The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School

6 Woodmansterne Lane, Banstead, SM7 3ES
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9.7 71 Reviews
  • The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School, Banstead
The Old Barn Day Nursery & Pre-Prep is a private day care Nursery situated in a beautiful listed building on Woodmansterne Lane. At The Old Barn Day Nursery & Pre-Prep, children have the opportunity to explore the outside world. There is a Forest School on site and it is an inspirational process that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees. A day in the life of a child at Forest School includes; Going on a bear hunt and finding the bear in the woods, making perfume and potions in the outdoor mud kitchen, whittling pieces of wood to make equipment for the session and enjoying hot chocolates/marshmallow round the fire pit.

The Old Barn Day Nursery & Pre-Prep was awarded a Good Ofsted rating in March 2023.

The Nursery is open full-time from 8:00am – 6:00pm caring for children from 3 months to 5 years.

The Nursery and staff's philosophy is that every child they care for deserves a calm, caring, safe and stimulating environment in which the children can learn through a robust curriculum. They provide opportunities based on children's interests and plan for their development on an individual basis throughout the terms.

The Old Barn Day Nursery & Pre-Prep have an onsite working Chef who prepares all the meals from fresh ingredients and plans balanced seasonal menus.
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Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Laura Malthouse (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 24

Total Places for Children

  • 42

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.

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 & 1 week at Christmas

The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School Reviews (71)

9.7

The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.689) out of 10, based on 22 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School has 71 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
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Total of 71, showing 41-60
Review from Sam F (Mother of Child) published on 7 May 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I would highly recommend this nursery to anyone that would like their child to get the best from their early years. The activities which other nurseries pay for are included in the standard fee. The interaction the children have with all staff is amazing, cooking with the chef, gardening with the gardener
then eating homegrown food. Trips to local shops. The forest school status makes this an even more appealing nursery. Put all this to one side, there is a fantastic team of staff that in my eyes do over and above in every way possible. The management team are thorough and attentive and approachable. It’s truly a wonderful place.
Reply from The Staff Team at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School
Thank you so much for your amazing review. We are thrilled to hear how happy you are with the Nursery and how pleased you are with the staff team!
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Review from Olivia M (Mother of Child) published on 2 May 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This place cannot be faulted!


The staff are second to none, they make you feel so comfortable straight away.


My little one has come on in leaps and bounds since joining in April, it has brought her right out of her shell.


Highly recommend.

Reply from The Old Barn Day Nursery Staff Team at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We're so pleased to hear how well your little one is developing with us.
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Review from Emma (Mother of Child) published on 2 May 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I couldn't be happier with the excellent level of care my son has received since starting at The Old Barn Day Nursery in April 2019. The fun, enthusiastic, professional and amazing staff are what makes me feel so reassured when our little boy started nursery. He is beaming with smiles when he sees the
staff and when we collect him, it's clear that he's had a fantastic day full of activities. The current feedback process is a great way and perfect amount of information to understand how the day has gone i.e. feeding/naps etc. The highlights for our son, and us as parents, would have to be ALL the friendly staff, communication, the bright rooms full of wonderful activity stations and the garden (we especially love the outdoor nap area).
Reply from The Old Barn Day Nursery Staff Team at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We're thrilled to hear how happy your son is at Nursery and how pleased you are with the staff team.
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Review from Laura Q (Mother of Child) published on 2 May 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We started taking him to the nursery once a week to improve his social skills and boy, it really did!
Reply from The Old Barn Day Nursery Staff Team at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School
We are thrilled to hear how much your son has benefited from attending our Nursery. Thank you!
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Review from Georgie C (Mother of Child) published on 30 April 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy started the nursery in April and I cannot recommend it more. He has settled in so well, thank you to the amazing staff and he comes home having had a lovely day and being really well stimulated! The garden is the best thing about the nursery!
Reply from The Old Barn Staff Team at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are delighted to hear how happy you are with the nursery and how much your little boy enjoys attending.
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Review from Louise L (Aunt of Child) published on 15 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My niece attends this nursery 4 days a week, the staff are attentive to her needs and always welcome her in with a warm hello. I like the different activities the nursery offers and the warm friendly feel from all of the staff. Nothing is ever too much.
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Review from Zoe W (Aunt of Child) published on 15 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I just thought I'd leave a short review outlining just how amazing this nursery is!!
My niece is extremely shy but since starting here she's a totally different person.
Full of life and great imagination.
Staff are always on hand to help and support your views.
It's a wonderful place.
Very happy.
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Review from Lesley C (Grandmother of Child) published on 11 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I love this nursery. My granddaughter always talks about her day in preschool. The staff always give me a thorough handover when I pick up.
The manager knows all of the children by name.
I love the menu and the food that is on offer they also do lots of excellent activities and events. My granddaughter
loves the gardening and Sporty Tots.
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Review from Lucy B (Mother of Child) published on 11 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son attends the baby room three days a week. I’m extremely happy with this nursery, my son is happy and content.
The room leader is friendly and approachable and nothing is too much trouble.
The manager is also friendly and approachable and is seen in the baby room at various times during the
day.
The nursery also has a great food menu which meets all children’s dietary and nutritional requirements.
The garden area is great there is something for all ages. I especially love the ladybirds at the front of the nursery.
This nursery is an all round great place.
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Review from Danielle F (Godmother of Child) published on 8 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery is amazing. The staff give great handovers and are very welcoming.


