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.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
  • 146
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Reviewer Connection to University Nursery at West Cambridge
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Total of 146, showing 81-100
Review from Beth W (Mother of Child) published on 23 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I literally cannot rate this nursery highly enough. I have been a parent at West Cambridge for 4 years. The exceptional standard and stability of care, service, professionalism, fun, and supported learning has been outstanding. This includes across 4 years, two very different children, all staff, and
various periods of change and disruption at home, nursery and in the world around us. West Cambridge has been our constant. This includes the support, can-do attitude and care we and our son received following his serious illness and surgery last year which involved a period of special needs and medical treatment.
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Review from Diana I (Mother of Child) published on 14 August 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter started at this nursery when she was 10-months-old, and we have seen her move through different milestones with the support of the nursery team.
We are very thankful for the dedication, professionalism and approachability of the team. The nursery has a family feel which we really enjoy
and appreciate. Our daughter has flourished with all the support and tailored activities she’s presented with, where she has an opportunity to learn, enjoy and challenge herself as she plays with her carers and classmates.
As well as the dedication in the classroom, we were very impressed with the support we received during the lockdown and all the reading material and activity ideas that were shared. Also, the transition back into the nursery has been fantastic.
We would definitely recommend this nursery to friends and family!
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Review from Sarah N (Mother of Child) published on 11 August 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Today is the last day of almost six years in which we have had children full-time at West Cambridge Nursery. From the day that we came for a visit (then still expecting) until the last day, staff have been most welcoming. Management has shown a remarkable interest in the children (even the manager knows
every child by name and their parents), attention to parents' wishes and commitment to staff's growth. For us, the nursery was truly home away from home. After day one, we realised we did not have to feel guilty about sending our children full-time to the nursery: they were offered activities and a peer group we could never give them at home. We were impressed by the nursery's implementation of a healthy-food programme: no more sugar, more vegetables. Whilst we love cooking at home, the youngest continues to say that "nursery food is best". The nursery's encouragement to play a lot outside has made our boys stronger and more self-confident. I give it my strongest possible recommendation.
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Review from Jan M (Father of Child) published on 8 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This is an excellent nursery, with a nice setting but most importantly wonderful staff. The only negative is the waiting list!
Our daughter started about a year ago in the preschool room and we have been very happy with all aspects of her care.
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Review from Ruzaika (Mother of Child) published on 8 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been attending West Cambridge nursery since January 2020. She has flourished during her time there and has a great rapport with all the staff members. The staff have been really eager to get to know her and have tremendously helped in her social, intellectual and physical development.
My daughter started crawling within a month of starting at the nursery. Her physical development had been a bit behind but she started to learn to walk in the nursery and took her first steps there. They were extremely encouraging and actively promoted children's welfare and intellectual growth. She has been engaged in creative and sensory play to reading and mark making. Her word count has expanded exponentially and continues to grow. They have helped her to bond with the other children and she recalls the names of her friends and keyworker. Everyone from management to classroom staff knows my daughter and enjoy interacting with her. She loves her time at the nursery.
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Review from Jing X (Father of Child) published on 8 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter attended West Cambridge Nursery from September 2017 to March 2020. She was very happy at the nursery and made many friends there. The staff was courteous and professional. They provided tremendous support at the beginning to help her settle in the nursery.
The communication between the
nursery and the parents was excellent. Every day we were briefed about what our child did and ate when we picked her up after work. Weekly newsletters were sent to parents to forecast the food menus and activities in the coming week. Pictures of children and reports, evaluations, and observations about their growth and intellectual development are shared with parents via an app/website.
My daughter developed a strong bonding with her three key workers and often imitated their behaviours at home. We could tell her key workers were excellent role models to her. She learned to help with household chores, to share things with others, and to care about others.
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Review from Chris W (Father of Child) published on 3 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We placed our daughter in nursery at around 18 months, and can not have been more pleased with her growth and development. The staff are fantastic, professional, and provide wonderful care and nutriment. The front desk staff are always welcoming and 'know' who our daughter is, the class, and any issues
that we should be aware of (e.g. how her day was, any virus going around, and any upcoming events to be aware of). The 'room' staff are a fantastic mix of individuals who each contribute to make a safe, nurturing environment to which our daughter feels comfortable to learn and grow. Most importantly we feel that her room staff really know our daughter, what she likes, doesn't, and which children and activities she likes to engage in/with most. We feel very fortunate to have our daughter at this nursery.
