Oxford Brookes University Day Nursery

A baby-room garden with a willow dome, a wooded Forest School site and regular cooking give Oxford Brookes University Day Nursery a recognisable character. The setting at Morrell Hall in Marston has capacity for 60 children, with care spanning four months to five years. University families have priority; children from outside the university can join the older age group.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The practical appeal is equally clear: separate gardens for the two age groups, dedicated sleeping spaces and a key-person arrangement with buddy cover. Full days, mornings and afternoons are bookable, with extensions at either end of the day.

Rooms and Ages

The Explorers’ Room takes children from four months to two years, with a maximum of 12 per session; its large play space, two sleep rooms, separate milk kitchen and nappy-changing room allow play, rest and personal care to have their own spaces. That session cap is a useful starting point for parents choosing care for a baby. It describes the room, rather than the size of the whole nursery.

Direct garden access gives this youngest group a willow dome, sensory pathway and water feature to explore, alongside a climbing frame and slide. Grass and paved areas provide different surfaces for play. Double pushchairs support regular walks to the park and nearby areas, extending babies’ experiences beyond their room and garden.

For children aged two to five, the Discoverers’ Room accommodates up to 42 and uses separate activity areas, continuous provision and freedom to choose to encourage independence and decision-making. Its sleeping area serves children who still need an after-lunch nap. Garden access is possible from both ends of the room, and children can use the outdoor space for most of the day.

The older group’s garden has a sandpit, mud kitchen, water wall and climbing/music wall, as well as playhouses and an obstacle trail. These are concrete choices for children who want to dig, construct, climb or explore water. The outdoor offer is substantial enough to matter when comparing the day your child would spend here.

Learning and Activities

EYFS guides planning and assessment: here, that includes watching children’s play, supporting their next steps and giving older children group experiences in listening, collaboration and following instructions. Staff use their observations to judge development, recording more and adding support where concerns arise. Parents therefore have a route from an everyday observation to a discussion about what help a child needs next.

Alongside that framework, the nursery has developed its own curriculum and aims to make it responsive to children’s interests. Older children take part in both adult-led and more open-ended groups, with opportunities to try ideas, solve problems and work together. Regular cooking activities and sessions in Spanish and French add further experiences to the day. The languages are named additions, while cooking gives children a practical activity to take part in.

In July 2025, children explored pasta and chalk, used an outdoor kitchen and tasted food associated with different parts of the world. Younger children moved water towards guttering and tables, while construction and work with materials exercised the smaller movements needed for later writing. Songs and shared stories also featured. These examples make the learning offer easier to picture: conversation, movement and experimentation were woven into ordinary activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School provides outdoor learning in woodland beside the nursery, on land owned by the university. A group of 12 attends weekly across a six-week period, allowing children to return to the same setting and develop their experiences. A Forest School leader runs the activities with additional staff support.

The site includes a fire pit, where children learn about fire safety. The final week includes sausages and beans prepared over the campfire. This is a specific sequence of experiences, with repeated woodland visits leading to a shared outdoor meal. It complements the gardens and the regular walks taken by babies.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is organised around a key person, with an induction that can adjust to a child’s needs. That practitioner gets to know the child and family, provides much of the personal care and acts as the main channel for sharing information. A paired buddy takes over when the key person is away, supported by colleagues who know the child. Continuity has a practical structure here.

The arrangement also recognises that the key person or buddy cannot be present on every occasion. Other familiar staff can take on the role, and families are told ahead of an absence where possible. Daily conversations, diaries, shared observations and meetings provide ways for parents to contribute what they see at home as well as hear about nursery life.

In July 2025, staff stayed near children during play, extended conversation and adjusted activities to include them. Children also practised independence, including cleaning cutlery they had dropped. These examples connect close adult involvement with opportunities for children to do manageable tasks themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with families and outside professionals on individual support plans and used funding effectively for children’s needs. The current support mechanism is an Early Years Support Plan, drawn up with parents to set development goals and strategies; the SENCo coordinates reviews, and the key person puts the support into daily practice.