The manager deals and resolves any issues within a reasonable time frame.

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Review from Tom B (Father of Child) published on 4 June 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have been sending our son to Old Barn Nursery in Banstead for nearly two years. He loves it at the nursery and is developing brilliantly.


The staff work hard to help each child individually and develop their personality as well as their physical and mental abilities. Our son develops his language

continuously and it is amazing to hear the new words and phrases he learns every day.


The range of activities available to the children is great - from gardening to sporty tots - which gives a great all-round experience every week. We get daily feedback on what he has learned, how he has behaved and what he ate.


Sending our son to Old Barn Nursery was a great decision and we are very happy we did.

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Review from Sarah C (Mother of Child) published on 11 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been at The Old Barn Nursery since she was 6 months old. The staff are very friendly and willing to adapt to her changing needs. Communication is good. My daughter settled in very quickly and seems to enjoy her days there. There are lots of different activities for her to enjoy including
playing in the garden and various trips. I would highly recommend this nursery.
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Review from Danny S (Father of Child) published on 11 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our little guy has been going to the Old Barn Nursery since he was 1 1/2. We didn't know whether putting him in nursery was the right thing to do at the start, but from the very first moment everyone at The Old Barn Nursery made us welcome and him feel very special.


He has been at the nursery for

2 years and every morning he looks forward to going. He loves gardening on Tuesday, exercise and the trips out. The huge garden is a great bonus as he is a boy that loves being outside. The Old Barn Nursery has lots of outside toys to stimulate.


Inside, they are always making something new and he constantly astounds us with the things he has learnt, new words, maths and practical knowledge. They embrace themes, which he then wants to continue to learn about at home.


Sending our little boy to the Old Barn Nursery, Banstead was the best move we made and allowed him to progress so much from physical activity to mental ability. We will be sad the day he has to move on to bigger school.

