St Thomas's Day Nursery

Parent management gives St Thomas's Day Nursery its character. This Oxford city-centre nursery operates on a not-for-profit basis, with an elected parent committee taking responsibility for its management. Families have a route into decisions about the nursery itself, as well as conversations about their own child.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The strongest practical details are the provision for babies, opportunities for children of different ages to spend time together, and a settling period that includes parents. There is also an important improvement point concerning conversations with quieter children.

The nursery has 40 places for children from four months to school age, at 40 St Thomas Street, Oxford OX1 1JP. Full-day attendance and term-time funded patterns serve different family routines. A planned relocation now has a summer 2027 target, making the future premises an important consideration for families planning a longer stay.

Rooms and Ages

Carmina's Room serves the youngest children, with an age band of birth to two years; Downstairs Room caters for ages two to five, with group activities shaped around children's developing interests. Children also spend parts of the day mixing across ages.

Upstairs, younger children have space for play, nappy changing and sleep. Downstairs, an adaptable play layout accommodates changing activities, with a separate area for rest.

Learning and Activities

The shared Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework shapes activities: children learn through play at their own pace. Parents contribute through stories, cooking, creative work and celebrations.

In June 2025, staff used observations of individual children to decide what to introduce next. Learning was woven into familiar activities: counting accompanied climbing steps, while comparisons of size and length supplied language children could use in their own play. Storytelling involved objects that helped children take part, rather than simply listen.

Communication took several forms during that visit. Songs and rhymes accompanied younger children's group time, and simple signs helped them express needs and understand activities. Older children explored unfamiliar vocabulary while learning about a digger. The limitation was consistency: quieter children did not always receive interactions that made enough of the learning opportunity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outside, the current premises have both softer and harder surfaces, plus an adventure climbing frame. That gives outdoor play a physical purpose as well as a change of setting. In June 2025, children used the garden for movement and imaginative play, including dinosaurs in mud; older children negotiated which game to play together.

The surroundings matter too. St Thomas the Martyr church adjoins the nursery, and the outlook includes a churchyard with trees and shrubs. During June 2025, trips to nearby shops introduced children to different vegetables and fruit, connecting conversations about health with things they could see locally.

The Summer Fun Day with MacMillan Coffee Morning and Christmas play give families opportunities to participate beyond daily care.

Relationships and Communication

Settling has its own timetable. Sessions take place during the week before a child starts, beginning with an hour when a parent stays. Subsequent sessions include play, food and sleep so that unfamiliar routines become familiar gradually. For the first full week, a shorter day from 9.30am to 3.30pm is advised. This is settling guidance, rather than a separate attendance package.

Breastfeeding families can arrange a comfortable place during the initial session and plan how continued feeding will fit into the nursery day.

Communication continues through daily records of activities, sleep and toileting, alongside conversations with staff. Parents receive a photographic or longer observation each month, and developmental updates three times a year. Contributions about learning at home also go into the child's folder, giving staff another perspective when planning experiences.

Monthly committee meetings let parents participate in policy and planning, apart from confidential business. Parents can also arrange formal discussions with staff about their child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that work with families and professionals helped children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language make good progress, with professional advice informing individual planning.

In June 2025, staff helped children work through disagreements and identify emotions. Older children served their own lunch, giving them practice in independence before school. These everyday responsibilities make preparation for school broader than learning words or numbers.

Nursery Kitchen supplies the food, with puréed vegetables and fruit offered for babies who are weaning. The nursery's dietary arrangements cover allergy requirements and vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian diets; allergy-affected families should confirm the current arrangements for their child.

Third-party collection requires parental consent. Parents can notify staff of unexpected changes and use a chosen password to arrange collection.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.15am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The regular full-day pattern runs from two to five days each week, and permanent attendance uses the same weekdays rather than alternating from one week to the next. This suits a predictable working pattern; families with changing rotas need to weigh that fixed arrangement carefully.

Term-time fully funded attendance has two specified patterns: 15 hours across two days, from 8.15am to 3.45pm, or 30 hours across five days, from 9am to 3pm. These are different from the regular full-day arrangement and are subject to availability.

The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays, the Christmas-to-New-Year period and staff training. The next listed training closure is 29 October 2026. Christmas closure begins at 5.30pm on 23 December 2026, with reopening at 8.15am on 4 January 2027. Those dates matter when arranging work cover.

Getting There

The current address is 40 St Thomas Street, Oxford OX1 1JP. Car parking is limited, while folded pushchairs can be kept in a shed beside the front door.

The relocation target is summer 2027, following a delay to the earlier plans. The proposed new home is 11 Kings Meadow on Osney Island; the plans describe using surrounding parks for outdoor learning because there is no attached outdoor space. That future arrangement should be considered separately from the garden at the current premises.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered for eligible children from nine months through the three- and four-year-old age groups. The term-time fully funded patterns carry no additional costs: meals are covered within that arrangement, while parents supply nappies and formula. Eligibility and the hours used determine the balance of funded and privately paid attendance, with invoices separating the two.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. A non-refundable registration charge applies when joining the waiting list. Places are allocated by registration order, with priority for families already using the nursery; changing the requested start date puts the application at the bottom of the list for that new date.

The application terms require two months' written notice to end a place or reduce attendance. Regular places are paid for across the year, including holidays and absences, so the financial commitment extends beyond days actually attended.

• The planned move. Summer 2027 is the current relocation target, and the proposed premises have no attached outdoor space. At a visit, discuss how journeys to parks and the change of address would fit your child's routine.
• Quieter children's conversations. In June 2025, interactions did not consistently draw quieter children into learning. Ask how staff now adapt conversations for children who are reluctant to speak.
• Fixed attendance and notice. Permanent days stay the same each week, and ending or reducing a place requires two months' written notice. These terms need to fit both your work pattern and likely changes to it.
• Registration before a visit. Visits are arranged by appointment for families who have registered, subject to scheduling availability. The registration charge is non-refundable and joining the waiting list does not guarantee a place, so establish the sequence before paying.

St Thomas's suits families who want a say in nursery life alongside care for their child. Parent committee involvement, gradual settling and regular developmental updates give that claim substance. Its attendance options serve both families booking regular full days and those seeking term-time funded days.

The June 2025 Good judgement comes with an improvement priority around quieter children's interactions. Families planning a longer placement should weigh the proposed move alongside the current rooms.