Acorn Child Care UK
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Northampton for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 8am to 6pm. £30.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2022. Open since 1992, with 120 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £30.00School Day £34.00 £56.00School hours (Single day) £62.00Single whole day | £8.50Morning Per £15.00Afternoon Per £26.00Half Day £42.00Single half-day | £15.00 | £75.00Afternoons (Weekly) £100.00Full time £130.00Half Day (Weekly) £150.00School Day (Weekly) £170.00Full Day (Weekly) £210.00Half-days (Weekly) £280.00School hours (Weekly) £310.00Full time (Weekly) |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.00 a half day Consumablesincludes Sun cream, Sudacrem cream, spare nappies for when
- £4.00 a half day Foodincludes Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack
- £8.00 a half day Food and Consumables
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 hours per week (term time only) early learning for 2-year-olds or 3–4-year-olds (universal); 15 hours per week (term time only) additional (extended) hours for 3–4-year-olds; 30 hours per week (term time only) for 9 months to 2 years olds of working families.
Worth knowing. Food and consumables charge applies to funded hours: £24 for 15 hours term time, £48 for 30 hours term time. Additional sessions purchased are chargeable using current fees and charges.
What childcare usually costs in West Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Northamptonshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
NN3 2NSWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 10 August 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
When children arrive at this busy nursery, they receive a warm cheery welcome from the staff. Children develop a sense of belonging and have secure attachments to their key people. All children, including babies, separate easily from their parents. Babies easily transfer to the arms of staff in the Sunflowers room. In the
Bluebells room, two-year-olds greet staff, exclaiming, 'We've missed you,' and in the Evergreen room, three- and four-year-olds are keen to explore outside in the forest school.
Children enjoy being active and have a range of opportunities which allow them to move themselves and their toys around. For example, babies climb up low steps and roll balls to one another, and four-year-olds race each other in a running game and enjoy learning to walk backwards. Children are positive towards learning and show a can-do attitude. They confidently solve problems, working hard to balance on a rope ladder and navigate how to get back down once they have reached the top. Babies enjoy stacking blocks and they are learning to share with each other.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to continue to build on their knowledge and awareness of how to interact with all children, including babies, to ensure they consistently extend their communication and language skills further n strengthen staff's teaching practice, specifically around the management of busy activities.
- 10 August 2022Good
- 17 May 2016Outstanding
- 18 January 2010Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Acorn Child Care UK
- Meals
- Nappies
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £30.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.