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Review from Veronica N (Mother of Child) published on 9 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending The Old Barn Nursery just over a year now and he Loves it there, he settled in very quickly the staff are all very friendly and very good with him. I would highly recommend this nursery.
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Review from Faye H (Mother of Child) published on 8 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been attending the Old Barn Day Nursery for over a year and she absolutely loves it. The staff are so welcoming and there are fresh meals prepared every day. My daughter settled really easily here and I would definitely recommend anyone to this nursery.
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Review from Erica (Mother of Child) published on 3 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I was very nervous about leaving my son at nursery when going back to work. I was worried that practitioners wouldn’t tend to his individual needs and that they wouldn’t understand him. The Old Barn has wiped all my fears away. This is a fabulous nursery and the practitioners are outstanding. It didn’t
take long for my son to settle in and it’s evident that he enjoys being there and loves his key worker and other staff. They clearly understand his character and differences with other children, and his likes and dislikes. In addition, the meals and snacks he gets are amazing and very healthy. I also love hearing about all the activities he does during the day, and the various observations the staff make about his development progress. I would definitely recommend The Old Barn Day Nursery!
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Review from Lucy W (Mother of Child) published on 3 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Would highly recommend. My daughter is really happy at The Old Barn, the staff are great and I feel so comfortable leaving her in their care.
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Review from Jovan M (Father of Child) published on 2 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending the nursery since January of this year and we are just so delighted with where he gets to spend his days when he's away from us. The staff are second to none - it must be exhausting spending all day with small kids - but their enthusiasm, patience and fondness for the children
does not cease to amaze me. The facilities are fantastic to inspire their young minds, there seems to be a huge variety of activities and the excursions are such an added bonus.


Most importantly, we see our little boy grinning from ear to ear every single day when we pick him up and he can't wait to tell us about his day, his friends, and what he's done, which gives us such comfort that we made a great choice with his nursery.

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Review from Mark P (Father of Child) published on 1 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have used The Barn now for a number of month's for our daughter, I can't think of a bad word to say about The Barn. I would thoroughly recommend it to any parent as a place to send their child to nursery. Parking is a little bit of an issue at peak times, but aside from that its very conveniently
located too, near Banstead High Street. I have found the staff engaging and genuinely interested in our daughter. I always feel reassured that she will be well looked after when I drop her off, and when I pick her up there's always staff on hand to tell me about my daughter's day.
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Review from Helen O (Mother of Child) published on 1 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending The Old Barn since January 2018 and we couldn't be happier with his experience there. The staff are lovely and so attentive, which really helped my son to settle in quickly. He has progressed fantastically since being there, learning new things all the time and growing in confidence.
There is a huge amount on offer at the Old Barn, not only the onsite activities and garden but lots of trips away from the nursery too, which is great. As a parent, I feel so happy that my son is having a positive experience each day that he goes to The Old Barn, and couldn't recommend it highly enough.
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Current Review Score: 9.7 (9.689)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.7 (9.689) out of 10 for The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 22 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 21 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 4.689 for The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School is calculated as follows: ( (224 Excellents x 5) + (22 Goods x 4) + (6 Satisfactorys x 3) + (12 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 264 Ratings = 4.689
  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 The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School is based on 21 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 42 number of registered child places is 8.4, which has been reached with 21 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 (8)

Meet the Team (2)

Laura

Laura Malthouse

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2023

My name is Laura and I have over 10 years experience working in the Early Years sector. I have roles such as Designated Safeguarding Lead, SENCo and Fire Warden. I pride myself on creating stimulating, enabling environments which allow children to learn through their play and have the freedom to express themselves in a supported environment.


I aim to ensure that the setting is a warm, natural and a home from home environment so the children are comfortable to explore. I love the outdoors and feel that the children should always have the freedom to choose if they would like to be indoors or outdoors. I take pride in always putting the children at the centre of everything we do here at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Pre-Prep.

Amber

Amber Gower

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 2013

My name is Amber and I have over 10 years experience working in the Early Years Sector. I pride myself in working closely with families to support the children with reaching their milestones across all ages at the setting. I keep myself up to date with all legislation and trends within the nursery sector and I imbed these across my whole team. I am a qualified Designated Safeguarding Lead for Surrey County Council and I use this training to ensure all children, families and staff are safe within the Old Barn Day Nursery and Pre Prep.


My main focus is to provide a calm, warm and homely environment where children and families feel comfortable and safe whilst they are with us. I am incredibly strong on parent partnerships and throughout the year I organise events to have the parents involved in their child's journey.

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