Home from Home Day Nursery Academy Ltd
Outstanding★ 3.8 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in St. Albans for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:15, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2022, with 76 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
AL3 5QNWhat 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, 30 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in the well-organised nursery. They enthusiastically follow their interests while they explore and investigate the resources and environment. Using their skills and knowledge of how children learn, staff help to inspire and encourage children throughout the day. Staff use their acute knowledge of children's individual learning needs and preferences of where and how they learn best of all. This helps to focus their challenges and teaching to support children's rapid progress effectively. For example, staff encourage children to use chalks to create shapes on a large scale in the outside space. This supports young children's development in early writing and mathematics.
Children are exceptionally well supported to begin to recognise their feelings and emotions. Staff teach them strategies to help them regulate their reactions through structured activities such as yoga. Children recall the breathing techniques they have been taught when they feel their emotions building, helping them to regulate their bodies and feelings. Children spontaneously think about how they can resolve minor disputes themselves. For example, they find sand timers to facilitate sharing.
Staff remind children to explain to their peers why they have placed the timer near them, allowing children to articulate their desire to take turns and to share in a positive way. This contributes to the harmonious and industrious environment.
- 30 January 2025Outstanding Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Home from Home Day Nursery Academy Ltd
- 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.