Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford)

Our daughter who is one years old has been at Julia Durbin Day Nursery (Oxford) for just over two months and we are delighted with the nursery. The staff in the Caterpillar room are friendly and approachable, they always make time for clear, concise communication at pick up and drop off and are knowledgeable in answering any questions. Furthermore, the team have clearly got to know our daughter and have made an enthusiastic effort to incorporate whatever are her current interests. We have been pleasantly surprised at the level of personal attention she has received, as evidenced in feedback, both verbal and through the app and our daughter's development. At home she has 'made up' games which relate to things done during nursery and it has been lovely to see her grow in this way.

We highly recommend Julia Durbin Day Nursery. Our eldest attended preschool, and now he is in Reception he still talks fondly of the staff and friends he made there. The preschool team were fantastic at getting to know our son's strengths and difficulties and supported all his keen interests (lots of dinosaur activities!). He absolutely loved the fun activities preschool included, such as yoga, discos, hatching chicks in spring, sports day, bonfire sparklers, Christmas shows, the list goes on! Julia Durbin did a brilliant job helping him prepare for starting school. Our youngest is now starting her settling in sessions and it is wonderful to see the team again.

Extremely engaged and caring staff, flexible and helpful management and it's all really fun and safe environment for our daughter. Very pleased and impressed!

Thank you again, ladies.

Julia Durbin is fantastic! Our son loves it, he gets lots of stimulation, fun playtime as well as learning, and there's a great variety of nutritious food. The kitchen was really helpful and accommodating when we had some changes to dietary restrictions. The staff are really great, especially two members at Preschool. Last but not least, the safety procedures they put in place for Covid have been a huge success.

The Julia Durbin Day Nursery for us is a wonderful place with excellent staff and we are very happy to have our children in the Pre-School. My son goes everyday very happy to enjoy all day. We have a great experience with the nursery.

Our daughter has been at Julia Durbin from the age of 9 months, up to going to school. She has had an incredible experience, and we highly recommend this nursery. All the staff are very fantastic - they really care about the children and teach them so much. They give them amazing experiences, both in the nursery and on trips out (including to the library, theatre, and further afield including the hedgehog hospital!). In the nursery, they focus on age-appropriate skill development, and our daughter is now confident in starting to read, early maths, role-play, whiteboard work and art. The outdoor space is fantastic, with loads of resources in the garden to play. The team has been incredible during the COVID pandemic, supporting those of us who needed to continue to use the nursery, and keeping everyone safe when more children returned. I am so pleased we sent our daughter here, the range of experiences she has been given has been amazing, and it's prepared her extremely well for school.

Our daughter has attended Julia Durbin since she was 10 months old. We’ve been extremely happy with the care that she had received during that time. She has acquired countless social skills and grown in confidence. She’s always had a lovely bond with her key workers and we’ve always felt that they have understood her character and encouraged her in the things that she enjoys. She’s made some great friends and will miss it greatly when she starts school next week however I feel that Julia Durbin and more recently her time at preschool has prepared her well and put in place solid foundations for her to start school and for that we are extremely grateful. I've always found staff to be helpful and reassuring. There is excellent communication from both key workers and management. We would without hesitation recommend this nursery to parents. Thank you to all the staff for their care and kindness for the last nearly 4 years!

Our son really enjoyed his time at the Julia Durbin Day Nursery and we'd like to thank all the staff in Butterflies room, especially his key worker, for all their excellent work and for really caring about the children. It was a bit too expensive for us in the end and we had to go for another childcare option after 10 months or so of attendance, especially as prices normally go up every year. However, I would still recommend Julia Durbin as an excellent nursery, primarily because of the people working directly with the children and the admin staff, who are very understanding. The outdoor space of the nursery is really fantastic and that was the thing that really sold it to us to begin with.

Overall we are very thankful to have chosen Julia Durbin.

Our son has had a wonderful time at the Julia Durbin Nursery. He started in the Butterflies room when he was aged 2 and a half. He had never been looked after by anyone other than a close relative, so it was a big transition. All the staff were very kind and welcoming and helped him to settle in. His key worker was really enthusiastic and joyful and he talked about her a lot at home. Our son particularly enjoyed the daily music sessions, activities in the big garden, and playing with the plentiful array of toy construction tools. We highly recommend Julia Durbin as a welcoming and stimulating nursery.

