University Nursery at West Cambridge

The University Nursery, 8 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FZ
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9.9 146 Reviews
  • University Nursery at West Cambridge, Cambridge
University at West Cambridge is a purpose built nursery situated on the West Cambridge campus of Cambridge University.

A friendly and enthusiastic staff team works closely with the children to provide continuity between nursery and life at home. Professionals believe parent partnership is important to allow key people to support each child and their families as individuals.

The nursery offers childcare for employees of the University of Cambridge but also have a restricted amount of spots for local families who do not work or study at the university.

Each age group has its own designated garden directly outside its playroom, enabling all children to access a secure outdoor environment at any time of the day. The nursery has also obtained their Green Flag Eco-Schools Award.

In each of the five age groups, the children explore in light, airy and spacious rooms which provide them with the opportunity to grow and develop through a stimulating and sociable environment.
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Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Lesa Clare (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 64

Total Places for Children

  • 120

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

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 (excluding May Bank Holidays)

Parking

  • Parking is on a shared car park pass.

University Nursery at West Cambridge Reviews (146)

9.9

University Nursery at West Cambridge has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.943) out of 10, based on 32 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time University Nursery at West Cambridge has 146 reviews.

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Reviewer Connection to University Nursery at West Cambridge
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Review from Rachel F (Mother of Child) published on 18 July 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We love Cambridge Nursery! Our son is so happy here and really thriving. The staff are brilliant, really friendly, helpful and understanding. Our son has a number of food allergies and staff are great at ensuring he still gets a balanced diet and gets to eat things which are similar to his friends as
much as possible. We're currently expecting our second and the nursery has been fantastic at supporting us - taking our child for extra sessions when needed and incorporating taking care of the dolls into their activities and discussing the new baby with our son to help his adjustment! They also have a collection of books and toys they've lent us to use, read and play with at home to also ease things. The nursery is such a lovely community. We can't recommend enough!
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Review from H H (Mother of Child) published on 17 July 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have been really happy with the nursery and felt our daughter has been very well looked after. Her key person is lovely and our daughter has really bonded well with her. She has grown a lot in confidence since being there and it is so comforting to us as parents to know that she is in good hands
and always has a lovely day. It also seems very well run, the food looks delicious and varied. The staff are always very helpful. We will be sad to leave when we move home.
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Review from J H (Father of Child) published on 26 April 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our child has always had a fantastic time whenever our child visits. It is a big step taking your little ones to nursery and away from home.
We have felt incredibly comfortable with out little one coming to West Cambridge nursery. Sometimes it would be nice to have their lunches!
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Review from H C (Mother of Child) published on 24 April 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have loved West Cambridge right from the first visit! The staff are all amazing and make each child feel a valued and loved individual. It's a large setting, but has such a lovely family feel. We really couldn't imagine sending our child anywhere else!
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Review from Zaki H (Father of Child) published on 27 February 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Not only did the nursery meet all our expectations but, in many areas, they exceeded them. I personally feel that the best thing about this nursery is its exceptionally friendly and welcoming staff. We were very impressed at how quickly our son started enjoying and looking forward to going to the nursery.
We also like how we get regular updates of our son's daily activities and how well he is meeting his development goals. I highly recommend them and wish them all the best with running this great nursery.
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Review from J R (Mother of Child) published on 20 February 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending University Nursery at West Cambridge for 3 months and he appears to be thriving thanks to the hard work of the team. The nursery were very flexible as he settled in, sent regular updates via the app to alleviate my concerns and have helped my son become confident in a new environment.
Now he happily crawls into the room each morning and is always smiling when I pick him up!
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Review from A G (Mother of Child) published on 9 February 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery provides excellent care for children. The practitioners are caring and mindful. They observe children developing and help with further learning. I really like that majority of them are really excited about the child's progress and share that with parents with pride which shows that they
really care.
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Review from L H (Mother of Child) published on 8 February 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Excellent nursery made us and our child so welcome. The care is exemplary and the staff is understanding and caring, and really want to help and make it fun for our child. It takes a village to raise a child and they are our village.
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Review from Charlotte W (Mother of Child) published on 31 January 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
West Cambridge is a fantastic nursery. My daughter has been in the caterpillar room since August and the care she has been given has been exceptional. The staff always have a big smile on their faces and make my daughter smile all day long. Thank you to everyone, for the care you give her.
