managing manageable risks. These were practical experiences, with hand coordination and safety woven into the activity itself.

The same month's daily routine had an important weakness. Frequent routine changes often cut children's play short before they could finish their activities. Songs helped signal what came next, but organising routine tasks to protect sustained play was the improvement required. For parents, this is a useful distinction between having interesting activities and giving children enough time to pursue them.

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that babies built close relationships with staff and that practitioners used observations to recognise children needing extra help with learning. Those findings give substance to the care picture, rather than relying on the college setting or outdoor facilities alone.

Family involvement took several forms in January 2025. Parent-play sessions brought parents into activities, and some parents shared stories in their home languages. Families received daily updates alongside more formal accounts of development. Together, these provided both everyday information and a longer view of what children were learning.

Home languages also featured in children's group time in January 2025, when older children enjoyed hearing greetings in languages used by their families. Activities explored traditions and celebrations beyond children's own experiences. Inclusion was expressed through things children heard and did.

Preparation for school was practical in January 2025: older children practised dressing and using the toilet independently, while children learned to manage tissues and dispose of them. These everyday skills make growing independence part of the nursery day, rather than a task reserved for the final months before school.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Gonville & Caius College, Flat 2 Springfield, Sidgewick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DS. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8.30am until 5pm, across the year. Closures include Good Friday and New Years Day, along with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The weekday closing time is a clear consideration for families whose work extends into the evening.

Enquiries go to the nursery manager by telephone on 01223 740688 or by email at mcdn@wigwamnurseries.co.uk.

Priority goes to Gonville and Caius staff, Fellows and those studying at the College. Caians seeking priority access are asked to apply before 15 June each year. After that deadline, remaining places are opened to members of other Colleges. This is a durable application rule, rather than an indication of present vacancies.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2025, the nursery offered government-funded places to eligible children. A salary sacrifice scheme is available to Fellows and staff paid by the College, so that arrangement has a specific employment condition.

• College priority. Gonville and Caius staff, Fellows and those studying at the College have priority, with an annual application deadline before 15 June. Families should factor their college connection into their application plans.
• Time to finish play. In January 2025, routine changes interrupted activities. During a visit, ask how the day now protects children's time to complete what they have started.
• Funding and the total bill. Funded places were offered to eligible children in January 2025. Request a current written quotation explaining the attendance pattern, funded hours, private hours and who pays for meals and non-food consumables.

Mrs Cameron Day Nursery suits families seeking a college-based nursery with outdoor play, creative making and early experiences of books and investigation. Its weekday opening window will work best where a 5pm finish fits family routines. College priority is a meaningful practical consideration. The January 2025 concern about interrupted play also deserves attention: the activities have substance, and children need time to finish them.