Home from Home
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Northchurch for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 1996, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All funding options offered, 2-year-old 3 & 4-year-old & 30 hours.
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
HP4 3TQWhat 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, 27 October 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come into this warm and friendly nursery excited and eager to start their day. They quickly find their friends and begin to start their play. Children's behaviour is good. They understand what is expected of them in the setting, following rules and boundaries. Older children are kind and considerate towards younger children, sharing objects and including them in their play. They use manners when they communicate, and staff role model this well.
Children enjoy exploring the outdoor area. They take it in turns to ride bicycles and scooters. Children are keen to scoop mud into small plant pots and enjoy exploring pumpkins in a tray. Staff help to develop children's understanding of growth and change as they talk about how pumpkins grow. Babies are confident using paintbrushes to paint with water. They smile as they welcome praise from an adult.
Babies and children are settled and have strong attachments with the staff that care for them.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide sufficient time for children to be curious and express ideas at their own pace.
- 27 October 2022Good
- 31 January 2017Good
- 19 February 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Home from Home
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.