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Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

49 Richmond Road, Circular Road South, Colchester CO2 7FJ
Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Logo
Butterfly Blue Day Nursery logo
Butterfly Blue Day Nursery, Colchester
Butterfly Blue Day Nursery, Colchester
Butterfly Blue Day Nursery, Colchester

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery opened in January 2013 and is situated in the former Garrison Theatre opposite Abbey Fields. While the building maintains its stunning historic appearance the internals have been fully redesigned and refurbished to a custom layout with a car park to the rear of the premises.

Butterfly Blue's aim is to provide all children with treasured memories of their wonderful time at nursery. They aim to promote positive...  

Funding & Fees

Please contact us for a copy of our current fees or for any information on funding.
We offer full day sessions 8-6
Half sessions 8-1 and 1-6
We accept 15 and 30 hour stretched funding with a top up fee.
Butterfly Blue are accepting the 2 year old working funding from April 2024.

We are also accepting 30 hour 9 month old funding from September 2025

Contact Butterfly Blue Day Nursery to get a personalised quote:

Type of Service

  • Day Nursery

Opening Schedule

Open all year

Full days available

Yes

Half day sessions offered

Yes

Group/Owner

Person in charge

  • Sarah Graham (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 24

Total Places for Children

  • 120

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Meals Provided

No

Consumables provided

No

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

Parking

  • Butterfly Blue Day Nursery have their own private car park to the rear of the building.

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Reviews (20)

8.0

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery has a Review Score of 8.0 (7.986) out of 10, based on 3 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Butterfly Blue Day Nursery has 20 reviews.

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Review from L P (Mother of Child) published on 25 March 2025 Submitted via Postal Card
Overall Experience

Both my children have been at Butterfly Blue since just before they were 1 (they are now 6 and 4). They've both had a lovely time there and been very well looked after. Their keypersons have been really nice and there have been the same staff there for a long time which is nice. They prepare them really well for school and do lots of nice activities.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

thank you for your lovely review, it has been a pleasure looking after both your children, we are now preparing to get your youngest child school ready with lot of personal social and emotional activities, ready for the transition, you will be missed in September

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Review from Lauren T (Mother of Child) published on 18 March 2025 Submitted via Postal Card
Overall Experience

All staff are amazing and care greatly all the children. My little boy enjoys his time at Butterfly Blue immensely and has great bonds with all the staff including those not based in his room. He comes out happy every day and always talks about what he has done. I am so grateful to the team for making my sons experience so warm and welcoming.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

thank you for your amazing review, it is an absolute pleasure looking after yours son, we offer a wide range of activities to challenge everyday and i am glad he loves his time at butterfly blue

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Review from A H (Mother of Child) published on 23 October 2024 Submitted via Postal Card
Overall Experience

My daughter has attended Butterfly Blue Day Nursery since she was one year old (now nearly 4). We have always found her care to be of a high quality. The staff always display a positive and caring attitude, as I always feel assured she is in safe and caring hands. There are a good range of activities on offer and great food.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for such positive feedback. At Butterfly Blue, we strive to give the children the best opportunities in their learning. The staff all have healthy eating and healthy diet training to provide nutritious menus.

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Review from H S (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

The bond my little girl has with the three lovely ladies who care for her and the other children in her room is so beautiful to watch! All three ladies and other staff that we come across are an absolute delight! Their attention to detail when it comes to adapting activities to each child’s individual likes is amazing. They honestly can’t do enough for your little ones! My little one loves nursery so much, it’s sometimes hard to get her to leave. The original plan was just to be there for the year till she could start nursery full-time in a school nursery, but after seeing how well she’s settled and the love she has for everyone there! They’ll be stuck with her till it’s time for her to start school! Something which they are all very happy about. Would highly recommend!

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your wonderful feedback. we aim to ensure every child has a voice, is given the opportunity to grow to their full potential with tailored activities regarding their interests and experiences.

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Review from Ammara S (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience
Very good nursery.
Very accommodating.
My child is very happy here.
Staff are amazing.
Had to have a few changes around the days, and they were very understanding!

You know the place is good when your child wants to attend the nursery on his off days as well.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely feedback; the staff are very passionate about the children in their care and take great care in building a bond with them.

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Review from G L (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

A caring and friendly nursery with a great outside area. My children really enjoy going to the nursery, and the staff are friendly and care lots about the children. The activities set out for the children are engaging and help with their learning. Food sounds tasty, and there is a varied menu which changes regularly.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your kind review; the staff plan for the children's unique talents and interests, and help them reach their full potential through meaningful activities.

