Mortimer Hall
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Oxford for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2024. Open since 2015, with 26 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 Oxfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Oxfordshire 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
OX3 0PHWhat 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 July 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff warmly greet parents and children as they enter the pre-school. The strong key-person system and well-thought-out curriculum supports children's emotional well-being. Children seek comfort and cuddles from their key person when needed, showing they feel safe and secure. Older children, in particular, display confidence by actively involving visitors in their play and cheerfully shouting 'hello' as people enter the room. This amazing confidence will benefit them in their future learning.
Staff consistently promote and support children's communication and language skills. For instance, they stay close as children happily chat back and forth while building with bricks, expertly interweaving new words such as 'big' and 'wobbly'.
Children listen intently and enjoy repeating the new words they learn. They have a good vocabulary and animatedly use it to share their ideas with others.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide staff with precisely focused professional development to support the continual extension of their knowledge and understanding of next steps in learning n strengthen communication with parents to help them to know their children's next steps in development, to enable consistency and continuity in their learning.
- 12 July 2024Good
- 30 October 2018Good
- 19 February 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Mortimer Hall
- 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.