The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School

6 Woodmansterne Lane, Banstead, SM7 3ES
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9.7 75 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 (75)

9.7

The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.734) out of 10, based on 26 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School has 75 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
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Total of 75, showing 41-60
Review from Shorouk P (Mother of Child) published on 28 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
After visiting a lot of nurseries, I was so glad to have found The Old Barn Day Nursery. The facilities are fantastic (lovely outdoor space), with a small group environment for children not to feel so overwhelmed, but more a home from home and the team have been fantastic. The nursery manager really
took the time to show us around, answer our many questions and reassure us of how well they care for the children, I knew it was the right choice for my daughter. Special thanks to the manager and her team for going above and beyond from day one to settle my little girl and ease my first-time mum worry. The support has been tremendous and I trust them to offer the best care for my child, help her development and keep her happy while I’m not with her.
Reply from The Staff Team, Manager at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest SchoolThank you for your lovely review. We are delighted to hear how much your daughter enjoys her time at nursery, especially our brilliant outdoor space.
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Review from Helen S (Mother of Child) published on 29 June 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My Daughter has been coming to the old barn since Feb 2020 - I was a very anxious, worried mum having a whole year off with her however I really didn't need to worry. The whole process from first inquiring, visiting and registering was so reassuring for me. After I registered I got a phone call from
the Manager confirming and arranging the settling in sessions. I was able to ask questions and my mind was put at ease. The settling in was excellent, the members of staff were welcoming, friendly and really made her feel part of the group from the offset. My daughter settled brilliantly and was happy and content. Since returning from lockdown the nursery has been amazing with how they have dealt with the social distancing rules and wrote to us weekly with updates and what the next stages were going to be. The manager personally called me to discuss our return and ease any concerns. The management team are efficient, supportive and approachable. I am a really happy mummy and so is my baby.
Reply from The Staff Team, Manager at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest SchoolThank you for your wonderful review. We are so pleased to hear how you and your daughter have settled in well.
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Review from Ruple A (Mother of Child) published on 24 June 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I can’t thank the team at the Old Barn Day Nursery enough. They have all been outstanding and have really looked after my son very well. Like most, I was anxious about his return in June when they re-opened, but they have been very nurturing and he has settled back quickly. The activities they provide
are very engaging and my 23-month-old is very happy there. My older son (now 5) had a similar experience and enjoyed his time at The Old Barn.
I would highly recommend this day Nursery.
Reply from The Staff Team, Manager at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest SchoolThank you for your wonderful review. We are so pleased to hear how your son is enjoying nursery, especially the activities we have.
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Review from Danielle C (Mother of Child) published on 4 November 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I have only great things to say about The Old Barn. My 1-year-old son absolutely loves going to nursery. All the staff are always so welcoming and friendly and have a genuine warmth and love for my son.
I rarely had time apart from him and was a little apprehensive about sending him to nursery, however,
I couldn't be more pleased. An overall great team!
Reply from The Staff Team at The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest SchoolThank you so much for your wonderful review. We are absolutely thrilled to hear how much your son loves attending and how happy you are with the staff team.
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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 SchoolThank 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 SchoolThank 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 SchoolThank 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 SchoolWe 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 SchoolThank 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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Current Review Score: 9.7 (9.734)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.7 (9.734) 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 26 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 25 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 4.734 for The Old Barn Day Nursery & Forest School is calculated as follows: ( (271 Excellents x 5) + (23 Goods x 4) + (6 Satisfactorys x 3) + (12 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 312 Ratings = 4.734
  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 25 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 42 number of registered child places is 8.4, which has been reached with 25 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.