The Barn Day Nursery
OutstandingBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in St. Ives for children from birth to 8+, open 08:15 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 2004, with 48 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 Cornwall
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cornwall 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
TR26 2BBWhat 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, 9 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have an exceptionally wonderful time at this nursery. The expert team of dedicated staff supports children to explore, create and learn. They give children time and space to solve problems in their activities while quickly providing support when needed. For example, older children are confident in finding and using sand timers to negotiate sharing toys with others. In similar situations, staff promptly guide younger children to reflect on how they can take turns and share.
Children enjoy a highly commendable learning experience in a happy and nurturing learning environment. Interactions between staff and children are of a very high quality, and children know that staff really value their opinions. They hold conversations with staff that enrich their vocabulary and learning. For example, while exploring the letter 'P' in their 'silly soup' phonics game, older children reflect that the 'pants' would taste 'very disgusting'.
Outdoors, children have access to many exciting activities, including a mathematics wall where children enjoy learning about 'quantity' and 'number'. They develop physical skills on slides and a climbing wall. Children relax as they listen to sounds and touch different textures in the well-designed sensory garden. Pre-school children lead a group game of 'hot lava', signalling with coloured cards when the ground is safe to stand on and when players need to find a raised platform to escape the imaginary 'hot lava'. Staff eagerly join in and add extra elements. For example, they support children to count how many places they can escape to.
- 9 March 2023Outstanding
- 24 July 2017Outstanding
- 9 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Barn Day 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.