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Review from S D (Mother of Child) published on 22 March 2024 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience
We are very impressed with the nursery; they take wonderful care of our son, and he loves it there. Everyone is very kind and caring and invested in the development and growth of the children. There are lots of learning opportunities and activities both indoor and outdoor for the children, and we have really noticed the positive effect on our son. It is always lovely and clean, the children are fed a varied healthy diet.

The nursery and staff have also been super helpful and supportive whenever we have needed additional help with something or some extra hours here and there, particularly when we were having a difficult personal time, they were very good at assisting us in making sure our son was minimally affected by it.

Reply from Sarah Graham, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your lovely feedback; we aim to make sure every child takes part in unique activities according to their interests and experiences.

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Review from Kay F (Grandmother of Child) published on 2 June 2023 Submitted via Postal Card
Overall Experience

My grandson was at another nursery where he screamed all day, it was distressing for me as I take and pick him up from nursery. So we chose to move him to Butterfly Blue Day Nursey. He does show slight signs of autism and one of the staff quickly picked them up and acted upon it with referrals. I cannot begin to tell you how quickly he changed, he is so happy and runs into the room. The staff show how much they care. Lifesaver for his mum and myself. Thank you Butterfly Blue.

Reply from Emma Clow, Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review. We like to ensure that every child enjoys their time with us and it is lovely to hear how well they have settled and enjoy it at Butterfly Blue. We are always here to help.

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Review from A J (Mother of Child) published on 18 February 2022 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

Amazing nursery, my little boy continues to thrive. Lovely staff and setting. He has attended since 14 months old and he continues to learn and develop beautifully. The staff are genuinely caring and know him so well.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are pleased to hear your views and how well your child is learning and developing with us. It is a pleasure looking after your child.

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Review from Lois D (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

Excellent nursery, my son has been attending for three days a week (he is now one) for three months. He has settled in very well and always gives a big smile on drop-off. He has an excellent choice of food and activities to do. He is well looked after. With help of the nursery, he is developing really well and hitting all his milestones. Definitely recommend.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you very much for leaving your lovely review. It is a pleasure looking after your son, he has settled into our nursery brilliantly and it is lovely to see how he is developing.

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Review from Lindsay L (Mother of Child) published on 28 June 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

Fantastic nursery, our daughter goes twice a week and she loves it! Always doing lots of activities and have noticed the development progression since she’s started. Lovely friendly staff who are great with her.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you so much for the lovely review, it is a pleasure looking after your daughter and seeing her progress with us.

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Review from Mariya M (Mother of Child) published on 11 June 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

Amazing nursery. My son was 3 when he started coming to Butterfly Blue. The building is stunning - very spacious rooms full of activity toys. There is a nice garden area with little activity stations. They have very interesting activities for him and delicious lunches. Teachers are caring and friendly. My little boy was very happy going to nursery. What a shame we moved out from Colchester.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for leaving us a wonderful review. We are pleased to hear how much your son enjoyed Butterfly Blue, it has been a pleasure to look after your son and wish you all the best

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Review from Jill C (Mother of Child) published on 11 June 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience
Our son has been attending Butterfly Blue Nursery since September 2020. We are extremely happy with his development since starting at the nursery. He is so excited to attend and loves all the activities that are planned for him. After taking him out of a different nursery last year, we are absolutely blown away by all the thought and processes that goes into the children’s activities every week. It does not go unnoticed, thank you.
Our son is always full of excitement when coming out of the nursery to tell us what he has done that day. All the staff are brilliant and caring with him. They have had a change around of staff but we see it as a positive. The sensory room and garden are fantastic and a real added bonus for the nursery.

Thanks to all at Butterfly Blue Nursery.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a positive review. We are so pleased to hear you are extremely happy with Butterfly Blue, it is a pleasure looking after your son

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Review from Crystal E (Mother of Child) published on 6 June 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

My daughter has only been at Butterfly Blue for a few weeks, but having to find a new nursery at such short notice for her, ended up turning a very stressful situation in the most amazing one. The staff have been absolutely exceptional in every way, clearly explaining everything from the beginning. The nursery is incredibly clean and organised with so much for the children to do/explore. My daughter took immediately to her new surroundings and her lovely new Key Worker. I get kept well informed via tapestry of her day to day activities and it’s a great insight to what she’s been up to during the course of the day. This is our 3rd nursery setting for our daughter and is by far the absolute best out of them all.

Thank you Butterfly Blue for all that you do! I will recommend you to any parents in a heartbeat.

x

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your brilliant review and recommendation. We are so pleased to hear this, it has been a pleasure settling your daughter in with us.

