Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford)

Old Road, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7JU
Review Us
9.9 228 Reviews
  • Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford), Oxford
Julia Durbin Day Nursery is located within the grounds of Churchill Hospital and caters for children both in the local community and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital Trust.

Homely surroundings and a thoroughly resourced facility allows the nursery's highly trained practitioners to achieve high standards of early years education across the age ranges.

Parent partnerships are promoted and developed whilst long opening hours and a fully inclusive package offer a convenient service to busy families.
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Funding & Fees

Our fees include all consumables such as formula milk, nappies, nappy cream, baby wipes, sun cream, freshly prepared well-balanced meals throughout the day and all activities. Our full fee information is available to download on our website.

Contact Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) to get a personalised quote.

Contact Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Emma Wallbridge (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 54

Total Places for Children

  • 164

Age Range

  • from 0 years 2 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:00-18:30
    Tuesday 07:00-18:30
    Wednesday 07:00-18:30
    Thursday 07:00-18:30
    Friday 07:00-18:30

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Inset Days

Parking

  • Free parking is available onsite.

Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) Reviews (228)

9.9

Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.917) out of 10, based on 53 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) has 228 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
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Reviewer Connection to Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford)
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Total of 228, showing 1-20
Review from M W (Father of Child) published on 5 March 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our little boy has been at Julia Durbin since nursery, and is now in preschool. The staff are uniformly wonderful - very calm and caring and much loved by our son. We are kept well informed of progress and occasional incidents, and the nursery is very well run with activities, and engaging - our boy
always comes home having had a good day. Would strongly recommend to anyone, and I'm very grateful to the team at JD.
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Review from Joy K (Mother of Child) published on 24 February 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We moved to Oxford just over a year ago and our child has been thriving at Julia Durbin! We love everything about the nursery and couldn't be more pleased. Such a happy place. Grateful for all the care and education that is given.
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Review from R S (Mother of Child) published on 24 February 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The facilities are excellent, the food is great, all members of the staff are fantastic with great attention to detail! It is just a great nursery! Both my son and my daughter love it! We would choose it over and over again!
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Review from S E (Mother of Child) published on 24 February 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I couldn't be happier with this nursery. From the very beginning, they have been incredibly kind, understanding, and supportive of all my needs and requirements. They really take the time to listen and ensure that both parents and children feel comfortable and valued.
The staff are absolutely lovely
- warm, approachable, and genuinely caring. It's clear that they truly enjoy what they do, and they go above and beyond to make sure the children are well looked after, happy, and safe. I always feel reassured knowing my child is in such capable and nurturing hands.
The nursery itself is very clean, well-organised, and thoughtfully set up to create a welcoming environment. Thank you very much to all of the lovely staff.
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Review from A F (Father of Child) published on 23 February 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Amazing nursery, we've had both our daughter from 1yo to leaving for school and now our son, and nothing but the best to say about it.
The room nurses are very caring, a lot of stimulating activities, and management finds a good balance between ensuring a very well run place for the children, but also
it seems staff enjoy it there too.
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Review from Maria N (Mother of Child) published on 23 February 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are so grateful for the care, support, and encouragement you give our daughters. It's lovely to see how happy and confident they are when they come home, and we really appreciate all the effort you put into helping them learn and grow. Thank you for creating such a nurturing and positive environment
for them.
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Review from X Y (Mother of Child) published on 8 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter attended Julia Durbin for two and a half years, and we truly enjoyed our experience. The staff are always caring, supportive, and always make her feel safe and happy. We saw her grow in confidence and skills, and we're very grateful for the nurturing environment they provided. Thank you
for being such an important part of her early years. We highly recommend Julia Durbin.
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Review from Chrissy P (Mother of Child) published on 25 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A wonderful nursery, we've found there to be fantastic staff in the caterpillars room, great food and responsive admin teams. Lots of stimualting creative activities. Taylor is our baby's keyworker and does such a fantastic job of looking after our baby.
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Review from L P (Mother of Child) published on 25 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We've had a really great experience at Julia Durbin and from the start the staff were very attentive and caring, ensuring we were given time to settle into the routine of nursery. We are really grateful for all the time and hard work the staff put in to making it a safe and fun place for our little
ones to spend their days.
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Review from Amy M (Mother of Child) published on 25 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been attending Julia Durbin since the beginning of September, in the Caterpillars room. The staff are warm, patient, and genuinely care about every child. My little one has grown so much in confidence and independence since starting here. The environment is safe, nurturing, and full
of creative activities that make each day exciting. As a parent I receive regular updates throughout the day on the app. Staff in other nursery rooms even know my daughter's name and often greet her in the corridor which I think is such a nice tough. The staff will also work with you on any recommendations regarding sleep. Highly recommend!
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Review from Niklas G (Father of Child) published on 25 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our 9-month-old daughter is always happy and excited when we drop her off or pick her up from Caterpillars. It's clear she has built a lovely bond with many members of the team, who are consistently warm, caring, and professional.
We are genuinely impressed by the wide range of activities and learning
opportunities provided every day. The environment is rich, stimulating, and perfectly suited for curious little explorers. The regular updates and photos on the app are one of the highlights of our working day - it's wonderful to see how engaged and joyful she is, discovering new things and interacting with other children. Our daughter also seems to like the food there better than at home.
We truly couldn't imagine a better place for our daughter to grow, learn, and thrive. We are incredibly grateful for the amazing care she receives at Caterpillars and feel very lucky to be part of this nursery community.
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Review from Nicoletta C (Mother of Child) published on 18 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We would like to say a huge thank you to the whole Caterpillar Room team for the wonderful care and support our little boy has received since joining in March.


