Nannas Day Nurseries Turner Road

A converted hospital villa, two gardens and a Forest Walk give Nannas Day Nurseries Turner Road a recognisable setting for early childhood. Based within the grounds of Colchester General Hospital, it combines separate rooms for different ages with an attendance model designed around changing work patterns. The practical appeal is clear for NHS families: care can fit a permanent rota or an as-and-when contract.

At its November 2025 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard across achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership, with safeguarding standards met. That is a report card with judgements for individual areas. The concrete detail is more useful than a headline alone: children explored safety through a danger detective activity, used emotion monsters to discuss feelings, and encountered mathematical language during play.

There are 60 places in total for children from birth to five years. Full days, mornings and afternoons sit alongside flexible contracts, giving families several ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care: it brings everyday care and children's developing skills into the same account of their nursery day. Here, the November 2025 activities included stories, singing, mathematical play and opportunities to practise doing things independently. These were woven into routines as well as planned activities.

In November 2025, practitioners used books throughout the children's surroundings and built listening into songs and shared stories. Conversations extended vocabulary rather than stopping at instructions. Mathematical language also entered play, with children discussing where shapes sat in relation to one another.

The danger detective activity gave children a role in thinking about safety. In November 2025, participants wore a lanyard and a high-visibility jacket while spotting hazards and explaining precautions to other children. Responsibility became something they could practise. The star of the day award also recognised achievement, linking celebrations at nursery with home.

Independence had similarly practical forms in November 2025. Children helped clear resources before group time, washed their hands ahead of lunch and practised putting on coats. A Christmas play offered another opportunity to participate and perform. These are useful preparations for the next stage because they involve managing belongings, joining a shared activity and taking responsibility for familiar tasks.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two enclosed gardens provide different outdoor settings: a courtyard and a natural rear garden containing the Forest Walk. This gives outdoor play more than one physical space, with the rear garden adding a route through a natural environment. In November 2025, babies practised climbing over equipment while older children used pedal toys to work on balance and strength.

Forest School, an approach centred on learning outdoors through exploration and practical activity, takes the oldest preschool children to Highwoods Country Park weekly, with written parental permission required. The local park extends the setting beyond its own gardens. Weekly sessions delivered by external Performing Arts and Sports companies add movement activities to the attendance week; families should treat these as additions to the nursery day when comparing their chosen package.

The nursery's imaginative work has also used its hospital surroundings as inspiration. During the 2017 Role Play Competition, Turner Road adopted a hospital theme, with rooms representing different departments. This is a historical example rather than a description of today's room layout, but it shows how a familiar local setting became material for children's play.

Relationships and Communication

Familiarity matters here. In November 2025, babies' sleep and eating routines were organised to reflect those at home, and children who found settling difficult could bring familiar possessions. Those small continuities gave practitioners specific ways to respond to an individual child, rather than expecting each family to fit an identical routine.

At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found strong attachments between children and their key persons, carefully adapted teaching, and additional support coordinated with specialists when children needed it. The useful distinction is between a general promise of individual attention and a concrete response: practitioners created a hairdresser role-play area for children whose sensory needs made haircuts difficult.

Communication also reached beyond a progress update. In November 2025, surveys, everyday conversations and friends of the nursery meetings contributed to decisions about provision. Parents had requested more photographs of learning, and practitioners were taking action on that request.

Staff continuity was another part of the November 2025 picture. Turnover was low, and many practitioners had worked there for several years. Team meetings, supervision, induction, peer observation and training provided opportunities to review practice. The value is continuity combined with ongoing discussion, rather than familiarity alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Emotion monsters helped children put feelings into words in November 2025 and consider how somebody else might feel. Visual cards provided another way to support social understanding. These are concrete tools parents can recognise when discussing how their child expresses frustration, worry or excitement.

During the same month, practitioners adjusted care when families shared difficulties affecting a child's daily life. Changes could include extra comfort or a different routine. In November 2025, leaders were asked to sustain improvement and achieve a more substantial impact for disadvantaged children, children with SEND, those connected with children's social care and others facing barriers to learning or wellbeing. Families needing additional support should weigh that ambition alongside the specific arrangements proposed for their child.

Food is prepared by an on-site chef, with a freshly made lunch comprising two courses; breakfast and morning and afternoon snacks are included in the daily rate. Menus were developed with a hospital dietician and identify allergens, giving families a concrete starting point for discussing dietary needs.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Villa 1, Colchester General Hospital, Turner Village, Turner Road, Colchester, CO4 5JR. Opening hours are 6.30am to 6.30pm from Monday to Friday, throughout the year except bank holidays. This is an early opening and a late finish for families working across a hospital rota.

Full Day NHS Package and Full Day Non NHS Package sessions run from 6.30am to 6.30pm. Morning sessions run from 6.30am to 12.30pm, and afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 6.30pm, with NHS and Non NHS package labels for each. Permanent and flexible as-and-when contracts are offered.

Showarounds can be arranged with the nursery, and the Turner Road telephone number is 01206 843851. The distinction between NHS eligibility and the Non NHS package needs resolving before a family commits, as set out below.

Getting There

A dedicated car park includes spaces for dropping children off. Bus stops and a local train station are within walking distance, with rail connections to London and surrounding towns; the hospital-ground address may be especially convenient when childcare and work are on the same site.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible children over nine months, stretched across 52 weeks, and additional paid hours can extend attendance.

The NHS Package includes nappies, wipes and nappy cream. Private parents supply nappies and wipes, while parents supply formula milk; these different arrangements belong in the comparison between packages rather than being treated as one universal inclusion. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with session and package information also on its funding and fees page.

• NHS and Non NHS entry. The nursery describes its service as solely for NHS staff, while its Turner Road package options include Non NHS sessions. Establish which entry conditions apply to your family before signing a contract.
• Support with a measurable aim. November 2025's next step concerned the impact of provision for children facing disadvantage or other barriers. During a visit, discuss how support for your child would be planned, reviewed and adjusted.
• Meals and movement sessions. Lunch is cooked on site, menus identify allergens, and external Performing Arts and Sports sessions take place weekly. Discuss current allergy practice and which activities your child's package includes.

Turner Road suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with permanent and as-and-when contracts adding flexibility around work. Its strongest practical combination is the hospital setting, two gardens, weekly Forest School access and an on-site kitchen. The November 2025 account adds substance through everyday examples of language, independence and emotional support. Entry conditions and the exact package matter: settle those details before choosing the arrangement that fits your family.