Little Nightingales

Nightingale Cottage, Barnet Road, London Colney, St Albans AL2 1BG
Review Us
8.9 51 Reviews
  • Little Nightingales, St Albans
Little Nightingales provides a warm, welcoming, 'home from home', caring environment where all children feel happy, secure and relaxed and can't wait to come in each day.

The nursery is lucky enough to be within walking distance of the River Colne, and Little Nightingales have great fun feeding the ducks at the same time as learning about, interacting with and experiencing nature.

Staff at Little Nightingales recognise, respect and enjoy the individual personalities of all children from the youngest to the eldest and believe in giving them space as well as a challenging environment to help them develop and grow.

Their aim is to help each child learn to be strong and confident within a secure and social setting.
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Funding & Fees

£75-£79 per day

Contact Little Nightingales to get a personalised quote.

Contact Little Nightingales to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Caroline Woods (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 15

Total Places for Children

  • 75

Age Range

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

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays

Parking

  • Please Park on the residential road next to the nursery and come to the front door facing the High Street.

Little Nightingales Reviews (51)

8.9

Little Nightingales has a Review Score of 8.9 (8.908) out of 10, based on 6 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Little Nightingales has 51 reviews.

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Reviewer Connection to Little Nightingales
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Review from Tatiana D (Mother of Child) published on 11 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been attending Little Nightingales Day Nursery since September 2020 and absolutely loves it. She is currently in the nest and loves the girls so much. The girls are so good with her and have her best interests in mind at all times. There are daily updates and photos on the app which
is really good. I literally cannot fault the nursery. My daughter will be transitioning to a different nursery in June and the manager has already been in touch about the process and answered all my questions. No question is ever too big for them and they are always happy to help and guide. We had always thought my daughter would attend a different nursery but on visiting Little Nightingales Day Nursery, we knew straight away it was perfect and a home from home. The food is home made, nutritious and my daughter always finishes all of her meals and snacks.
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Review from Chris S (Father of Child) published on 9 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Great nursery, our two year old loves it and has been there since he was nine months old. We visited a number in the area before deciding on Little Nightingales Day Nursery which was by far the best in my opinion. The staff really care about all the children from what I can see and we've never had any
issues.
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Review from Nicky A (Mother of Child) published on 9 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughters been at Little Nightingales Day Nursery for almost two years now and we’ll be so sad when she leaves to start big school. We really have nothing negative to say about it, the staff are lovely and just the greeting she gets every morning puts a huge smile on my face. She’s well looked after,
fed, stimulated and she’s definitely learned good habits and manners from the staff there. I’m extremely grateful to Little Nightingales Day Nursery for looking after and helping my precious little girl develop and enjoy her time and nursery and preschool. Highly recommend!
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Review from Sarah T (Mother of Child) published on 9 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My two little boys absolutely love Little Nightingales Day Nursery. My oldest has been there
for nearly four years and will be starting primary school soon. He is such a confident, happy little boy and has learnt so much since starting at the age of one! The preschool is amazing and they are preparing
him so well for his transition into primary school! My two year old is also enjoying every minute there with all the activities and day to day fun that gets planned for the children. A lovely home from home environment with the most amazing staff! Lots of happy memories there.
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Review from Hannah K (Mother of Child) published on 9 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son currently attends Little Nightingales Day Nursery and he has done for three years, he is now in the preschool and absolutely loves it. He has such a good bond with all the lovely staff members and is always so excited to go. We’re sad he will be leaving this summer to go to big school but thank
everyone at Little Nightingales Day Nursery for preparing him for the next stage of his life!
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Review from Elaine W (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff at Little Nightingales Day Nursery are wonderful, caring and take time in getting to know each child's likes and dislikes and provide a warm and loving space for each child. Would suggest Little Nightingales Day Nursery to anyone looking for a home away from home setting.
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Review from Laura K (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our little boy settled into Little Nightingales Day Nursery very quickly, making the decision to return to work much easier. All the staff are so friendly and it really does have a home from home feeling. The nursery setting provides lots of different activities for the children and we are constantly
updated via an app so we can see what our child is up to throughout the day.
We would highly recommend Little Nightingales Day Nursery to anyone looking to put trust in people to look after their child!
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Review from Imelda P (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Lovely nursery that provides a home from home setting. Nurturing staff, resources and an in house chef providing excellent nutritious meals for my child. Very pleased with the running of the nursery and my child is very happy there.
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Review from Danielle W (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter loves it there. The staff are all very friendly and they make her feel comfortable. She loves how they do lots of different activities and she thinks the garden is great. I like that they have a full, varied menu and the app they use to update us throughout the day is good. I like how they
celebrate lots of different cultures and give the children opportunities to try new things.