Since joining as a young baby, we have seen him become more settled, curious and a very happy smiley toddler, which reflects the nurturing

environment you provide.


A special thank you to his key worker for her dedication, kindness and for always offering us reassuring guidance when we needed it. The support from the whole team has been incredible.


We are sad to see him move on in January, but very grateful for the beautiful start you have given him and the strong foundation you have helped build. Thank you all.

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Review from Victoria P (Mother of Child) published on 17 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our child has attended Julia Durbin for almost 2 years, first in Ladybirds2 and now in the Butterflies room. We have been so impressed at the friendliness of the nursery management and staff, the child-led approach, and complete transparency with which everything is done. It really feels like we work
together as a team to bring out the best in our child. We can't thank the nursery enough!
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Review from Phoebe I (Mother of Child) published on 10 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been attending JD for over a year, and she absolutely loves it! The teams are always friendly and supportive, making us feel comfortable both when she first settled in and during her transition to a new room. The Butterflies team consistently creates engaging, fun, and educational activities
that our daughter-and all the children-really enjoy.
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Review from M B (Father of Child) published on 10 December 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This nursery is exceptional - no complaints.
All staff here are attentive, patient, and genuinely passionate about early childhood development. The facilities are clean, secure, and well-equipped with engaging resources. My child has made wonderful progress since arriving and is excited to go every
day. We would highly recommend this nursery to any parent.


Thank you Butterflies team! With special mentions to Millie and Matthew.

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Review from Kostas D (Father of Child) published on 20 October 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
No complaints whatsoever. Nutritious food, frequent activities & good responsive management. Our kids go to Julia Durbin Day Nursery for the last 2 years without a single important complaint.
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Review from Oláyínká A (Mother of Child) published on 20 October 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
It's amazing how well-rounded our son has become since joining the Bumblebee at Julia Durbin Day Nursery as a shy 21 months old boy. It's been only roughly three months now and we can say it is a huge value for money choosing to start him right at JD.


His social skills, expressive art, music, communication,

aptitude, understanding of the world, independence and agency are among the indicators of transformation we've observed.
Thank you, Bumblebee team at Julia Durbin for your mindfulness in caring for our son.
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Review from Nora W (Mother of Child) published on 18 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter left Julia Durbin preschool last week as she is starting school. We were very nervious coming to Julia Durbin nursery after our previous nursery had to close, because of the large numbers of children in each room, and in the whole setting overall. However, we could not have chosen a better
place! The staff working there got to know my daughter, and treated her with love and care from the very beginning. They helped her to settle in quickly and form beautiful friendships over time. They supported her to grow in independence and confidence, fostered her curiosity, and provided a fun, exciting and supportive learning environment. The highlight of our 2 years at Julia Durbin has been the preschool, where a well-established team provide exceptional care, learning and endless fun, filled with games, stories, music, parties and very importantly: cuddles! Thank you so much for everything you have done for us!
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Review from Alex G (Father of Child) published on 18 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son attended nursery here from 1.5 yr-2.5yr and had a fantastic time. It is an excellent nursery, with well trained and engaged staff. The facilities are decent with lots of space in rooms, a variety of toys and activities. There is a decent outdoor space for the kids to play in as well. Our son
loved the activities and meals on offer. There is an app they used for updates. It was genealogy updated in the afternoon with the meals they had. We would normally get a picture or video in the app a week with description of developmental milestones. A lovely event we attended was a summer fete where all parents and children of the nursery could socialise. They provided petting animals and a variety of games and food. Would recommend the nursery. Julia Durbin management were also kind enough to explain the funding process on the phone when we were setting up gov funding for the first time
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Review from Graeme P (Father of Child) published on 8 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our 2-year-old son went to Julia Durbin Nursery and absolutely loved it. The staff were so caring and supportive, and we always felt he was in great hands. Sadly we have moved away and he will miss this nursery greatly!
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.917)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.917) out of 10 for Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) 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 53 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 53 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 4.917 for Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) is calculated as follows: ( (583 Excellents x 5) + (51 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 635 Ratings = 4.917
  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 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) is based on 53 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 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 = 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 164 number of registered child places is 32.8, which has been reached with 53 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  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 (19)

Meet the Team (1)

Emma

Emma Wallbridge

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 1996

Emma is the Manager of Julia Durbin Day Nursery in Headington and has a wealth of experience, having worked in the early years sector for 24 years. Emma has numerous qualifications, including an NNEB, Management NVQ's and a Foundation Degree in Early Years. Emma has worked for Childbase Partnership since 1996.


What is your favourite feature of Julia Durbin?
Despite being on the hospital grounds we are almost secretly hidden within a lovely natural space and a huge natural garden. I also like our entrance and reception area as we get to greet all the families and visitors as they arrive.


What are you most proud of about your nursery/team?
Our ongoing recognition from Ofsted and amazing day nursery reviews from our parents. The staff have exceptional relationships with the families and each other which leaves a great morale across the nursery. The children are the heart of our Julia Durbin family.

Frequently Asked Questions about Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford)

What is the Age Range of Children that Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) accepts?

Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) accepts Children aged from 0 years 2 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) Open?

Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) is open: Monday 07:00-18:30, Tuesday 07:00-18:30, Wednesday 07:00-18:30, Thursday 07:00-18:30, Friday 07:00-18:30.

How many Children does Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) have capacity for?

Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) has capacity for a total of 164 Children.

How far is Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) to the centre of Oxford?

1.8 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

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