Ark Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Nottingham for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2022. Open since 1982, with 94 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Funded places are available (up to 15 or 30 hours) for children age of 2,3 and 4.
Worth knowing. All funded entitlement is available between the hours of 7.30am and 6.00pm, but no more than 10 hours can be taken on any given day. Any additional hours required can be provided at an extra cost.
What childcare usually costs in Nottingham
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Nottingham 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
NG3 4LDWhat 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, 26 January 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Older children enjoy drawing pictures. They understand that marks have meaning and show visitors the spider that they have drawn. Younger children are keen to show visitors how they can balance on a wooden plank, which has been set up to encourage their physical development. Staff regularly praise children for their achievements, which creates a positive learning environment where children are keen to have a go at a variety of activities. The nursery rooms look inviting and interesting. Children join in with tidy-up time, so that the areas remain safe to play in. Children say that they enjoy drawing and playing with their friends at nursery.
They show they are independent as they lead their own play with their friends and give each other 'high fives'.
Staff know children's interests and they provide learning opportunities taking these into account. Children are confident communicators because staff focus on communication and language across the nursery. Staff use simple single words, such as 'crash', with babies, and older children learn the meaning behind the word
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- extend support for parents, so that they are equipped to promote their children's individual learning at home n support staff to engage quieter children in group sessions.
- 26 January 2022Good
- 27 January 2020Inadequate
- 19 February 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ark Day Nursery
- 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.