Ladybirds Nursery

Birch Centre Hill End Lane, St Albans AL4 0RA
Review Us
9.8 106 Reviews
  • Ladybirds Nursery, St Albans
Ladybirds Nursery welcomes babies and children from 3 months to 5 years of age to tranquil surroundings in a parkland setting. It opened in 2003 and is owned and managed by two experienced early years teachers who lead a loyal staff team.

Parents can be confident their child enjoys a broad and balanced curriculum, with both indoor and outdoor play contributing to early development. Staff aim to promote an eagerness to learn, while supporting independent thinking and self confidence.

The aim is to lay the foundations for full-time education by cherishing the importance of the early years.

Please contact the team for their Babybird brochure.
Show Ladybirds Nursery on the Map

Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Michelle Gee (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 20

Total Places for Children

  • 61

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Please contact us for a copy of our current fees or for any information on funding.
    We offer a discount % for full time places.

Opening Times

  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays

Ladybirds Nursery Reviews (106)

9.8

Ladybirds Nursery has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.814) out of 10, based on 11 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Ladybirds Nursery has 106 reviews.

Overall Experience
  • 104
  • 2
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
Date Published
  • 106
  • 4
  • 5
  • 11
  • 95
Reviewer Connection to Ladybirds Nursery
  • 81
  • 23
  • 2
Total of 106, showing 101-106
Review from Adam W (Father of Child) published on 9 September 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I would have no hesitations in recommending Ladybirds Nursery. Our daughter started at the nursery when she was eighteen months old and has thoroughly enjoyed her time there. The standards of teaching and levels of care for children are both very high and children are encouraged to develop through both
learning and playing. It is also in a fantastic location, meaning that when weather permits, children can make full use of the park and surrounding area.


Our daughter has left Ladybirds with a good grasp of literacy and numeracy and has also made some good friends during her time at the nursery, so we have been very happy overall.

  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Katie D (Mother of Child) published on 6 September 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
2 of my children have been lucky enough to attend Ladybirds Nursery (from 18 months to 4 years old). The staff here are extremely caring and nurturing and really get to know the children well. My boys really were so happy here which made leaving them so much easier. There are a great variety of activities
available to the children - they did games and craft activities that I would never have dreamt up! The surroundings are fabulous and the children are able to explore Highfield Park every day. The Pre-school was incredible, it gave them a solid foundation on which to start school and they learnt so much without even realising it! They ignited a love of learning in the boys which they will be able to carry with them throughout their school life. Ladybirds is very nurturing and has a very warm feel to it- the children all look very happy and engaged and it is lovely to see the older children helping the younger ones if needed. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ladybirds Nursery and will just keep my fingers crossed that my youngest will be able to be part of this special nursery in the future.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Paola B (Mother of Child) published on 11 August 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My two sons have been at Ladybirds for over two years and they have both had fantastic experiences there. The staff are simply incredible, they are very caring but also firm when it comes to acceptable behavior, my sons respect them and my youngest son's behaviour has improved a lot during his time
at Ladybirds. The pre-school teaching is exceptional, the teachers make learning fun and I am continually surprised at just how much my son has learnt during his pre-school year. I feel that Ladybirds have laid very good foundations for my son starting school in September.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Caroline R (Mother of Child) published on 27 July 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Ladybirds is a lovely nursery, all the staff are so patient and friendly, the children are relaxed and happy. They have excellent facilities in a park surrounding, which the children get to enjoy every day. My son really enjoyed going to Ladybirds nursery, it has helped him become a confident, sociable
little boy, I cannot thank all the team at Ladybirds enough for giving my son the best start possible.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Jessica K (Mother of Child) published on 23 July 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son will be leaving pre school at Ladybirds this month and we will be sad to say goodbye to such a lovely nursery and lovely staff. I think how they teach and develop the children will stand them in good stead for big school and I would highly recommend sending your child to Ladybirds. They have
provided fantastic care, support and attention to my son since he started in Fun Focus and I thank them for this. My son has been very happy and content there and has loved being part of the Ladybirds community.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Angela A (Mother of Child) published on 23 July 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Ladybirds is a wonderful nursery, set within beautiful grounds which play a daily part in activities come rain, snow or shine. Both my children attended fun focus sessions over the last 3 years and loved every minute. The staff are focussed on each child as an individual, with differing needs and I
felt they were very experienced overcoming confidence issues (too much in one child and not enough in the other) amongst the other usual steppingstones. The environment is bright, fun, clean and centred on children's creativity, has modern toys and computers as well as a lovely newly refurbished garden. My children were made to feel secure, were given structure which they thrived on and were given the opportunities to learn to be more independent. The messy play was super messy but so much fun and you can tell when you talked to the staff at the end of the day that they had as much fun as the kids did. Big thank you to everyone that made our time so special at such an important time in a child's development - first time in a class environment without mummy or daddy. We are truly very sad to be leaving the nursery this year but will definitely return on the occasion to say hello.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.814)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.814) out of 10 for Ladybirds Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 11 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.9 out of 5 from 11 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.912 for Ladybirds Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (117 Excellents x 5) + (5 Goods x 4) + (3 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 125 Ratings = 4.912
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.902 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Ladybirds Nursery is based on 11 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 61 number of registered child places is 12.2. 11 Positive Reviews ÷ 12.2 = 0.902
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

Loading

Loading Loading

Loading

Loading

Awards / Recognitions (13)

Meet the Team (2)

No image found

Michelle Gee

Job Title: Manager Joined: 2008

I have worked at Ladybirds Nursery since I gained my qualification Diploma in Childcare and Education in 2008. I have been fortunate to grow both personally and professionally from then, as whilst working at the nursery I gained my Level 5 qualification in Leadership and Management. Starting as a nursery practitioner, I have taken on roles such as care supervisor, mentor, room leader and finally Manager. During this time I have worked across all the different ages from 3 months to rising 5's. This has given me a broad knowledge of children's ages and stages of development and I have a passion for helping children meet their true potential in a caring and nurturing educational setting. Seeing them grow throughout their time with us is amazing and the relationships built with them and their families is very special indeed.


Outside of nursery life I enjoy taking time to connect with family and friends, being outside and curling up with a good book.

No image found

Abbie Speed

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 2020

HI! My name is Abbie, and I am the Deputy Manager at Ladybirds Day Nursery.


Ever since Primary school, thanks to my mum working from home as a Childminder, I knew that I wanted to work with and understand the learning and development of children. This sparked my desire to study Psychology and Child Development at university. After achieving a First class degree, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel and au-pair in Australia and complete an internship teaching English to primary school children in Barcelona before joining the fantastic team at Ladybirds Nursery. I first joined Ladybirds as nursery practitioner before becoming the room leader of Doves (our Baby room) and was later appointed as the Deputy Manager.


One of the many reasons why I love working with children, is being able to be part of and aid their development and growth. Working in the baby room, I am privileged to watch the children's growth and development throughout their nursery journey; watch as they achieve milestones such as walking and learning to talk and their individual personalities and imaginations grow. I also enjoy building strong rapports with the children's respective guardians and carers and learning about their family's cultures, traditions, and celebrations and learning phrases and words of the languages that they may speak.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Ladybirds Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Ladybirds Nursery has an Enhanced Service - more info.