Oxfordshire Guidance for SEN helps identify additional needs. The nursery also has contact with an Early Years Special Educational Needs Inclusion Teacher and can seek Inclusion Support Scheme funding for extra staff time or specialist equipment. Written progress information is passed to the next setting a child attends. For families managing a transition, that provides a means of carrying useful information forward.

A chef prepares lunch and light snacks in the nursery kitchen each day, and these are included in the daily rate. Parents supply nappies and formula milk, with facilities in the baby room for making and storing bottles.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Morrell Hall, John Garne Way, Marston, Oxford, OX3 0TU. Core opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for the final two weeks of August and between Christmas and New Year.

A full day runs from 8.30am to 5.30pm; mornings finish at 1pm, and afternoons run from 1pm to 5.30pm. Separately paid extensions cover 8am to 8.30am and 5.30pm to 6pm. Sessions must be booked ahead, and the minimum commitment is four sessions each week for a whole semester, with a day counting as two sessions. This is a continuing attendance arrangement, so the commitment matters as much as the clock times.

Applications are open to university staff and students, with external families eligible for the two-to-five section. Waiting-list priority runs from existing children seeking changed or increased attendance to siblings, then university families ordered by waiting time, then external applicants. Non-external applicants waiting more than six months beyond their intended start date move into the first category, with offers then ordered by registration date. A child can continue attending after a parent leaves university employment or study, with the external fee band then applying.

An application form begins the joining process, and telephone contact is available on 01865 535040. Visits can be booked. Ending the contract or reducing attendance requires two months’ notice. Fees remain payable during illness and family holidays; planned nursery closures are not charged.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted from nine months: eligible working families can claim up to 30 hours weekly, and the term after the third birthday brings the universal entitlement of up to 15 hours, or up to 30 for eligible working families, with funding starting the term after age qualification, eligibility checked beforehand, delivery over 38 weeks, set three-hour slots and a maximum of six funded hours daily. The funded morning window is 8.45am to 11.45am; the afternoon window is 1.45pm to 4.45pm. Working-family eligibility codes need reconfirming every three months.

Parents choose between attending only those funded windows and booking the longer sessions with funding deducted from the cost. The funded-only option still has a four-session weekly minimum, and non-funded weeks are charged at the full-session rate. Changes to that choice require two months’ notice. The pattern deserves careful attention if your childcare needs continue through the year.

There are no compulsory charges attached to funded hours within the core day. Extended half-hours and additional ad hoc sessions fall outside funding. Lunch and light snacks are included in privately paid daily rates, while parents provide nappies and formula milk. Separate fee bands apply to students, university staff and external children.

A registration charge is non-refundable except for fully funded placements, where it is returned after the first two weeks. Tax-Free Childcare is accepted, and university staff can use the salary-sacrifice payment arrangement. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• University priority and attendance commitment. External children join the two-to-five section, while university families have priority. The four-session weekly minimum lasts at least a semester, so match the commitment to your work or study timetable.
• Funded windows and year-round costs. Funding uses fixed morning and afternoon windows over 38 weeks, with paid attendance in non-funded weeks. Consider the whole attendance pattern when budgeting, including any extensions beyond the core day.
• Settling and practice improvements. In July 2025, snack arrangements needed greater consistency in promoting health, and coaching needed to sharpen teaching and reflection. Breakfast in the older children’s room was less organised than lunch. During a visit, discuss those changes and how the key person and buddy would support your child’s settling period.

Oxford Brookes University Day Nursery suits university families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, and external families looking for care from age two. The youngest room’s session cap, separate sleeping spaces and gardens give parents concrete reasons to consider it; cooking, languages and the woodland sequence add substance to the learning offer. Its July 2025 Good judgement sits alongside specific improvements to snack routines and staff coaching. The deciding practical questions are the semester-long booking commitment and how fixed funded windows fit the family timetable.