Apple Daycare Aboyne Lodge

A dedicated garden and purpose-built early years space give Apple Daycare Aboyne Lodge its character on the Aboyne Lodge Primary School site in St Albans. The nursery opened in April 2025 and has capacity for 60 children, with an accepted age range of 3 to 60 months.

No Ofsted inspection has been published for this setting yet. Its practical appeal centres on individual learning plans, mixed-age play and the option to add paid hours to funded childcare.

Indoor activities have a dedicated garden/play area alongside them, giving children space for outdoor play within the nursery's own setting. Children play in mixed-age groups, with activities adapted to their stage of development rather than a single task for everyone.

Daily activities cover communication, physical development, relationships, literacy and maths. Individual learning plans shape activities around each child's needs, including children preparing for school and those needing additional support. This makes the child's stage of development central to planning.

Baking also forms part of the offer, linking a practical activity with the nursery's food arrangements.

A manager also holds the SENCO role, giving families a specific point of contact for special educational needs. Individual learning plans include children with additional needs; the useful detail here is the planning mechanism, rather than a general promise about inclusion.

An in-house chef prepares fresh meals each day and undertakes baking activities with children. Food preparation and children's participation therefore sit within the same offer.

The address is Aboyne Lodge School, Etna Rd, St Albans AL3 5NL. Opening hours are 07:30 to 18:30, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures at weekends, on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

Full-day care and bespoke care plans are offered. Funded childcare includes funding from 9 months+, Working Families funding for children aged 2, 3 and 4, and 15 hours Universal Funding. Families can add private hours to their funded hours to fit their care needs.

The nursery shares the school site. Attending does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• A school-site nursery. The dedicated nursery space sits at Aboyne Lodge Primary School. Keep the childcare decision separate from the Reception application.
• Your child's care plan. Full-day care sits alongside bespoke arrangements. At a viewing, discuss how your preferred attendance pattern, funded hours and any meal or consumable charges would fit together.

Apple Daycare Aboyne Lodge suits families choosing full days or bespoke care plans, with funded childcare and additional private hours combined to fit their needs. Its dedicated garden, individual learning plans and on-site meal preparation give parents concrete features to weigh against their child's needs and their working week.