Highfield Lane Nursery School
Outstanding★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in St. Albans for children from birth to 5, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in June 2024. Open since 2016, with 70 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
AL4 0GXWhat 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.
- 10 November 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 20 June 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this exceptional learning environment. They are excited to arrive and become deeply absorbed in the wonderful learning opportunities staff provide.
Energetic staff embrace children's interests and create inspirational learning opportunities that support their learning. For example, nursery children create their own air hockey table out of boxes, chalk and wooden blocks. Staff extend children's learning by encouraging them to create and update scoreboards. This enhances children's mathematical understanding.
Managers work hard to establish a highly effective key-person system. This means children form exceptionally close bonds with staff and flourish in their nurturing care. Babies beam with delight when they wake from naps and see their key person. Older children cuddle up to staff and explore books together in cosy reading dens. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from highly experienced and knowledgeable one-to-one support. This enables them to settle well and make excellent progress from their starting points.
- 20 June 2024Outstanding
- 20 September 2018Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Highfield Lane Nursery School
- 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.