Denby Dale First and Nursery School

Our daughter has been at the nursery for almost 12 months. The staff at the nursery are all very knowledgeable and happy to offer helpful advice and suggestions. The care provided focuses on the individual needs of the child and they use a common sense approach! The updates and photos that we receive are personalised and meaningful. My daughter accesses a wide range of activities during her time at nursery. The nursery has regularly supported my daughter to take part in events within the school which should hopefully help when she is ready to transition.

We couldn't be happier with Denby First nursery! From the very beginning, the team has been so supportive in helping our 2-year-old settle in. They really took the time to understand her needs, and it shows in how comfortable and confident she now feels going in each day.

One of the things we love most is the amazing range of outdoor activities and the opportunities she gets to interact with animals. She comes home full of stories every day.

We're also incredibly impressed that she's already potty trained, which is a huge milestone, and we truly appreciate the encouragement and consistency the staff have provided in helping her get there.

Thank you for creating such a warm, nurturing, and engaging place for children to grow!

Both my children have been to this nursery and the eldest now in school. The nursery has been brilliant at supporting both of their needs especially supporting transitions to new rooms and helping them to build confidence. There has also been excellent support for my child's allergy the nursery are diligent whilst ensuring that activities can be joined in with. All staff are friendly and approachable and there is a great range of activities with excellent outside play space. There is great integration with the school through joint activities, assemblies and events whilst helps the move to school feel much less daunting. All staff seem to know all children and everyone is supportive and helpful.

This is a fantastic nursery. My daughter has been attending since September 25 and we are beyond happy with the experience. The staff are all really experienced, kind and attentive. They also show real care and interest towards the children which is lovely to see. My daughter found it hard to settle at first (as this was her first experience of nursery) however the staff were so supportive and comforting to both my daughter and myself. She now runs in without looking back and I can tell she genuinely has so much fun. The facilities are great with plenty of interesting toys and activities and there is a lovely outdoor play area. Overall it's a wonderful nursery and I would recommend it highly.

Both have extra needs and medical conditions and the nursery and school staff have been amazing in handling all of their needs

Keep it up guys

Fantastic nursery, every member of staff is friendly, knowledgeable and approachable, our child loves going to nursery and is very happy there, they do a broad range of activities, inside and outside, and it is just a great environment

We moved my son (age 2 &9 months) to Denby Dale Nursery from another nursery because my daughter was starting the school and make drop off easy. As he was very settled at his old nursery I was nervous on him starting a new environment however very excited as I knew that he would love the amount of things and space to keep him entertained. I look back now and wonder why I was even nervous because from first meeting Cat , Caroline and the rest of the team at settling in sessions they where so warming and couldn't have made my son feel so welcome. Having just completed the first term - it couldn't have gone any smoother and you would think that Harry has been at the nursery the hole time. He has made so many new friends and his interaction with others has already come on leaps and bounds. He has so much fun there and the team are excellent constantly thinking of new engaging ways to learn through play. If you're thinking about sending your child here I can highly recommend it!

My son has been in Denby Dale Nursery for a year now and our experience is nothing short of brilliant and superb! The staff were very lovely, flexible and accommodating. My son's time during in school is always joyful and productive. He comes home sharing what they've done and how he enjoyed the food every meal. I highly recommend Denby Dale First & Nursery School. Thank you for your hard work.

Brilliant nursery very friendly staff and welcoming. My daughter settled in straight away very good at keeping check on everything. Great play spaces. My daughter loves going to play with her friends.

Alongside developing from an academic perspective my child has developed in confidence, speech and has a broad awareness of feelings, others and the world itself and I attribute this learning to the nursery team. The facilities are broad including indoor and outdoor play materials and my child always comes home happy. We also use school meals which are varied and nutritious. I would 100% recommend this nursery to any parent in the area and I am personally really thankful for their contribution to my child's great start at "school"! Thankyou.

I feel confident our daughter will settle into school really well after her time at nursery.

My child started at Denby Dale Nursery in May 2025. After experiencing issues at another 'amazing nursery' with outstanding OFSTED I was concerned about finding somewhere I'd feel comfortable sending my child.

We looked around with the headteacher. The nursery coordinator and nursery officer made me feel at ease. My child has settled in well and we haven't had any issues to date.

The only feedback I have is that CCTV makes it easier to review incidents should they occur.

I have had both my children in this nursery the staff are amazing and super friendly. They take the time to talk to you as a parent, take an interest in each child and what they get up to outside the nursery.My eldest has moved in to the school now but my youngest comes home every day telling me about what she has been doing, lovely updates and pics on what they have been doing. Lovely meals, This place is 100% dedication to the kids. I would highly recommend to anyone five stars from me xxxxx

We moved our daughter to Denby Dale after she struggled to settle into another nursery. It was without a doubt the best decision I could have made for her. The dedication from the staff to meet her individuals have made her transition go as smooth as possible and now she comes homes and talks positively about her day there and all the fun things she has learnt. I can tell by the way she comes home and discusses what they've learnt means that activities are taught in a fun, meaningful way. Her vocabulary and confidence has come on leaps and bounds. I also like the variety of resources available and the lovely outdoor spaces they have access to which are used all year round.

My daughter just started in Dragonflies and is absolutely loving it. I cannot praise the staff enough they are so involved in helping the children become well-rounded by creating activities for arts, and sports, exploring nature and catering to the child's likes and needs. The opportunity to mix with children older than herself has helped an already confident 2-year-old be even more confident. I absolutely love that app which gives us lots of updates on what she is up to and can access the invoice and whole school updates.

The team have been brilliant during his time here, and his key worker was brilliant. With him being a Covid baby, I was nervous about how he would get on. I shouldn't have worried, he grew with confidence every day. I always felt comfortable knowing he was somewhere safe, engaging and having fun. I was also impressed with how integrated the school is, the children join in with shows, assembly and their head teacher knows all the children by name. It may not have lots of new things, and is tired in some areas, but none of that matters, the important things, like teachers, activities and the general community are what make this place brilliant. Thank you to all the staff, my boy misses you all.

His independence and courage have flourished since starting a year ago. They encouraged him to try new things and gave him praise and recognition. They include the nursery in the school as a whole, which helps to foster relationships with the older children as well as all members of staff. The head and the other teachers all know all of the children by name and remember their likes/dislikes etc in conversation. Literacy and numeracy are high on the agenda, but certainly still age-appropriate. Play is obviously very high on the agenda too, and outdoor time. We honestly couldn't rate them highly enough.

The school/nursery itself is absolutely fantastic, with the staff being an absolute credit to the school. My daughter loves it here so much. The facilities are great too! Never had a problem with anything or anyone. Can’t fault anything about the school.

This is a lovely caring nursery. The staff here are all really kind and caring. My daughter absolutely loves going here! I love the nursery app so we can see photos of our daughter during the day too. The outdoor space is the biggest I have seen in the area! Thank you.

My daughter has attended nursery since October 2022 and absolutely loves going. All the staff are so caring and enthusiastic and clearly care a lot about the children. The children are given lots of opportunities to join in with the same things as the older children within the school, which helps to integrate them ahead of them starting in reception.