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Review from Kirsty M (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Little Nightingales Day Nursery is a wonderful nursery setting for my little boy. He has always been very happy and comfortable there and has developed so much. We feel like he is coming home saying something new every day and is always amazing us with his new skills.
We have always felt confident
leaving him and know that he is in the best hands!
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Review from Natalie H (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Brilliant nursery with such a family vibe. My daughter has made some great friends there already and I'm so pleased with her progress she's made since attending Little Nightingales Day Nursery. She started at the age of one and has loved it the whole way through. The nursery has been really accommodating
with the hours and days I've needed due to changes with work. Couldn't fault them at all.
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Review from Kay L (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son absolutely loves the nursery! He has adjusted so well into the woodpeckers class and that is down to all of the support from the amazing staff. I am in awe of all of the staff in how they have coped under the latest restrictions and so grateful they chose to remain open.
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Review from Emma L (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been at Little Nightingales Day Nursery since she was sixteen months old. She is now nearly three and has absolutely loved her time there. The staff are all so friendly, lovely and make the children feel at home. It really is like a home from home environment. We had no issues with settling
in and she adjusted so easily due to their warm nature. The food is always varied, healthy and they cook fresh on site. I always recommend this nursery to friends who are looking!
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Review from Rebecca R (Mother of Child) published on 7 April 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
When my daughter started here in February it was the first time she had attended any kind of nursery. I was apprehensive about it but all the staff made her feel so welcome. She absolutely loves it there and I’m so impressed with the topics they cover and the creative stuff she gets up to. Whenever
I drop her off or pick her up the staff are always friendly. I would highly recommend Little Nightingales Day Nursery to everyone.
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Review from Jordan B (Mother of Child) published on 1 August 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I could not ask for a better nursery for my little one. As soon as he gets out of the car his face lights up. He throws himself at the girls. He has fresh meals, he's shown new things constantly. The staff are amazing with him. He has progressed so much while being here already.
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Review from E H (Mother of Child) published on 12 June 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Little Nightingales is a really good nursery. The staff are lovely and you can tell they genuinely care about all the children. They vary the activities well and capture key moments for Tapestry that you as a parent can view. My son loves this nursery and I feel extremely comfortable with him being
there 5 days a week. He is stimulated, challenged (in a fun way) and has made lots of friends.
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Review from Lucinda L (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
This really is a home from home nursery and my two sons have really flourished through the care, play and learning at Little Nightingales. The staff work tirelessly to ensure all children are happy and looked after in a nurturing and caring environment. If your child has a specific routine or requirements
be that potty training, a comforter for nap time, specific sleep timetable, then the team will work with you to ensure your child's needs are met. In fact, when my first child was young, I would often seek the advice of the carers on how to approach different challenges (ie potty training), valuing their opinion and ideas. The activities are varied - my child is in pre-school where they take part in a different club (gardening/drama/book etc) every day which he really enjoys. The communication is clear with a monthly memo, Facebook posts and ad-hoc emails. Very happy we chose Little Nightingales and they have been part of our children's lives for the last 5 years.
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Review from Geraldine W (Mother of Child) published on 26 February 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son started at Little Nightingales four months ago and we have been so happy there. We were dreading leaving our first born (he had only ever been looked after by us and occasionally family) but the wonderful team that care for him have made it easy. He loves nursery and is looked after so well,
we are delighted. We have been particularly impressed with the baby room staff, varied activities, regular updates to parents and the food.
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Review from Louisa O (Mother of Child) published on 8 February 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A wonderful Nursery truly a home from home environment. The staff are excellent and very caring and both my children have done really well at the nursery and my eldest was really well prepared for when he made the transition to school.
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Review from Narelle E (Mother of Child) published on 8 February 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Very friendly welcoming staff, great home feel environment. A happy place for children to go. My son loves it there
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Current Review Score: 8.9 (8.908)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.9 (8.908) out of 10 for Little Nightingales is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 6 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.0 out of 5 from 6 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 4.958 for Little Nightingales is calculated as follows: ( (68 Excellents x 5) + (3 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 71 Ratings = 4.958
  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 3.95 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Little Nightingales is based on 6 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 20 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews, 0.05 Points for the next five Positive Reviews, and finally 0.025 Points for the next ten Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.050, 7th = 0.050, 8th = 0.050, 9th = 0.050, 10th = 0.050, 11th = 0.025, 12th = 0.025, 13th = 0.025, 14th = 0.025, 15th = 0.025, 16th = 0.025, 17th = 0.025, 18th = 0.025, 19th = 0.025, 20th = 0.025) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.05 = 3.55
    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 75 number of registered child places is 15. 6 Positive Reviews ÷ 15 = 0.4
  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.

