Julia Durbin Day Nursery, Oxford

Outdoor play gives Julia Durbin Day Nursery, Oxford its clearest character: daily garden access, treasure hunting in a sandpit and bug searches in a nature area. These are concrete opportunities to explore, rather than outdoor time reserved for an occasional activity. Music lessons and regular yoga sessions add a different rhythm to the day.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to be Strong standard, with children’s welfare and wellbeing at Expected standard and safeguarding standards met. That distinction matters: the positive educational picture sits alongside a specific improvement needed in teaching children about physical health.

The Headington setting has capacity for 164 children and accepts ages from 2 to 60 months. That is the whole nursery’s capacity, not the number sharing a room or attending together.

Learning and Activities

EYFS principles shape the daily activities, bringing learning, development and care together through age-appropriate experiences. Here, music and yoga sit alongside outdoor exploration, so children encounter movement, communication and discovery through different kinds of play.

In January 2026, communication developed in stages across the nursery: staff answered babies’ sounds, introduced individual words to toddlers and helped older children combine words into conversation. Signing offered another way to communicate, including for children learning English as an additional language. The practical value is the progression: an early exchange of sounds becomes a foundation for expressing ideas and joining conversations.

Music had a tangible form that month. Staff played a clarinet while children responded through movement, recognised familiar tunes and explored how music is written. Listening and physical expression were brought together in the same activity. This gives a more useful picture of the nursery day than a general promise of musical experiences.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily garden access is a central part of the current offer. The sandpit supports digging and treasure searches, while the nature area gives children something living to investigate during bug hunts. Both provide a reason to look closely and keep exploring.

In January 2026, younger children investigated puddles, frost and ice; older children extended weather interests into learning about hurricanes and their effects on people. Outdoor experiences could therefore become starting points for conversation about the wider world.

Physical challenges also changed with children’s development that month. Babies practised crawling, standing and moving over equipment, while older children climbed into the tree house and handled tools. Preschool responsibilities included drinks monitors and safety spies, the latter helping spot potential trip hazards. These were practical jobs with a purpose, giving children opportunities to contribute to the day rather than simply follow instructions.

Relationships and routines received close attention in January 2026. Staff explained what they were about to do before care tasks and followed babies’ individual routines. For a young child, that makes care more predictable; for parents, it places familiar patterns alongside the nursery’s shared day.

Support was specific rather than confined to a general inclusion statement. That month, staff checked environmental noise, worked with families and other professionals on individual support plans, and prepared children for moves between rooms. The plans gave practitioners direction about what help to provide. Room changes were treated as transitions requiring preparation, including for children with additional needs.

Sleep and meals were also part of the January 2026 account: rest routines were carefully organised, and eating together combined social interaction with supervised care. Staff discussed safe sleeping and eating practices with families, connecting nursery routines with care at home.

The January 2026 inspection also recorded that an incorrectly administered medication incident had prompted the visit, and that leaders demonstrated substantial measures intended to prevent a recurrence. This deserves attention from families whose children need medication, alongside the safeguarding outcome.

The physical-health improvement was more precise than a concern about children being inactive. In January 2026, some healthy-eating and exercise activities did not teach the intended ideas about healthy living. Enjoyment alone was not enough. The next step was to make those everyday experiences more effective in developing children’s understanding of physical health.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across 52 weeks of the year, with public holidays and inset days excluded. This gives families a substantial weekday opening window, while those closures still need to fit their childcare arrangements.

Getting There

The address is Old Road, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7JU, on Old Road Campus. Parents can make an enquiry by telephone on 01865 744448, email julia.durbin@childbase.com or use the nursery’s callback form.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Medication care. The January 2026 medication incident led to preventive changes. During a visit, ask how administration is checked and recorded for your child’s particular treatment.
• Learning about health. January 2026 activities did not consistently build the intended understanding of healthy lifestyles. Ask for a current example of how yoga, exercise or food activities now teach that understanding.
• Your attendance and funding plan. The weekday opening window runs from 7am to 6.30pm. Which bookable sessions and funded arrangements would fit your family, and how would meals, consumables and settling sessions work within that booking?

Julia Durbin suits families who value daily outdoor exploration and a nursery day that includes music and movement. Its sandpit, nature area and garden access give that preference a practical expression. The January 2026 examples of signing, clarinet activities and purposeful preschool responsibilities add substance to the educational picture.

The judgement balance should guide the decision: several educational and organisational areas reached Strong standard, while welfare and wellbeing reached Expected standard. Medication procedures and teaching about physical health merit a focused conversation. For parents weighing an all-year weekday setting in Headington, those are useful decision points alongside the outdoor offer.