Strawberry How Nursery School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Cockermouth for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 August 2023. Open since 2009, with 81 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 Cumberland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cumberland 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
CA13 9XRWhat 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, 8 August 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Managers and staff work together to provide children with an ambitious curriculum that helps to prepare them with the skills they need for later life. Staff create an environment where children feel happy and safe. They warmly welcome children and their parents on arrival. This helps children to settle easily in the company of their familiar carers. Children behave well. They build strong bonds with their key persons, who help them to develop a sense of right and wrong from the start.
Babies are supported well. They gaze lovingly into the eyes of staff as they are being fed. Staff are very responsive to children's emotional needs.
All children enjoy oodles of fresh air and exercise. Their physical needs are well met. Children enjoy outings in the local area and explore their environment. All children have the freedom to move in and out of their base rooms. Babies and toddlers have access to sheltered outdoor play areas where they enjoy sensory experiences, such as playing with the sand, water and modelling dough. Pre-school children actively learn through a well-designed curriculum that is effectively implemented by experienced and knowledgeable staff. In this age group, children are well prepared for their eventual move on to school.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support all staff to raise the quality of education and the implementation of the curriculum intent to a consistently high level.
- 8 August 2023Good
- 14 August 2019Outstanding
- 5 June 2013Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Strawberry How Nursery 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.