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Awards / Recognitions (10)

Meet the Team (14)

Caroline

Caroline Woods

Job Title: Nursery Manager

I am one of six children and I have three children of my own and two Grandchildren. I have worked in childcare for over 30 years and have fostered children ranging from ages 0-16 years. I have also managed a Nursery for 15 years.

Sophie

Sophie

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Hi, I'm Sophie and I am the room leader for The Nest, the babies' room. I am Level 3 Qualified and have been working in childcare for the last four years. I am passionate about working with children and being a part of their learning and development.

Briony

Briony

Job Title: Third In Charge / Nursery Practitioner - The Woodpeckers Joined: 2022

Hello, my name is Briony. I am 29 years old and have been working in childcare for 10 years now. I am based in The Woodpecker room. I am eager to progress further by building my knowledge of SEND children & becoming SENCO. I have always enjoyed working with children and love to help them develop and grow.

Rebecca

Rebecca

Job Title: Practitioner - The Woodpeckers Joined: 2018

My name is Rebecca (Becca as everyone calls me). I've been working in childcare for just over two years now. Before working at Little Nightingales I went to college for three years where I gained my Level 2 & 3 in Childcare. I have always had an interest in child development and wanted to work with children. I am a very happy, kind and happy character and love getting involved in new activities which involves my creative side too.

Ella

Ella

Job Title: The Nest Room Leader Joined: 2020

Hello, I’m Ella. I have an NVQ Level 3 in childcare. have been with Little Nightingales since 2020. Before I joined the team, I was a beauty sales assistant but decided to change and follow a passion for working with young children. In my spare time, I like to socialise with my friends and go on holidays.

Carrie

Carrie

Job Title: Apprentice - The Nest Joined: 2022

With children of her own who attended Little Nightingales, Carrie has now started her Level 3 qualification whilst working in The Nest.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth

Job Title: Practitioner - The Woodpeckers Joined: 2022

Elizabeth joined in 2022 and is now a qualified level 3 practitioner in The Woodpecker room.

Hermiyone

Hermiyone

Job Title: Practitioner - All rooms Joined: 2020

I have an NVQ Level 2 Early Years Qualification. I’ve always had a passion for working with children and am really enjoying working alongside a great team of girls. I have been dancing for 11 years and teach street dance to a mixed age group of 3-13 years at the weekends and currently working towards an IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association for Ballet & Tap).

Dominique

Dominique

Job Title: Chef Joined: 2019

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. I gained my Level 3 Professional Chef Qualification in Cape Town in 2004. The following year I immigrated to the UK with my mother and brother. I love my job and am lucky enough to get paid for something I enjoy. I've worked in a variety of restaurants, hotels and other facilities, where my knowledge of nutrition and allergies has helped me in preparing well-balanced menus offering tasty as well as healthy meals. I have recently become a mother to a little boy who attends Little Nightingales, from this, I have extended my knowledge through Baby-Led Weaning and can apply this to preparing the home cooked meals at the Nursery.

Bernie

Bernie

Job Title: Kitchen Assistant and Support Staff Joined: 2010

Hi, my name is Bernie, I have been working at Little Nightingales for 10 Years now. I started off working in The Nest and am Level 2 Qualified. I am now supporting our chef whilst she is on maternity leave. My hobbies are socialising with friends and family and going to the beach.

Natalie

Natalie

Job Title: Nursery Administrator Joined: 2021

Hello, I'm Natalie the Nursery Administrator at Little Nightingales. I have come from a background of sales and worked within the local area as an Estate Agent for over 10 years. During this time, I became a wife and mother to two girls. As a family, we love the outdoors and you will see us within the local area splashing puddles and chasing the sun with our dog Owen or venturing to one of our favourite places, Whipsnade Zoo. With a Sicilian heritage, I have a love for cooking and good food (especially Italian!) and believe family is everything.

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Chloe

Job Title: Practitioner Joined: 2023

I am a mum of 2 a 10-year-old girl and a baby boy of 1 who both keep me on my toes. I have a passion for working with children and seeing them progress throughout their time with us.

Amber

Amber

Job Title: Nursery Practitioner - The Woodpeckers Joined: 2021

Hi, I’m Amber. I have just completed my level 3 in childcare at college while taking my placement here at Little Nightingales for almost 2 years. I am now based in the woodpecker toddler room as a practitioner. I have always wanted to work with children and am passionate about being a part of supporting their development. In my spare time, I love going out with my friends and family and going on holidays.

Hansi

Hansi

Job Title: Nursery Practitioner - Preschool Joined: 2023

Interested in Guitar.

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