Partou Shepherds Lane Day Nursery & Pre-School
Outstanding★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Rickmansworth for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2023. Open since 2010, with 80 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
WD3 8JJWhat 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.
- 8 July 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 24 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff provide an extremely calm and interesting environment, where children's curiosity allows them to deeply engage in learning safely. Highly responsive staff nurture and meet children's individual needs. They respond to the non-verbal cues of babies and toddlers who wish to sing and dance. The secure routine helps babies and children to feel confident to learn. Toddlers roll up their sleeves, indicating they wish to do some painting. Older children are very well behaved.
They listen to staff and are very caring toward their friends.
Staff follow children's interests and expertly extend their learning. When manipulating dough, babies say, 'It is a pancake'. Staff use new words to extend children's vocabulary. They say words such as 'tap' and 'flat' to give meaning to the actions children make. Staff listen and value children's contributions. As a result, children practise and explore new words, developing the communication skills they need to be lifelong learners. Experienced staff gain children's attention using different, positive tones of voice. Children listen with anticipation, excitedly guessing what might be in the 'tap tap box'. Staff help them to take turns to speak and listen to their friends.
- 24 November 2023Outstanding
- 19 December 2022Needs improvement
- 1 March 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Partou Shepherds Lane Day Nursery & Pre-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.