Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford)

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Thank you, Bumblebee team at Julia Durbin for your mindfulness in caring for our son.

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!

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

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!

We were really nervous when we moved our eldest daughter (aged 2 at the time) from her old nursery to Julia Durbin - any change at such a young age is a big change. Over the last 2+ years we've seen how caregivers across 3 different rooms have helped her to grow in confidence, she is so happy at JD - on days she is at home she often asks to go to nursery! The Pre-School team have also done a top job preparing her for Primary School. Our middle daughter has only ever been at JD and is super happy. She has developed friendships with peers and achieved many development milestones thanks to caregivers working with us. She and her caregivers have a playful and constructive relationship. The girls have developed so well at JD so we would just like to say a heartfelt thank you to you and your team - you do a great job! We are really pleased that our son will now have the opportunity to take the same journey as his sisters. Cannot recommend this nursery and its attentive team highly enough!

Both of our children have attended the nursery, and they've both thrived there! All the staff go the extra mile, build wonderful relationships with the children, and facilitate lovely friendship groups within the room. My daughter is currently in pre-school room and they've done a fantastic job in bringing her out of her shell. At collection, staff are always happy to tell us how she has got on and we love getting the photo updates. This is a fantastic nursery and it's clear the staff really care for all the children and put so much effort into creating fun activities and an enriching environment. When my daughter starts school we are all going to miss the nursery and the kind staff terribly, it has been a hugely positive part of our family.

I'm quite emotional writing this review! Both my children have attended Julia Durbin so the nursery have been part of my life for 7 years now. It is my son's last day tomorrow before he starts school in September and it feels like we will be leaving our family behind! The staff are phenomenal and have supported not just my children but myself and my husband too when my son was diagnosed as autistic. It was a staff member who identified his possible neurodiversity and helped us move forwards to getting the diagnosis the following year. The team went above and beyond to support my child's needs and make sure he had the provision in place he needed. I will always be eternally grateful for the start you gave him. I simply cannot praise the team highly enough and, if I can name names then the lady in pre-school is just incredible. Please don't hesitate to send your child to Julia Durbin - they will love your child like their own and hold your hand if you need it.

We cannot fault anything about this nursery - all the staff are incredible and the facilities provided the perfect environment for our daughter to develop and grow in. We are sad to be moving her on!

We have just left JD after five years: my eldest attended from 2 until he went to school, and my youngest was there from aged 1 until leaving for school last week. We've had a fantastic experience here all around. The two children are quite different, but each of them was brilliantly cared for by the staff, who always listened to what they needed, and provided appropriate activities to engage and challenge them. The admin team are also really great - streets ahead of another setting we previously attended - and in spite of the large size of the nursery, it really feels that all the staff know the children, and care about them. The preschool team in particular deserve a special mention: they are really excellent, and there are always so many exciting things going on, from concerts to trips to craft activities. We'll miss you all!

My daughter has been at the nursery since she was 2 and is now due to head to school in Sept. Julia Durbin has hands down been the best nursery we have attended over the years. My daughter is so happy to see the staff and her friends every morning. The staff challenge them with appropriate activities to improve their motor control and explore their interests. It will be so sad to say goodbye but I know the JD team have ensured my child is ready to transition to school. Thankyou JD!!

I feel very lucky to have this nursery in our locality

Julia Durbin is a great nursery- we've been really pleased with our experience. The manager is very helpful and supportive, and the team in Ladybirds room 2 are brilliant. They are very kind and caring and always give our little one the warmest welcome! Our little one has grown and developed so much since starting.

Wonderful care! My toddler was very well cared for and had a special bond with his contact person. The manager and her entire team were amazing in the Ladybirds room.

The team are warm, friendly, loving and thoughtful and always shared feedback with me of the day. It was such a comfort to leave my son with the team and he was very happy.

Julia Durbin has wonderful creative activities and areas for children to learn through play. The food is healthy and of great quality. But most important, the staff are fantastic and truly provide great loving care.

I highly recommend this nursery.