St Nicholas Nursery
Good★ 4.9 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Hemel Hempstead for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2022. Open since 1992, with 74 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
HP2 4JQWhat 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, 23 September 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children particularly thrive in the outdoor area and eagerly acquire and share their knowledge about the natural world. They hunt for bugs and woodland creatures in the garden. Staff encourage them to match pictures and identify creatures that they can see in the woodland. Children discuss the different creatures they find.
For example, they explain that a fox is 'red' or 'brown', and practise the noises they might make. Other children find a picture of a bee and correctly identify that bees make a 'buzz' sound. Children discuss different habitats and identify animals who live in other parts of the world, such as polar bears. They look at a globe and discuss where polar bears may live. They are developing skills to support them in their future learning, such as when they move to school.
Babies make good progress at nursery. They learn to walk on uneven ground in the garden, exploring the areas around them, and ride bicycles to support their core stability. Staff help babies to investigate as they work out that they can tap a light box to change the colours and make the lights flash. This helps the babies to learn how their actions can make things happen and engages their interest.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff further to sharply focus on their knowledge of what children know and can do, to help them adapt activities as needed to promote children's best possible progress.
- 23 September 2022Good
- 1 November 2016Good
- 10 May 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Nicholas Nursery
- 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.