Can anyone recommend a good nursery in OXFORD please?

[skidaddle]

We're moving to Oxford in January 2009 and are looking for a nursery for DD who will be 3 and DS who will be 1. Does anyone have any reccommendations? We have looked at Pippins in Headington which looks nice but wanted to see some more before deciding.

Thank you

bump..

Do you know where you'll be living/working? I know a few friends who are very pleased with theirs but they are all on the outskirts/in villages.

Are you anything to do with either Uni? They have some good (though very oversubscribed) schemes.

My friend lives in oxford. I'll ask her and get back to you.

ok she recommends little troopers on stanley road if that means anything.

catz - I will be at Oxford university but the university nursery has a waiting list of 232 (most of whom are as yet unborn)!! Plus I can't go on the waiting list until I am officially on the payroll which isn't much good

nappyaddict - thank you very much - means nothing to me yet but I will go and google it - thank you

any more suggestions gratefully received

here is their website.

oh no good only from 18 months.

DS has just finished at a Kids Unlimited nursery - I think they have one or two in Oxford. However, imo a nursery is only as good as its staff, regardless of who the overall company is, so you'd need to be sure you 'clicked' with them. Oh yes, and (doing a sterling selling job here) their head office is a bit disorganised and not great. But both DS and DD have been extremely happy at theirs, and the staff were fab (not actually in Oxford, but in Oxon).

Lol was just about to post saying my friend says whatever you do avoid kids unlimited.

Well, as I say, depends on the staff. I don't know anything about the Oxford one (ones?). But ours was great. Just the head office wasn't.

jackieno and nappyaddict - kidsunlimited is who runs the university nursery so they are the ones with the waiting list of 232

tarka - that's interesting about stepping stones - we went to view a house and the people there sent their son to stepping stones and they said the same

the julia durbin one looks great - will contact them and see if there are any places. I remember being a bit put off by the Oxford nursery because all the pics on the website were just different angles of a playground! however, that is a ridiculous reason to discount them so on your recommendation i will contact them too!

On the Ox Uni nurseries - if you have a newborn the Uni list is certainly daunting. You move up more quickly with older children (people leave Oxford and there are more places for older children plus less competition) but you're still very unlikely to get a place for Jan (esp for the 1 yr old) unless you can get a priority place. Colleges and departments that have contributed to building the Uni's nurseries can nominate a member of staff for a priority place. A bit of a long shot but worth asking as it makes a huge difference to the cost. we are quite pleased with the Kidsunlimited Uni only one. I have heard more mixed reviews of their places on the Science Parks (it's huge) and in Waterways - as others have said, it seems to depend very much on the individual staff.

I've heard very good things from people who use Willow Cottage in Farmoor if you are on the West side of Oxford.

oh and I should clarify that there is one kidsunlimited nursery that is dedicated to Oxford Uni and a couple of others (science parks and Waterways - possibly others too) that are open to everyone

oh I didn't know one was just for the uni catz, that's good to know - how does it make a huge diffrence to the cost btw? Is it to do with the childacare tax vouchers? Or is it somethin else?

that willow cottage one looks fantastic as well - will give them a ring, thank you!

Hi Skidaddle

Glad you like the look of it. I think I would have gone for WIllow Cottage if we'd not got a Uni place - have heard good things about it. It is out of the centre though so depends where you live.

The Uni places make a huge difference because they are (1) subsidised and (2) you can salary sacrifice if you have a Uni nursery place (but not for other nurseries I think). So say the standard Kidsunlimited full time place is about £950, the Uni place will be about £600 and that comes out of your gross income so you're not paying tax or NI on the money. That effectively means less than half price depending on your tax band. There are Uni places at some other nurseries e.g. Turbo Teds by the station. What one of my friends did was to take a private place at Turbo Teds but stay on the waiting list for a Uni place there. Within a few months she got a uni place and so could transfer to the cheaper place without affecting the child at all.