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Review from Noga G (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A wonderful nursery that is very well-organized, loving, and efficient. Our girls have been attending it for a few months (minus lockdown weeks), and we have all been very satisfied with both the high level of care and the efficient management. The facility itself is very well kept, clean, and provides
easy access for the kids to go to the bathroom or play outside. The caregivers we had the opportunity to meet are truly wonderful; our girls talk about them fondly at home and are always happy to go to nursery in the morning. Communication with the parents is done primarily through the app/website, though they are always easily accessible by phone for immediate things. The nursery also implemented new safety measures due to COVID-19 that seem to have been working well so far.
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Review from Ingrid (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been with this nursery for almost 3 years and I've been very happy with them throughout. Especially her first key person was absolutely wonderful in helping her settle in, quickly forming a strong bond with my daughter. Since then I've watched her grow more confident in the nursery
setting, learn new things, and form friendships with some of the other children. Most importantly, she enjoys going to nursery every day. The staff provide excellent care, a safe and nurturing environment for the children to thrive in, with lots of fun and educational activities, as well as healthy nutritious food that my daughter clearly enjoys. I am also very impressed with the measures that have been taken recently by the nursery to manage the risks associated with the Covid-19 crisis. They have done everything they can to make it as safe as possible for the children, families, and staff, with minimum impact on the children's comfort, enjoyment and learning at nursery.
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Review from V F (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My first child has been going to West Cambridge since he was 18 months and he's now almost 4 years old. Every morning he is so excited that he barely says goodbye to us when we leave him.
Coming from a foreign language household we were a bit concerned that he would have struggled with the English
but the carers took great care of him, also with regards to this aspect. He is now very confident when interacting with his peers in English, and this is mostly thanks to the staff at nursery.
Very warm and attentive staff, amazing outdoor spaces, management and reception team very professional. I'm glad my second child has been offered a place there and will start attending soon!
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Review from Jennifer C (Mother of Child) published on 23 June 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff at the West Cambridge Nursery have created such wonderful, stimulating, caring and learning-focused environment that I have not seen anywhere else. They truly care about each child and it shows in the relationships they build together. My son loves going to the nursery every day and has learned
so much from counting to table manners to sign language and even some French. The gardens for the children are full of wonderful outdoor toys and areas for them to explore from sandboxes to mud kitchens to slides, it is a child's paradise. I love that they teach the children about planting vegetables and flowers. My son can't stop telling me about how bees help feed the flowers and plants, something he learned from nursery. I am constantly recommending West Cambridge Nursery to all the parents that I meet.
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Review from Daniel P (Father of Child) published on 2 March 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery has been very supportive with mu daughter, they provide outstanding care and are 100% committed to my daughters learning. I don't often get the chance to visit however I receive daily sheets on my daughter's care. She seems to love the food as she almost always eats it all. I get weekly
observations on the parent zone App and I can clearly see my daughter THRIVING in their care.
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Review from S R (Mother of Child) published on 2 March 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended West Cambridge University Nursery since August 2018. She started at 2 years old and settled in quickly due to the attentive staff and settling in process. She is now in pre-school and I am very pleased with her progress and the nurseries commitment to school readiness. She has
made some firm friends within the setting and enjoys coming to nursery every day.
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Review from Reka S (Mother of Child) published on 7 February 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My two kids started at West Cambridge Nursery in September '19 and they settled in very quickly with the help of the friendly and welcoming staff across the nursery. They are very well looked after. They strive here and learn and develop every day. We are very thankful for the amazing care they get
and feel that they are in good and professional hands. Special thanks to the kitchen staff for feeding them delicious and nutritious meals every day. Five Star staff all around!
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Review from J K (Father of Child) published on 25 November 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff at West Cambridge are so kind, caring and supportive. I can't thank them enough for what they do.
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Review from Pei Z (Mother of Child) published on 22 August 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been here for 2 and a half years and she really loves it here. All the staff are super nice and accommodating. She learnt so much and was so happy here. We are really sad we are leaving because we need to move abroad.
Thank you so much for everything and for making our daughter a strong
and confident character.
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Review from B K (Mother of Child) published on 5 August 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery provides most attentive care, staff are always engaged with children and help enormously with their development. The food is exceptional, the outdoor areas second to none. I'm very lucky that both of my children can attend the West Cambridge Nursery.
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Review from L C (Mother of Child) published on 3 July 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This is an amazing place where my son feels safe and happy - he is loving the activities on offer and learning loads and loves the staff. We, as parents, are absolutely confident to leave him there in the mornings.
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Review from Julie C (Mother of Child) published on 24 April 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Caring staff and attentive.
Always helpful.
Child is happy and thriving.
Flexible with attendance.
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Review from Mingjun G (Mother of Child) published on 11 April 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter had difficulties in settling in another nursery. But she did very well in West Cambridge Nursery. The staff here are very friendly and patient. My daughter can bond very well with the key person. The parents can get feedback everyday and also could track the kid's activity on parentzone.
We are very happy with this 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.