Cowdown Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Andover for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2024. Open since 1996, with 41 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 Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire 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
SP11 6LEWhat 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, 12 March 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
There is a real sense of family at this nursery. The ethos for children to develop a sense of self-worth and self-confidence is seen across the setting, as children enter the nursery happily and settle quickly. They confidently talk to visitors and happily share their experiences. Children benefit from time with their younger and older peers as all the children come together each day to play. This boosts children's confidence when they come to move rooms and it also helps staff get to know each child equally well. Staff are kind, reassuring and caring. Children in the baby room approach their carers for cuddles, and interactions are warm and attentive.
Overall, staff support children's language and communication well. Staff across the nursery get down to the children's level to play and interact with them. Baby-room staff sing songs, read stories and introduce new words when they play a 'what's in the box' game. Older children develop confidence to talk in a group as they bring items for 'show and tell'. They use descriptive language, such as saying 'cuddly and a bit rough' when one member of staff asks what the toy dinosaur feels like. Staff excitedly point out the deer who come to rest in the grounds outside the nursery window and talk to the children about the food they eat and other animals who come to visit.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the support in place for children who are learning English as an additional language so that practice is consistent across the nursery in developing children's communication and language skills n focus more sharply on the provision for outdoor play, to increase opportunities for children to have daily fresh air and physical exercise.
- 12 March 2024Good
- 10 April 2018Good
- 25 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Cowdown Day Nursery
- 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.