Be Me Day Nursery Orient Close
Outstanding★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in St Albans for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2010, with 48 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 Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
AL1 1JDWhat 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, 5 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come into the nursery setting excited and eager to learn. As children arrive, they are warmly welcomed by staff with huge smiles and an abundance of enthusiasm. A highly effective key-person system ensures that children and families form exceptionally strong bonds with staff.
Children are extremely independent, and this is seamlessly threaded throughout the nursery. As a result, all children become highly self-reliant and learn the skills required for their next stage of learning. For example, younger children go and access a mirror to look at their faces without prompt and then begin to clean their own face independently.
Children are eager to recite stories and do so with intonation and animation. From babies through to pre-school, all children show a deep love of stories, songs, and rhymes. Staff support early language development with the use of Makaton. For example, babies copy signs to 'Old MacDonald' as adults sing. Staff encourage children to develop their interest in stories. The staff skilfully plan activities to support children as they learn about the characters. For example, pre-school children are learning about 'The Wizard of Oz.' They go on a walk to collect materials that they think could build a scarecrow. Children delight as they discuss what they have collected and suggest ways in which they can construct their scarecrow.
- 5 January 2023Outstanding
- 2 June 2017Outstanding
- 20 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Be Me Day Nursery Orient Close
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.