Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

Shelford Day Nursery

Ofsted: Good
(Jun 2024)
·
5.0(11 parent reviews) ·3 High Green, Great Shelford, Cambridge, CB22 5EQ · Cambridgeshire
Number of places
64 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2024
Local authority
Cambridgeshire

About this day nursery

Shelford Day Nursery, Cambridge's inaugural STEM-focused early years setting, provides an enriching environment for up to 60 children aged two months to five years. The nursery integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics into its curriculum, aligning with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and promoting child-led exploration.

Emphasising curiosity and development, Shelford Day Nursery creates a welcoming space where every child's questions are celebrated, fostering an atmosphere for flourishing. The nursery boasts EYFS-guided, STEM-integrated learning, has received awards including the NMT Nursery Awards, and is part of the STEMtacular Childcare Group.

They employ specialist practitioners, offer beautiful indoor and outdoor learning areas, and maintain a key-person approach for individualised care. Additional features include nutritious daily meals catering to dietary needs, and purpose-designed rooms like 'Discoverers', 'Explorers', and 'Inventors', alongside two outdoor spaces and a sensory room.

Recognised with awards like the New Nursery of the Year at the National NMT Nursery Awards and a Green Flag with Merit (Eco-Schools Award 2025), Shelford Day Nursery is dedicated to sparking imagination and fuelling learning.

Our ethos

Shelford Day Nursery's pedagogical approach is STEM-focused, integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics into the curriculum in alignment with the EYFS framework. They champion a child-led exploration approach, emphasising curiosity and celebrating children's questions. The nursery aims to foster an environment where children can flourish, with a focus on sparking imagination and fuelling learning.

What it's like

The highly ambitious manager creates a curriculum that puts children at the heart of all they do. Each element of the setting has been carefully thought out to support children's learning and development. Children's personal, social and emotional development are key to it all.

STEM curriculumAward-winning nurseryKey-person approachNutritious mealsOutdoor learning

Pricing & funding

Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

Request pricing →

Key facts

Food

Fresh, nutritious meals and snacks prepared daily. Dietary needs and allergies are always accommodated.

Staff

Specialist practitioners with a passion for early years

Opening hours

Mon-Fri; 7:30am-6pm Open Year-Round

Age range

2 Months – 5 Years

Established

2022

Waitlist

Register your interest.

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Shelford Day Nursery

Last inspected 26 June 2024 · Lisa Smith

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

The highly ambitious manager creates a curriculum that puts children at the heart of all they do. Each element of the setting has been carefully thought out to support children's learning and development. Children's personal, social and emotional development are key to it all.

Inspector highlights

  • The highly ambitious manager creates a curriculum that puts children at the heart of all they do.
  • Staff take time to get to know children and embed a clear key-person system.
  • Staff create a calm environment for children to learn and develop in, leading to exemplary behaviour.
  • Staff promote children's communication and language skills well by singing songs, reading stories, and narrating activities.
  • The knowledgeable manager is passionate about her role and has a highly ambitious vision for the setting.

Areas to develop

  • 1support staff to further develop their interactions to implement the highly ambitious curriculum and engage and extend the most-able children's learning consistently.
Inspection #10344419 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents speak very highly of the setting and praise the experiences they have had.

Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities comment on the rapid speed in which concerns are raised and support plans put in place for their children.

Parents comment on the high levels of communication they receive from the setting. This makes them feel part of their child's nursery day.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities comment on the rapid speed in which concerns are raised and support plans put in place for their children.

Outdoor space

The report does not provide specific details about the outdoor space or how children use it, other than referring to observations being carried out indoors and outdoors.

Parent Reviews of Shelford Day Nursery

5.0
(11)
Victoria Anderson
3 months ago

The staff at Shelford Day Nursery are outstanding and know each child as an individual. The activities are so varied and imaginative and the children follow a theme each week with different STEM activities linked to the theme. It’s great getting photos of these activities and reading about what’s happened each week in a parental newsletter. Thanks to everyone who makes it such a positive experience for my boy. He settled in so quickly and now loves going everyday.

Read on Google
JB2000
a year ago

My son attended here for a year before going to school. He absolutely loved it, and even wanted to go on the weekends! The staff are all very genuine and so caring to the children. The environment is fantastic and theres always something new: education topics, trips out various creatures throughout the year. We’ve attended a few nurseries over time and this has been the best! We were very fortunate for our kid to be able to come here, as there’s such a shortage of childcare, and places as excellent as this one.

Read on Google
Victoria Houchin
3 years ago

Excellent nursery. Staff are so warm welcoming and caring. They go above and beyond to help support my daughter who has severe separation anxiety. I genuinely feel lucky that our daughter attends this nursery and could not recommend them highly enough.

Read on Google
E Cook
3 years ago

This is wonderful nursery, both our children love it and are genuinely excited about nursery days. The staff are kind and caring and have been brilliant dealing with their allergies and various medical issues, and have really supported us as parents. We get lots of updates about what the children have been up to - a great range of activities and lots of time spent in the fresh air!

Read on Google
Andrew Tonks
2 years ago

Brilliant nursery. Both my children love it and always come home happy. Brilliant curriculum and good plus a great setting for them to enjoy and learn.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Shelford Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

26 June 2024

Good

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

Frequently asked about Shelford Day Nursery

Nearby day nurseries in Cambridge

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Shelford Day Nursery.

Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.

Claim listing

Share this nursery

Send to a partner, friend or family member.

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