The Ark Day Nursery

The Ark Day Nursery is brilliant. My little boy loves it. The staff are so welcoming and kind and care for my son so much. Because of all the wonderful people that work there, my boy has developed so much. Thank you The Ark Nursery, Pontesbury.

My daughter loves The Ark and its lovely care staff. She always goes in and comes home smiling. They do lots of activities with her which sometimes, I can’t always achieve at home such as messy play. My daughter has a lovely relationship with her key worker and is always smiling at her. The Ark feed her a good range of meals, including fruit and vegetables which are age appropriate for her.

Both my son and daughter recently started at The Ark in Pontesbury. All the staff have been really friendly and helped them settle in quickly. They both come home very happy each day and there seems to be a really good balance between learning activities and fun play.

Staff help my baby, aged 2, to settle in nursery very well. Within 3 weeks (2 days per week) she has improved her counting and language expression. She now enjoys her own life in nursery. Due to covid, we can't see how she is doing inside the nursery, but trust they do the best for everything.

The staff are kind and caring. I felt totally at ease, dropping my son off for the first time. Upon visiting the nursery, it was clean, tidy and well laid out with lots of stimulating, educational areas and displays for the children. My son comes home each day with a happy attitude, he reports what he has learnt and enjoyed in the day. He brings home artwork, baking and crafts regularly. The staff report back daily, for example, he is quite fussy with food so they keep me in the loop with what he has eaten that day. The lunches are good, balanced and healthy. Upon pick up, I am given a paper report with an outline of my sons day, what he has had for snacks and lunch, what he has been learning, what books he has been reading and what letters, numbers and shapes the class are focusing on that week so that we can practice at home. The nursery is flexible and reliable, and the children are happy and settled. My son really enjoys his nursery days and loves the staff and the other children.

This is a fabulous nursery. Our daughter loves it and is always excited to go! The staff are all lovely and so friendly. We are very happy that we chose The Ark Day Nursery!

The Pontesbury Ark team have been wonderful in looking after our boy, who can be challenging and demanding at times. The team has been proactive in making recommendations and requesting assessments on our behalf, helping us greatly with the process. Both management and staff are dedicated, efficient, kind and patient. The children seem very happy and well looked after. We are very grateful for your continuous support and guidance and thank you for your efforts!

We would never have sent our daughter anywhere else. The care provided by the team is outstanding, and we have the greatest respect for the work and care they provide. Our daughter started in September 2020, and even though she had no social interaction prior to this due to lockdown, she settled in with such ease. The staff make everything so seamless, and we feel fully involved and informed throughout the time she attends. The love, support and passion they have for the children are amazing. Thank you for all you do.

The staff and the care provided to both of our children attending The Ark Day Nursery is excellent. However, due to Covid-19, we have been unable to see the resources available to our children, so cannot mark them as excellent at this time. In relation to the score for management, this is not reflective of the site manager, but in regards to the senior management, since they acquired the nursery in 2019. There has been very little interaction or engagement with parents, apart from communications received when prices are being continually increased. This is a small, rural nursery that was previously responsive to the needs of parents and the community. Since its acquisition, the implementation of corporate style business models has negatively impacted the service received from a management perspective. Again, I reiterate the level of care, the attitude of the staff and the day to day management from the on-site team is excellent.

My son joined this nursery earlier in 2021. Having relocated to Pontesbury recently, I felt it best for him to go to a local nursery, potentially making school friends for the future. It was a very reluctant move as he was very happy and settled at his previous nursery, however, we made the decision and have totally no regrets. From day one, he has been excited to be there. Parents are given a document detailing a summary after each session, including what has happened during the day, areas of learning and what food has been consumed. Learning activities vary each week, and active focus seems to be put on core learning too, such as shapes, letters and numbers, fantastic! All this is linked in through the day amongst play, which is obviously an equally important aspect for young children. The security is super, and the Covid-19 safety restrictions that have been implemented are very effective. I would not hesitate in recommending this nursery to parents. Thank you to all of the team!

The Ark Day Nursery is a well organised and friendly setting. My son - now 4 has been attending for 3 years now - and is always very happy to go each day - without a backwards glance! The staff are professional but also very friendly, they display wonderful kindness and understanding to the little ones in their care. I have been very pleased with the service they provide and know my son is getting the best care, education and support he needs.

My son has been attending the nursery since February 2020, he goes very happily with his key person in the morning, who is excellent at keeping us informed about our sons day via his daily diary, with photos and proud clouds. The secure Facebook page for parents is a wonderful way to see photos of your child with their friends, taking part in the exciting activities set up by the staff. We will be increasing the days our son attends soon as we are so happy with his development and the care he receives. Thank you The Ark Day Nursery.

Staff have always been informative and noted any issues promptly. The staff are extremely friendly and polite. The girls always are happy to go into the nursery in the mornings. Reassuring to read the daily diaries completed. The call bell system at the gate could be upgraded as not very effective. Unfortunately, the fees are going up, which is fine, but difficult with two babies at nursery. An outside green space would be appreciated.

My daughter loves The Ark Day Nursery, she is learning well and is very happy, and the staff are fantastic. I would recommend it to other parents.

I was really worried about sending my son to the nursery at 13-months-old, however, my worries were put at ease by the excellent staff, who gave us both a very warm welcome. My son enjoys going to nursery and has progressed really well since he began in September 2020. All the staff are very friendly. I highly recommend The Ark Day Nursery. Out of my three children that attended nursery, my son seems the happiest. I now wish I had sent my other two children to The Ark Day Nursery.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this nursery to family and friends.

My 2-year-old daughter transferred to the Ark in September after we moved to the area, and she absolutely loves it! Even during the pandemic, her induction was great and very reassuring for me as her mother. She settled in really well. It was exceptionally clean, and the children and staff wash their hands and toys are cleaned regularly. My daughter didn’t attend for a few weeks, and she kept asking when she could go back because she loves it so much. She runs into the nursery happy and smiling, and it’s what you wish for as a parent. She hasn’t cried once, even on her first day. I think that speaks volumes for the incredibly patient and caring staff. I have no worries about sending my son there later in the year when I return to work. Thank you, The Ark!

All staff extremely friendly, and both my children really enjoy going. They have settled in so fast. The nursery is fantastic, and I am really impressed with how they have put things into place with COVID-19 and worked throughout the pandemic.

Excellent nursery, the staff are all very friendly and keep us informed about all the activities our son has been doing during the day, which are always wide-ranging. He always thoroughly enjoys his days at nursery. The selection of food he has is always varied and very good. We are very happy with it.

Amazing nursery! Our eldest has attended for three past 3 years and loved every day. Te staff are brilliant and we have always felt confident and comfortable leaving out eldest, even if upset. Our youngest has just started and despite the current restrictions due to COVID-19 in place we have had a great induction process and again feel extremely happy leaving our youngest. I would defiantly recommend The Ark to anyone - the staff are amazing the facilities are fantastic, they have great meals and our children thoroughly enjoy their time there.