Willows Farm Day Nursery

Willows Activity Farm, Coursers Road, London Colney, St Albans AL4 0PF
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9.9 122 Reviews
  • Willows Farm Day Nursery, St Albans
Willows Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School in London Colney, near St Albans, offers high-quality childcare and early years education for children aged 0 to 5.
Set within the beautiful surroundings of Willows Activity Farm, the nature-based nursery gives children the freedom to explore, learn, and grow through play.

Willows Farm Day Nursery follow the Forest School approach, encouraging confidence, independence, and curiosity through outdoor learning and hands-on experiences. From caring for animals to planting seeds in the gardens, every day is an opportunity for discovery.

Conveniently located just off the M25, Willows Farm Day Nursery welcome families from St Albans, London Colney, and across Hertfordshire.
The qualified team provides a nurturing environment with dedicated baby, toddler, and pre-school rooms, plus access to funded childcare places for eligible families.

Discover why parents call Willows Farm Day Nursery one of the best nurseries in St Albans for outdoor, farm-based learning - book a visit to Willows Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School today.
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Funding & Fees

Full-day session: 7:30 am - 6:30 pm
Morning session: 7:30 am - 1:00 pm
Afternoon session: 1:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Each situation is different and bespoke to your childcare needs. To find out more about our fees, please do get in touch so we are able to build a profile and give you a breakdown of what we believe best suits your child’s needs.

Contact Willows Farm Day Nursery to get a personalised quote.

Contact Willows Farm Day Nursery to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Lucy Nicholson (Senior Childcare Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 70

Total Places for Children

  • 188

Age Range

  • from 0 years 2 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Willows Farm Day Nursery Reviews (122)

9.9

Willows Farm Day Nursery has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.883) out of 10, based on 53 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Willows Farm Day Nursery has 122 reviews.