Hope all goes well with the search. You're welcome to CAT me if it'd be helpful.

thanks catz, I think Pippins nursery also offers the tax vouncher scheme but of course is not subsidized.

Do you work at the uni if you don't mind me asking? Do you have any recommendations about good (relatively cheap) places to live? We have looked at Botley, Headington and Cowley so-far and really liked St. Clements but it was a bit pricey. I wouldn't mind living outside of Oxford but my DH isn't keen as he might have to commute to London.

Hi Skidaddle - erm yes I do.

When you say 'might have to commute to London' do you mean every day or once in a while? You can also commute from Biscester and Didcot by train. Neither are particularly exciting but there are nice villages nearby. If you're in Oxford there's the bus (Oxford Tube or the other one) or train so the choice/how important it is might decide things. Personally I'd go for West Oxford and go by train if commuting was every day and at rush hour.

Are you buying or renting? Long term or short? I guess schools will be a factor too (unless you're thinking of going private).

One thing to consider is that driving and parking in Oxford in rush hour is insane. You're more likely to walk/cycle/bus unless you have a Collge/Dept with a huge carpark and flexible hours.

On the vouchers. I think the Uni gives tax vouchers for any nursery etc but it's only the first £250ish whereas if you have a Uni place it applies to the whole (already subsidised) cost. That is why the waiting list is 232 long!

Do feel free to CAT me if you'd rather not give out personal info/would like to talk further.

Round St Clements would be a good place to live if your DH needs to commute to London regularly - the buses to London stop there. They stop in Headington too.

My ds went to the Kidsunlimited in Cowley (from the age of about 2 and a half) and it was fine. Have you considered using a childminder or is just nurseries you're interested in?

oh I see catz - well I think I will put my DCs as number 233 and 234 on that list straight away then! that must make a huge difference

thanks for the info re commuting as well - DH doesn;t have a job yet and he thinks it is likely he will end up working in London so I suppose that would be most days if not everyday. We both cycle and have no intention of getting involved in rush hour car madness!

Re houses we can;t afford to buy so will be renting (can;t really afford to rent either but we have to live somewhere!). Two years minimum and then not sure what will happen. Yes schools will also be a factor - any suggestions also gratefully received.

hewlettsdaughter yes I have thought about childminders but of course I don't know of any as we don't live there. Although from what I have read they are even more expensive than nurseries (and DD will have a govn place because she will be 3 by the time we move)

I will try to CAT you but have never had any luck in the past - don;t know why not. Thanks so much for all your help - it really does make such a difference

skidaddle - childminders near where I live are not more expensive than nurseries - it may depend where in Oxford you end up.

Have you found the Oxfordshire Children's Information Service yet? it will give you lists of local nurseries, childminders etc.

direct link to page to search for childcare

oh thank you HD - that is fantastic - no, I didn't know about the OCIS before. Will get searching right now...

We live in Headington, my DH commutes daily to London by train from Didcot, which is quickest and easiest for him; I work for the university, but in Headington. Bear in mind about their nursery that its opening hours tend to be short, which may or may not be an issue for you. Our DS is in a private nursery, ABC, which he and we love(and we both do salary sacrifice to pay for it ie comes off before NI and tax, works out no more expensive than Uni nursery, but does longer hours). I have friends with children at Pippins and Julia Durbin (both in Headington), and they are happy. Sandfield nursery at the John Radcliffe hospital is also popular. Getting a baby space is nearly impossible, but as your younger is 1, you should avoid that?
In addition, some of the colleges have their own nurseries and places are open to other university staff (try St Anne's, Wolfson)
Agree that the OCIS is v helpful.
If renting, going just outside the ring road brings costs right down for minimal extra inconvenience, try Risinghurst (just beyond Headington) for solid 30s houses, lots of families and v good access to bus route to London (and loads of buses into city/ Headington).
Oxford is a lovely place to live with children, good luck.

skidaddle - where in oxford will you be living?