Chestnut@Chesterton
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Cambridge for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 2013, with 71 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 Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB4 1RWWhat 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.
- 14 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 16 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff create an engaging and calm learning environment. Staff's expectations of children's behaviour are high. The nursery is tidy and clean. Tissues and fresh water are readily available for children to access with ease. Staff encourage children to wash their hands regularly. This helps to promote good hygiene practices for later life. Children behave well according to their stage of development. In the pre-school room, children listen during group activities. They are curious and actively explore soil and pretend worms. Staff challenge children when mark making and praise them. Staff use mathematical vocabulary during play to extend their learning. Staff strengthen the learning linked to stories by focusing on one book a week. This helps develop children's imagination during play.
Staff encourage children to get messy and explore through their senses. Pre-school children excitedly use toothpaste and water to bath toy dinosaurs. They confidently talk to the inspector about what they are doing. The mud kitchens are exciting places to be. Children actively explore mud and flowing water. They play alongside each other nicely. Fresh flowers enhance the experience. Staff talk to children about what they are learning. This encourages children to use descriptive and imaginative vocabulary. One child opens a restaurant and describes the 'thick, oozy mud'. Staff ask questions that have many potential answers and listen to children's responses. This helps to develop children's thinking and speaking skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to provide even more interesting and engaging opportunities to extend children's concentration skills n support staff to develop interactions with children to fully engage quieter and less confident children.
- 16 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 7 November 2019Good
- 20 December 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Chestnut@Chesterton
- 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.