Young Friends Kindergarten

lovely garden, trips to the Park and Allotment

Our son is attending the Young Friends for the past 2 years and we could not be happier. The level of care and professionalism is high. Staff is always attentive and friendly, can tell how sincerely they care about wellbeing of each child. Nursery has vegetarian menu, daily baked bread and eco-friendly practices. Highly recommended

Our daughter recently started at Young Friends after we moved to the area from London. We were expecting settling in to be a challenging transition but from the first day she has absolutely thrived at Young Friends - having never been excited to go to her previous nursery she practically leaps out of the pram to get inside, excited to see her friends, the adults and the rabbits! We couldn't be happier with the nursery - from the freshly made food, the focus on community and engagement with the natural world and sustainability, trips out, and access to the outdoors - the staff have built a warm and welcoming community and build lovely relationships with the children that set them up to thrive.

Our 23 month old daughter is thriving at young friends. I genuinely feel like she is going to her 2nd family 3 days a week. The care the team have for the children is just outstanding and my daughter has developed so well in terms of exposure to wonderful meals, created brilliant friendships already (at not even 2 years old), gets to care for the nursery bunnies and has learned countless new skills. It is not a budget nursery, but we are so pleased to spend a little extra to make sure the staff are paid real living wage and everyone is well looked after. Plus the garden is so magical and most of the children spend most of the time outside. We are so lucky to have found this place and long may it continue.

I can't recommend this Nursery enough. They really do care about the children's welfare and progression and my son (who is 3) has blossomed since he's been there. Many thanks to all of you in the Young Friends Team.

Our son is always excited and pleased to attend this nursery. That says it all! The staff are always very friendly, welcoming and attentive to us and our child: one member of staff seems to have a genuine bond with our son. We are also always surprised by the wonderful activities he enjoys there, things we would never think of like painting with edible paints and enjoy the videos and photos on Tapestry so we feel we haven't missed out. Highly recommended.

My daughter has been attending Young Friends since she was 11 months and now she is 4 and heading off to school. I can't thank them enough for the care and attention she has been shown over the years. The facilities at the nursery are fantastic and the addition of the allotment and all its activities have been amazing. The staff are very caring, fun and creative. There are regular parents evenings and feedback on development through Tapestry. My daughter is completely prepared for school, knowing phonics and numbers.

I also started my littlest there in May 2017 and she is getting on so well. Her key worker knows her very well and they have an excellent relationship. The activities provided for little ones are great including a lovely garden and soft play section.

In summary, this is an excellent nursery with amazing facilities and staff for all age children. They are constantly making improvements and I've been very happy sending my children there for the last 3.5 years!

My daughter has been at Young Friends since she was 1 and she is now 4 years and preparing for Reception. She absolutely loves it. The staff are friendly, creative and full of energy. They have lots of fun activities planned daily and my daughter has learnt so much and has flourished physically, socially, cognitively and emotionally. We are so grateful for the frequent trips to the allotment, the fun sports sessions and yoga, the Imaginative small world area, the phonics super stars, the cultural week of activities, all the dressing up and role playing opportunities, fun songs and the countless other opportunities and activities she has been given over the last three years. Because of Young Friends, my daughter is confident, loves exploring, imaginative, full of giggles, sociable, loves and respects nature and so ready for Big School.

Our daughter only joined Young Friends from April 2017 but the second she arrived she was completely at home! The improvements we have seen during this time have been absolutely unbelievable. From eating so much more variety (previously a big issue for us at home and at her previous nursery where only packed lunches allowed) through to being able to write her own name. Young Friends have prepared her to go on to primary school confidently both from a social and learning perspective. The environment is wonderful, and our daughter absolutely loves the visits to the allotment, her weekly 'show and tell' slot, the garden and the rabbit. Most of all her key worker and all staff - she knows everyone's name and they all know her name. It's the most friendly and nurturing environment you could wish for. I find it hard to leave myself some times in the morning, as I would like to stay and hang out too! You can tell each staff team member enjoys and is passionate about their job - it shows.

My little girl started here in January when she was 11 months old. The settle sessions went brilliantly and she was reaching out for her key worker on the second day! We haven't looked back since then; she is very happy there.

Things I am impressed with are the healthy menus, daily planned activities, regular developmental assessments and time spent outdoors. There are two rooms for under 2s plus a small soft play area and a good size garden with lots of different areas and even nursery rabbits!

Also, love the weekly blog which the grandparents regularly look at too.

The staff put in a lot of effort to make the day interesting and fun for the children and there always seems to be new 'activity areas'. I really like how much painting /messy play they do, they are certainly not afraid of making a mess and the children love it. My daughter also enjoys the singing and dancing.

Overall we are extremely happy with Young Friends nursery and would highly recommend it.

My 3 grandchildren all attend young friends nursery, the eldest is now at school and the two younger are still at the nursery. I cannot rate this nursery enough. They have been excellent in all areas with the kids from the youngest at 17 months to starting school and I have never had a day when they haven't wanted to go, I only wish it had been there when I was a kid!

I would recommend this nursery to anyone who is looking for a great environment for their child to play, learn and grow in confidence.

We love this nursery so much. There is a real home from home theme for the little ones with an emphasis on learning through play and experience. We feel so lucky to have found it for our little ones.

My eldest son has been with Young Friends since he was 15 months old and it has been a wonderful experience. The team are simply incredible and he is very fond of them. He still tells one of the girls who looked after him as a baby that he loves her when he sees her! Young Friends has helped nurture him into a well-rounded, happy and kind little man who is ready to start school in September. I really believe they have given him all the tools he needs to start this new chapter with confidence.

The activities provided are outstanding from yoga to phonics to the fantastic allotment on which he has spent many happy days!

Thank you to the owner and the team for a wonderful nursery experience.

Both our children have grown up at this nursery and have loved it.

The children do so many activities and trips out in the sunshine.

We feel so lucky to have chosen Young Friends to care for our son! Our son now reaches out to the teachers in the morning, sits at the table and waves us goodbye with a smile. Picking him up at the end of the day and finding him smiling and playing away and proud to show us his newly found tricks, words and skills, is priceless. The garden is beautiful and it's great they go out as much as possible. It feels like a little family and we've been made to feel safe and welcome. Thanks, Young Friends!

They have provided my son with a caring & nurturing environment whilst keeping focused on his personal development.

The nursery have been amazing with my son's hearing issues, going way beyond what I would expect to ensure he has what he needs. My son is so happy and confident at nursery and this is entirely down to the fab staff. He loves it so much there he doesn't like to come home! I'm also very pleased with the variety of food he eats at nursery, as he can be quite fussy at home but eats everything there!

My daughter has progressed very well since attending nursery. Her confidence has improved and she has learnt many new skills including maketon. The nursery staff are all very friendly and really care for the children. The biggest compliment is that when leaving her in the morning I do not worry about her or that she is not being looked after to a very high standard.