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Review from B F (Mother of Child) published on 20 October 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Absolutely wonderful. Cannot fault them. The site is amazing, the building is lovely and spacious. Even the car parking facilities are great and easy. The staff make you feel so welcome every morning, they remember your child's name and are familiar with the parents. They all greet the children as though
they are so happy to see them. Throughout the day the children seem to have so much fun. The tiered room system is fantastic and each room is packed full of activities and lovely outdoor space. They seem to go around the farm every day and every age gets to go. The staff and managers are wonderful - always happy and smiling. They cannot do enough for you and your family. We have been at Willows nursery for 5 years now and will be there for another 4 at least. We are so happy leaving our children in their care and when our youngest reaches school age, we will be sad to have to leave Willows nursery.
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Review from Mandy Z (Mother of Child) published on 20 October 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We can not recommend this nursery enough. Our son has been attending since he was 10 months old and thoroughly enjoys his days at nursery. During the last few months, they have gone above and beyond for our family making sure our son resettled after a period of absence and supporting him in the transition
of becoming a big brother. Staff are always welcoming and friendly. They know all the children and families by name and are extremely approachable. They know our son's next steps and ask us for regular feedback to support his development. I think when a two-year-old wakes up in the morning asking for nursery that speaks a 1000 words.
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Review from Komal A (Mother of Child) published on 20 October 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I was quite nervous to send my daughter to nursery especially with the covid situation but Willows has been amazing, she was settled in prior to lockdown and then was off for 3 months. She quickly settled back in and Willows have been amazing and ensuring she is happy and I am reassured. She loves her
days there and she has learnt so much since joining them.
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Review from Eloise H (Mother of Child) published on 20 October 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has attended Willows since he was one and we cannot fault it. He loves it and the staff seem to adore him, which makes us feel very confident that he is in the right place. They are always accommodating and willing to go the extra mile to help him and teach him.
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Review from Nikki (Mother of Child) published on 20 October 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Absolutely fantastic nursery, my daughter has been going there for 6 months now and she absolutely loves it. She comes home so happy every day she goes and the staff have a brilliant rapport with her. She has learnt and developed so much during her time there and they really encourage her. She loves
going to the farm. Can’t fault them in any way!
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Review from Gem E (Mother of Child) published on 8 November 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We moved our three-year-old daughter from another nursery. We were so blown away by the professionalism and warmth of the staff at Willows, right from the initial look around to setting up the account with admin, carefully co-ordinating the settling in sessions. You really feel that everybody that works
there, cares about what they do and your child and you. Our daughter settled so quickly and literally begs us each day to stay there longer. What impresses me most is the way that they do everything they can to accommodate your needs and be flexible where they can, which as a parent is massively important and very much appreciated. We enrolled our younger son into there pre-toddlers room too and love the way there are things like Heartbeeps for the little ones to enjoy in addition to the regular farm visits. We wouldn’t want our kids to go anywhere else, and I feel there is no other nursery that offers what Willows does. It is a truly special place, and I will be sad when my kids leave.
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Review from Grace D (Mother of Child) published on 7 November 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A unique and special nursery, the new pre-school managerial team is fantastic, they’ve brought the school to a whole other level.
I have a little girl who skips in happy every morning. I have every faith and trust in them to look after our daughter to an exceptional standard.
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Review from Rhiannon E (Mother of Child) published on 4 July 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I really like Willow Farm nursery - my first and only child attends here and I was so nervous about leaving her somewhere. They made me feel very reassured and I love the little extras, like farm visits and photo progress sheets of my daughter. The facilities are excellent and the staff are all very
friendly welcoming and seem to genuinely care about the children.
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Review from Kavin (Father of Child) published on 13 February 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son loves Willows Farm Nursery. All the staff are great, he has been going since he was one and he is three now, just moving into preschool. They make the transition easy and comfortable. Highly recommend. About to start my second little one in a few months!
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Review from Amy B (Mother of Child) published on 12 November 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Willows is the most amazing place for my 3 girls. I feel so privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for all that you do for my girls, they have had the best start in life. Love you all.
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Review from Gareth L (Father of Child) published on 25 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
An excellent facility made better by extraordinary staff. Despite a room of toddlers we are always made to feel our little girl is the only one. The level of care and kindness is exceptional and it is very well run.
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Review from Luseni D (Father of Child) published on 28 September 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5
Continuing concern about one to one care and consistency of key worker engagement with the child.
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Review from R R (Mother of Child) published on 16 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My daughter has been attending Willows Farm Nursery for almost 1 year. She loves going to nursery and making new friends. Some carers are very special to her and this makes me think she is in the right place. I love the fact the carers encourage her particular friendships, sports, dance, singing and,
of course, the visit to the farm! She is happy, so I feel safe and happy as well.
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Review from Y L (Mother of Child) published on 10 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter loves coming to nursery. She has become more independent since she started here. Her vocab has grown so much. Most days I discover that she knows another word.
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Review from C M (Father of Child) published on 10 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Very positive experience here at the nursery. We think all carers are highly friendly and our son loves attending Well done all involved
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Review from Adrian L (Father of Child) published on 10 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have found Willows to be the best experience for our children to learn and grow. The staff are always friendly and professional. Our children have/still love coming here and we have no issues recommending the nursery to family and friends.
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Review from Liz F (Mother of Child) published on 10 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Excellent experience. Great standard of care and wonderful staff. We love it, as does our child.
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Review from Michael H (Father of Child) published on 10 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I think the nursery is very good. Both my children have benefited from coming here. They always seem so happy to be dropped off and say they have really enjoyed their day at nursery. All the staff are very friendly and helpful, plus they all seem to have great relationships with both my children.
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Review from Kate L (Mother of Child) published on 7 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic care of our son. He is thriving at Willows Farm. He loves it! He loves being with his friends and two members of staff have looked after him to the highest standard!
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Review from Hayley S (Mother of Child) published on 7 August 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Willows Farm Day Nursery is brilliant, my son loves the baby room and he has progressed no end. He loves his key worker and every morning he's desperate to go in to start his day. The setting is wonderful and the trips to the farm are so fun. The nursery lacks air con and is too hot. This could be improved.
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.883)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.883) out of 10 for Willows Farm Day Nursery 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 53 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 52 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 4.883 for Willows Farm Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (573 Excellents x 5) + (53 Goods x 4) + (5 Satisfactorys x 3) + (1 Poors x 2) + (2 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 634 Ratings = 4.883
  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 Willows Farm Day Nursery is based on 52 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 20 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews, 0.05 Points for the next five Positive Reviews, and finally 0.025 Points for the next ten Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.050, 7th = 0.050, 8th = 0.050, 9th = 0.050, 10th = 0.050, 11th = 0.025, 12th = 0.025, 13th = 0.025, 14th = 0.025, 15th = 0.025, 16th = 0.025, 17th = 0.025, 18th = 0.025, 19th = 0.025, 20th = 0.025) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 = 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 188 number of registered child places is 37.6, which has been reached with 52 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

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (1)

Meet the Team (1)

Lucy

Lucy Nicholson

Job Title: Senior Childcare Manager

Hi, I’m Lucy Nicholson, Senior Childcare Manager of Willows Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School! Our Day Nursery offers childcare full of discovery and rich learning experiences, with the daily opportunity to meet the farm animals and enjoy forest school sessions in the great outdoors. We are located in the heart of the countryside of St. Albans, where we provide our children with the best in early year’s education and learn through the ‘Planning in the moment’ child-led teaching approach.

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