Acre Wood Nursery School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Amersham for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2022. Open since 2012, with 61 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Buckinghamshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Buckinghamshire 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
HP6 6NUWhat 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, 20 July 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children play and learn in a stimulating environment. They spend periods of time focused while engaging in a combination of child-led and adult planned activities.
For example, older children thoroughly enjoy woodwork activities. They learn important life skills, including how to use tools safely, as they build their own creations using hammers, screwdrivers, and vices. Younger children become immersed as they develop their fine motor skills rolling and moulding playdough, making 'birthday cakes' using cotton buds as candles. Babies relish sensory activities and learn new vocabulary. For example, as they use their hands and forks to search for different sea creatures hidden in coloured, cooked tagliatelle.
Children form secure attachments with staff who are kind, caring and attentive to their needs. Babies' individual sleep and feeding routines at home are followed closely within the setting to help support their emotional well-being. Children understand the routines of the setting and follow instruction well. For example, older children know they need to clean their place at the table when they have finished eating. Children enjoy the additional activities set up to enhance their learning and enjoyment. For example, they clearly relish the football activity and proudly show off their stickers of achievement. They learn other languages through weekly French lessons. Children of all ages can access the dance studio where they can be active while learning to use real instruments such as a guitar and drum kit.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to focus enhancements to the provision of the curriculum outdoors for older children, so that they consistently benefit from rich learning opportunities n focus coaching and professional development to support staff to consistently extend children's learning and provide them with more opportunities to think critically and test things out for themselves n review the lunchtime transition period for older babies to ensure that they are purposefully engaged.
- 20 July 2022Good
- 15 August 2016Good
- 30 May 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Acre Wood Nursery School
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- 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.