Acorn Childcare Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Hartford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2004, with 65 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
9 month old, 2 year old and 3 year old funding, 30 hours funding and Tax-Free Childcare.
Worth knowing. Funding meals - £6.05 per session* *for meals provided during funded sessions, or there is an option to bring a packed lunch.
What childcare usually costs in Cheshire West and Chester
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cheshire West and Chester 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
CW8 1JJWhat 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.
- 3 April 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 14 April 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 27 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy in this safe nursery which celebrates what makes each child unique. Their own heritage is celebrated because staff work closely with parents to provide familiar and meaningful experiences for children. Babies develop close bonds with key staff who know them well. As a result, they are settled and calm in their time in nursery. Babies smile at the encouragement they receive from attentive staff as they learn to crawl, stand and take their first steps. Their physical development is further supported as they learn to drink from open cups and feed themselves independently from a young age.
The nursery is filled with the sounds of staff and children talking, singing and reading together. Children of all ages quickly develop a love of books. All of this supports their communication and language skills. Toddlers practise dancing in time to music, developing their balance, coordination and rhythm. In the extensive outdoor areas, children learn to take managed risks in their play as they climb and jump with confidence. Older children enjoy the familiar routines that will be expected of them at school. They show their ability to concentrate for longer periods, and persevere when faced with challenges.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen existing supervision arrangements to provide more precise evaluations of staff teaching practice.
- 27 June 2023Good
- 16 February 2023Inadequate
- 9 August 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Acorn Childcare Nursery
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Waiting list
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
- Is there a place for my child's age? 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.