Old Macdonald's Day Nursery is a group of childcare settings dedicated to providing a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment for children. The nursery prides itself on delivering an unrivalled experience that creates cherished memories for each child.
Their commitment to service excellence and care has been consistently recognised with multiple Ofsted Outstanding awards. The nursery group fosters a strong community spirit, not only among its clients and their children but also by collaborating with local producers and service providers.
This collaborative approach, combined with the dedication of their staff, who bring their unique personalities and heartfelt service to each location, contributes to a successful and welcoming atmosphere. Old Macdonald's aims to ensure children flourish and develop into confident, outgoing, and happy individuals, prepared for their future schooling and life journeys.
Through a varied curriculum and engaging activities, they strive to make each child's day fun and stimulating, offering a high level of care and support.
What it's like
Children are enthusiastic and excited to begin their day in this incredibly stimulating nursery. Staff are quick to extend activities for children to broaden their experiences. Children are happy and resilient, and are motivated to learn new things, ask questions and share their own ideas with each other. The skilled staff have the highest expectations of all children and rapidly identify those who may need additional support.
Charges are structured as daily rates for children aged 2 to 5 years, running from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. The nursery also offers five-hour non-funded early education blocks, short crèche sessions, and a holiday club for children up to 9 years. Standard daily rates include meals, which are otherwise charged separately.
Funding accepted
Good to know
Opening hours
08.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday (term-time only for nursery/pre-school); 10.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm (weekday crèche); 10.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm (Saturday crèche); 10.00am to 1.00pm (Sunday crèche during school holidays); 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday (Holiday Club during school holidays)
Age range
2 to 5 years (nursery/pre-school), 2 to 9 years (crèche/holiday club)
Term time / All Year
All Year
Session types
Full day, Crèche session, Holiday club
Last inspected 10 January 2023
What it's like to attend
Children are enthusiastic and excited to begin their day in this incredibly stimulating nursery. Staff are quick to extend activities for children to broaden their experiences. Children are happy and resilient, and are motivated to learn new things, ask questions and share their own ideas with each other. The skilled staff have the highest expectations of all children and rapidly identify those who may need additional support.
Inspector highlights
Inclusion & environment
The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and deputy SENCo ensure that staff receive robust and tailored training on how best to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, all children make the best progress possible. Children with speech and language difficulties are quickly identified. Staff work exceptionally well with parents to ensure that children make rapid progress at home as well as at the nursery.
Children have a breadth of opportunities to explore in the outdoor environment. In the garden, younger children splash in muddy puddles and collect mud in different pots and pans. Babies go to the farm to collect leaves and look at the animals.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have found Old MacDonald’s Bovingdon. Moving to the area over a year ago, we left behind a beloved nursery, so we were naturally cautious in our search. The nursery’s positive reviews and impressive outdoor space drew us in, and now we completely understand why they hold an Ofsted outstanding rating. When we joined, our son started in the baby room at 10 months old, and our daughter joined the preschool room at three years old. She has since moved on to primary school, but we couldn’t be happier with both our children’s experiences. The staff make genuine efforts to know each child individually, building such wonderful connections. My children come home talking about them by name, and our son’s fifth word was the name of the manager of the baby room, whom he adores! The environment is warm and welcoming, with engaging activities like themed weeks, visits to the on-site farm, and events like a nativity, graduation, and Christmas party. Everyone here truly makes time to connect with the children, even staff who could choose to remain behind the scenes, such as management and the chef—they make an effort to be involved. The food is always fresh, and the children even help grow vegetables in the allotment that make their way to the kitchen. Small touches, like mixing rooms in the evening so siblings can play together, make a big difference. Although there are closer nursery options, the one-hour round trip for nursery and school collection is absolutely worthwhile. I wouldn’t dream of moving my son, as the warmth, dedication, and enriching environment at Old MacDonald’s make every extra minute worth it. Thank you to the wonderful team at Old MacDonald’s Bovingdon for all you do!
Read on Google
Reviews from Google for Old Macdonald's Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Date: July 2007
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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more
