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Original poster

KidsUnlimited in Addenbrookes - any reviews?

30 replies

LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 14:08

Ds should be starting nursery in September, but it's not looking good... We've been on the waiting lists for the university nursery and for joints colleges since I found out I was pregnant but have just heard that joints colleges won't have a place and it's not looking good for the university....

Called pat-a-cake and harvey road today and they practically laughed at me! What else is there in the south? (we live on cherry hinton road)) What's kidsunlimited like? I seem to remember someone here saying that it's not very good?

Thanks

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Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 14:23

Just called KidsUnlimited and they have a vacancy for September! No waiting list is a bit worrying, no?

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rubyrubyruby · 17/06/2010 14:25

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itsatiggerday · 17/06/2010 14:29

Sorry probably not what you want to hear, but certainly up until a year ago I heard pretty poor reviews of it, at least 2 people we knew took their children out as they were so unhappy. Have you tried Rainbow Day Nursery in Trumpington? They're quite small but lovely there so you might get lucky.

rubyrubyruby · 17/06/2010 14:32

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Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 14:33

Hi ruby, dh is very, very firmly against childminders.... He just told me he would prefer a nursery in the north part of town, with lots of time stuck in traffic to go across town, than a local childminder ...

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Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 14:33

Meant to ask - can you recommend a childminder?

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Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 14:37

Thanks! Doesn't look good, does it?...

Will look into Rainbow in Trumpington.

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rubyrubyruby · 17/06/2010 14:41

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hildathebuilder · 17/06/2010 14:42

Try Queen's college nursery - they are I think opening a new site in September and when I was looking for a place for DS certainly had some then. I know a mum whose children go there who strongly recommends it and if they do have spaces they don't limit it to the college staff. The same may be true of Caius nursery but I don't think they had a space when I asked

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 14:52

Just looked at Queens college nursery and it's only open 0800 to 1430 and only during school term times and half terms, so it wouldn't work for us. Thanks for the suggestion though!

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coolma · 17/06/2010 17:30

I looked at this earlier and didn't really think too much, but have just thought again and am quite appalled at how snooty someone must be to definitively decide all childminders in the cherry hinton area are not worth looking at!! Not a pop at you OP but your dh seriously must have some problems. Have you tried Opportunity Links to check out these appalling people?

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 19:58

Coolma, I think that's a bit harsh! Dh has nothing at all against childminders or think they are appalling. He simply favours nurseries as a form of childcare, as do so many other people. I personally also prefer nurseries, although I'm less strict in my convictions: if our only option is a nursery in the opposite side of town than maybe a childminder would be worth considering, but only as a last resort. Nothing wrong in having this opinion and surely not a personal attack on childminders!

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coolma · 17/06/2010 20:32

Sorry! Just the way it came across

cazzybabs · 17/06/2010 20:39

I can see why your dh would prefer a nursery...I am the same,,,,however have heard nothing but bad things about KU....persoanlly i wouldn't touch it with a barge pole!

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 17/06/2010 21:52

No problem coolma!

Thanks cazzy, I'm visiting KU on Monday, more out of curiosity now! I'm determined not to send ds there!

Maybe I can delay going back to work for a few weeks and my mother and mil can come over to look after ds until the university offer us a place. I'm hopeful they will eventually...

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cazzybabs · 17/06/2010 22:10

a friend of mine used to work there and said they would all be on their best behavior when prospective parents came round ... but it wasn't a true reflection of ratios etc when there was no vising.

I think you may be hard pressed t find somewhere for sept... but you never know.

harvry road also has a good reputation. We have used JCN and liked it and dd is now at baby unicorns which is fab but we had to wait q year and a bit for a place.

perestroika · 18/06/2010 03:14

tugamummy, thanks for sharing!

I'll be in the same situation next summer when I move to Cambridge and am very curious where you end up and how you like it.

Is KU at Wolfson Court also bad?

May I ask how long you've been on the waiting list at the University nurseries and JCN?

I also heard good things about Mrs Cameron Day Nursery...

Best of luck to you!

perestroika · 18/06/2010 03:39

tugamummy, thanks for sharing!

I'll be in the same situation next summer when I move to Cambridge (needing full time care for a toddler and a baby) and am very curious where you end up and how you like it.

May I ask how long you've been on the waiting list at the University nurseries and JCN? They seem to be scary long!

Is KU at Wolfson Court also bad? I also heard good things about Mrs Cameron Day Nursery...

Like you I'd rather end up at a nursery, but would greatly appreciate tips from other Mumsnetters on how to find a childminder. Is the Opportunity Links a comprehensive resource?

Best of luck to you!

coolma · 18/06/2010 07:35

As I always say - my dd has been at cambridge Day nursery on Milton road for the past year, it is so lovely and has pulled itself up froma really bad ofsted to having a waiting list. I would recommend it.

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 18/06/2010 09:34

Perestroika, we've been on the university and joints colleges waiting lists since last summer. The university however is now not based on how long you've been on the list for, it's a system of points. You get more points if both parents work full time in the university, if there's a sibling already there, etc.

Just looked at Mrs Cameron day nursery and again it's term time only which wouldn't suit us. Thanks for the suggestion anyway!

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Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 18/06/2010 09:38

Cazzycabs, I've contacted Harvey Road but their waiting list is so loing that they practically laughed at my enquiry of a place for September!

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umf · 18/06/2010 11:00

You could try Babraham nursery? It's outside Cam and about a 12 min drive from Cherry Hinton, but you're going the opposite way from the traffic in the mornings, so manageable. DS's friend has been there for 3 years, highly recommended. If they have spaces...

SummerLightning · 18/06/2010 11:08

My friend got a place at University nursery totally last minute when they had told her that she wouldn't be getting one, I think I have heard this happening to others as well.

She is on here so I will point her to this thread to see if she can offer advice as I know she investigated childminders around south Cambridge as well (without that much luck I think)

My son is at Patacakes so I can't really help.

JumpJockey · 18/06/2010 11:31

As SL mentioned - yes, the uni nursery points system isn't very helpful what with length of time on the waiting list not mattering. We were told about a place for dd late in September, when I was due to go back to work in Nov. Before that I'd last spoken to them in about August and had been 40th on the waiting list so it can happen, but you can't rely on it.

Like all the other nurseries, they move the children round in September when the oldest ones go off to school, so that's when the vacancies arise.

I have friends who sent all three of theirs to KU at Addenbrookes and loved it - their smallest is still there and have had no problems. But I can't guarantee that everyone would have the same experience.

CMs - there are loads in the Cherry Hinton area, but none who had vacancies on the two days I needed. Opportunity links does give big long lists of names, so definitely worth a go. You can also phone them and they'll post you lists of people within a certain radius of your home and work postcodes which I found a lot easier to work with.

Good luck! It was a pretty stressful time for me I'm afraid, the nursery waiting lists are so long that it's a case of being lucky with finding the vacancy that matches your needs at the right time. Just keep on phoning the ones whose lists you're on. The only CM I could find who had spaces on the days I needed was so far away that my journey home-CM-work would have been 5 miles each way (and by bike!) - so we were massively relieved when the uni nursery came up with a space.

Original poster
LaCerbiatta · 19/06/2010 08:15

Thanks everyone. We are hopeful about the uni nursery, it does seem to happen last minute for everyone.

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