Flora House Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Darlington for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2022. Open since 2007, with 60 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 Darlington
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Darlington 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
DL3 8PAWhat 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, 8 April 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and confident in this welcoming and nurturing nursery. Staff greet children with big smiles and cheery 'good mornings'. Children who are upset when they leave their parents are comforted with cuddles and caring words. Staff take time to help children settle when they arrive. This promotes children's feelings of being safe and secure in the environment. Children enjoy being outdoors and show their pleasure at learning to take measured risks. Younger children are encouraged to climb onto the slide. They learn how to manoeuvre their bodies to the top of the slide. They smile with pride as they accomplish their goal. Children relish the praise which they receive from staff for their achievements.
Older children run around the garden excitedly chasing bubbles. They learn about the natural world as they shout 'the bubbles are escaping' as they blow high into the sky. Children show confidence in their physical skills as they jump up to catch the bubbles and bend down to reach the bubbles on the ground. Babies delight in practising their new walking skills. They look in amazement as they stand on their own, waving their arms and tentatively moving their legs forward. Staff encourage babies and tell them, 'You can do it' and 'You can walk.' This helps to develop children's motivation to have a go for themselves.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- extend children's communication skills even further by helping them to learn new vocabulary n help children to deepen their understanding of why they need to keep themselves healthy.
- 8 April 2022Good
- 25 October 2016Good
- 12 December 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Flora House 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.