The Joint Colleges Nursery (Cambridge) Limited
Good★ 4.7 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Cambridge for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 1992, with 57 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB2 7EBWhat 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.
- 4 November 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 29 November 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 17 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are confident, well settled and enjoy attending the nursery. Staff take time to get to know children and their families from the start, so they understand children's experiences and needs. They know that children need to feel safe and secure to be ready to learn. Children build strong bonds with staff, who treat them with respect and dignity. They thrive in the positive and open environment that leaders create.
Leaders are ambitious to help all children build secure foundations, so that they can make the most of their future education. Staff plan to implement the curriculum effectively, using what they know about children's interests and individual stage of development. Children are motivated to join in and show curiosity in the world around them. Staff introduce vocabulary and early mathematical concepts. They challenge children to broaden their thinking and understanding. Young children count the dinosaur eggs they make in the sand pit.
They decide how many to make and begin to understand how many more they need to make to achieve their goal.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus the continuous professional development of staff to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.
- 17 November 2023Good
- 25 May 2023Inadequate
- 7 September 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Joint Colleges Nursery (Cambridge) Limited
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.