However, the best thing about Julia Durbin for me is that each of my children have always been happy. I will miss the nursery and the amazing staff so very much and can not thank you all enough for being our second home for so long.

Julia Durbin is a fantastic nursery. I say this based on over seven years' experience of sending my three children there. Over the years, my kids have been through each of the different age-based rooms and we have experienced firsthand the love, care and dedication that all of the staff pour into their work. The daily activities are lovely and educational, the atmosphere is fun and the huge garden is a massive bonus. It can be nerve-wracking choosing a nursery, especially if it is a child's first time being away from home, but Julia Durbin really is a second family and I recommend them whole-heartedly!

We're also touched by the level of effort made during the pandemic. While our son hasn't been at nursery due to lockdown, the staff have been really proactive at keeping in touch at a time when they're stretched, and we know that when they say they can't wait to see him come back, that they really mean it. It's that attitude that sums up why, as a family, we're so happy with the place.

Julia Durbin Day Nursery is a wonderful nursery, I can highly recommend it. Our son has thoroughly enjoyed his time at the nursery and made some really good friends. Every day they have different fun activities for the children to get involved with and there is plenty of outdoor space for the children to play in. The team were wonderful when it came to settling him into the nursery when he first started age 2 in Butterflies room. They also helped enormously with the potty training in Pre-School. Our son’s social skills developed really well during his time at Julia Durbin’s Nursery. He bonded well with his key workers and he really enjoyed going to the nursery. Julia Durbin is a very professional nursery and I can highly recommend it.

I was recommended the Julia Durbin by a number of friends and colleagues when deciding on a nursery for our son and I'm really glad we followed their advice. Having been there for nearly a year now he is so happy going off in the mornings and seems to enjoy his nursery days more and more every week. He has clearly formed strong relationships with the staff members (who all know him by name) and the range of activities on offer both inside and out is tremendous. This is particularly impressive given how challenging the last couple of months have been, for both parents and staff, but despite this, the nursery has continued to excel in both their communication and high standards of care. I would thoroughly recommend Julia Durbin Day Nursery to any other family looking for a stimulating and supportive environment to send their children.

I have never found anything about the nursery disappointing, the staff are amazing and appear so hard working and caring. My daughter has bonded with many of the staff over the 1.5 years she has been there, and I always feel happy leaving her there. There seem to be a great variety of activities and meals, and she does lots of messy play which she wouldn't get to do at home. They maximise outdoor time in the excellent garden which is important to us. I'm really grateful for all the work they do, it cannot be an easy job.

Julia Durbin was recommended by several friends last year when we were looking to move our 3-year-old from another setting before her 1-year-old sister started nursery as we weren’t very happy at the previous place. I am so happy we took their advice, the staff are super friendly and helpful, and both kids settled really quickly. We were reassured about them going back to nursery after lockdown by all the thought, hard work and preparation staff had clearly put in, and both have settled back in brilliantly this first week back. The menu is healthy and clearly tasty as mine frequently have seconds and thirds! Rooms and outdoor spaces are really well-equipped and great at stimulating their imagination and learning. I couldn’t rate them more highly, I feel completely happy with the care my kids get at Julia Durbin!

I cannot recommend Julia Durbin highly enough. My eldest attended for three years and there was nowhere else I would have considered to send my youngest. The staff are wonderful and the children have had hugely positive experiences, learning so much and making great friends. Sending them to Julia Durbin has provided such peace of mind, knowing how well looked after the children are with wonderful facilities, caring staff, varied food choices and an incredible outside space. The nursery feels at times like an extended family. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

My son went to Julia Durbin so knowing the staff and the environment we had no hesitation in sending our daughter. We have been consistently impressed by all of the staff. The last few months have been no different. Despite everything that is going on, communication has been excellent, the staff have all seemed so positive and it has been a huge weight off to see that my daughter has clearly had a great day whenever we collect her. Thank you to all the staff and we would highly recommend this nursery.