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Review from Andrew C (Father of Child) published on 17 January 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our children have been at this wonderful nursery for several years. I can clearly say that i cannot speak highly enough of it. Our children are looked after with the highest standards. All the staff are friendly, warm and engaging. Our children are looked after excellently and nothing is too much trouble
for the staff no matter if it is learning or play, we know our children are getting the best here.
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Review from Lefan W (Mother of Child) published on 17 January 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My baby has a very good experience in this nursery. She is very happy and learned a lot in a short period. She's keen to go to nursery every morning. All the staff are helpful, patient and provide fantastic care to her.
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Review from O G (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our elder daughter really enjoyed her time st this nursery so we decided to send our second child there too. I can see she absolutely loves it! Thank you very much for your hard work.
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Review from E K (Mother of Child) published on 28 November 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We first joined University Cambridge Nursery when our daughter was eight months old, and we will leave the nursery when she will join reception in September. Over the years, we have received amazing support. Staff helped us settle down when our daughter was still a baby and made us feel totally supported
always. They were giving us detailed information on her day at the nursery and are always keen on answering questions. They always follow the child's needs but also encourage her to take steps forward without being pushy. Staff are always smiling at us, and they are all very friendly. It feels like a family house. We have received amazing support over the lockdowns when our child is visiting schools for assessment. We feel fortunate that our daughter has attended this nursery. I would strongly recommend it without hesitation.
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Review from John K (Father of Child) published on 10 October 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
West Cambridge has been wonderful for our daughter. The staff are so friendly and care immensely for her wellbeing and development. We feel so fortunate to have her attending and being part of the West Cambridge family.
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Review from M C (Mother of Child) published on 10 October 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been at the nursery for two years and has absolutely loved it. The staff are kind, caring and enthusiastic about their work and the children.
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Review from Tony T (Father of Child) published on 5 September 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our child loves nursery and has made wonderful progress with their learning and confidence while there. We are excited about their upcoming transition to the preschool room. It is lovely to see the hard work put in by staff, this is reflected in the constantly improving activities and spaces. The preschool
room is so inviting and our child talks enthusiastically about all the fun they have as well as what they want to do next time they go. Thank you all so much!
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Review from Mark E (Father of Child) published on 23 August 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery has been a huge part of our lives for eight years with two children. It has been consistently fantastic. We have always been looked after and our sons have thrived. I would recommend West Cambridge Nursery to everyone, in fact I do! We will all miss you.
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Review from Bojan N (Father of Child) published on 23 August 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our three children have all been to this nursery for over nine years. They all come home with a smile every day. Made lots of friends and were very ready for school. We were always confident to leave them every morning knowing they will get excellent care and teaching. A great nursery and a big reason
why we stayed in the area.
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Review from A C (Father of Child) published on 16 August 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Friendly staff, clean nursery and well presented.
My son loves his time here.
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Review from Fenella B (Mother of Child) published on 6 July 2022 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic team, and very good at putting on messy activities I couldn't face doing at home. (Extra kudos to the cleaners as well). My child always enjoys nursery and actively tries to get in the care in the mornings to go to nursery!
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.943)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.943) out of 10 for University Nursery at West Cambridge 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 32 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 32 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 4.943 for University Nursery at West Cambridge is calculated as follows: ( (365 Excellents x 5) + (16 Goods x 4) + (3 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 384 Ratings = 4.943
  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 University Nursery at West Cambridge is based on 32 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 120 number of registered child places is 24, which has been reached with 32 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

10 Child Vacancies

Posted: 13 Nov 2025

Spaces available for University and non-University families

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Awards / Recognitions (21)

Meet the Team (1)

Lesa

Lesa Clare

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2009

Lesa is the Manager of West Cambridge Day Nursery in Cambridge and has a wealth of experience, having worked in the early years sector for 21 years. Lesa has several qualifications, including an NVQ Level 3 Early Years Care and Education and has been with Childbase Partnership for 12 years.


What is your favourite feature of West Cambridge?
I love the family environment at the nursery, the warm and welcoming staff and the outstanding practice delivered throughout all of our rooms.


What are you most proud of about your nursery/team?
Being recognised as a top 20 rated nursery in East of England from DayNurseries parent reviews.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact University Nursery at West Cambridge to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. University Nursery at West Cambridge has an Enhanced Service - more info.