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Review from Kim G (Mother of Child) published on 27 May 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience
My son currently goes here and he absolutely loves it. He has progressed so much since coming to this nursery.
His key worker is amazing with my boy and he is very well looked after.

Unfortunately, he is having to move nurseries, no fault to their own but I know he will miss his friends and his key worker.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your time leaving a lovely review. It has been a pleasure looking after your son and wish you and your family all the best for the future.

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Review from S P (Mother of Child) published on 27 May 2021 Submitted via Postal Card
Overall Experience

The nursery is amazing. The rooms are large and laid out with fun and varied activities for the children. It's bright and welcoming and the children always seem happy. Our son cannot wait to get to nursery on his days and has developed immensely since attending. The staff are very kind, friendly and helpful. Nothing is ever too much of a problem. We love seeing the updates on tapestry. The place always looks clean and they go to enormous lengths to keep the children safe and well in light of Covid.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you for your amazing review and recommendation. Your kind words mean so much to everyone. It is a pleasure looking after your son.

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Review from Hannah (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

I have always been really pleased with Butterfly Blue Nursery. One of our two daughters is still there now. I regularly recommend the nursery to others and we changed from a different local nursery to this setting and both children settled very well. The staff are caring and warm and friendly.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you, Hannah, for your time leaving us a review and for recommending us. This means a lot to us and it is a pleasure looking after both of your daughters.

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Review from Tarryn (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience

My son has been with Butterfly Blue since he was 8 months old. He loves going to nursery every day. The staff in his room are amazing and have a genuine connection with my son which makes me trust he’s safe during the day. The staff work tirelessly to ensure the children have exciting activities to do on a daily basis and my son has done so well in their care. I would recommend Butterfly Blue to anyone moving to Colchester.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior Manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you, Tarryn for your time taken to leave a review and for your kind words. It is a pleasure to look after your son and see him progress through all of the activities he participates in.

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Review from Rachael A (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2021 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience
We are very happy with the care received by our daughter and communication from her room via the Tapestry App/Site is particularly good thanks to an excellent room leader and key worker. The quality and variety of activities and meals that she does/receives are also excellent. She is obviously very happy and often chats about her nursery friends and practitioners.

We feel the communication from the nursery itself could be better though. We still struggle to receive the general emails (unless it’s to do with the finance side of things which always seem to come through) with often one of us receiving something and not the other and vice versa. On some occasions neither of us have received news for a while and had to ring the office to check we haven’t missed something.

Reply from Sam Towns, Senior manager at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

Thank you, Rachel, for taking the time to leave a lovely review and recommend us. It is a pleasure looking after your child and seeing her develop through all of the exciting activities she participates in. Thank you for your feedback regarding communication we will make improvements with our emails for information and monthly news.

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Review from K M (Mother of Child) published on 11 September 2020 Submitted via Website
Overall Experience
Unlikely to recommend this nursery. The rooms are badly run, chaotic, inconsistent staff members, staff would leave with no notice period which can be unsettling for the children. Management would lie and claim to have sent letters. Funding isn’t well utilised, keeping fees very high.

My child was actually happy to not be returning which I think says a lot!

Reply from Sadie Taylor, Director at Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

I'm sorry to read that you have not been happy with the service we have provided. This was unknown to us as we would have discussed these concerns with you and hopefully restored your confidence with the nursery. All our rooms follow routines so there is always structure to the day. We offer a...  

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Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

News (2) & Events (0)

News
  • Posted: Tuesday 09 Jun 2026We recognise the incredible value grandparents bring to children’s lives and learning. Our nursery is proud to offer opportunities for grandparents to join our team. If you are passionate about...
  • Posted: Friday 22 May 2026Recommend a Friend who books a place at Butterfly Blue before the 31st of July and starts before the 30th of September 2026 and £300 off your nursery fees for...
Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events for Butterfly Blue Day Nursery.

Awards / Recognitions (6)

Meet the Team (3)

Sarah Graham Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2023
Sarah Graham
Hello, I am the Nursery Manager at Butterfly Blue, I have been in childcare 21 years.
At Butterfly Blue we believe that all children and their families need to feel secure in their relationships with us, they need to feel emotionally contained and can make secure attachments with their child's keyperson.
We believe that all children and their families have a right to access our services and be welcomed as equal partners.
We recognise that everyone that comes to Butterfly Blue with a journey to share, from which we can learn, we understand that this needs to be voiced and listened to.

We celebrate the process of learning, making connections, imagining and problem solving, recognising everyone as a unique thinker

Holly Cooper Job Title: Deputy Manager/SENCO Joined: 2021
Holly Cooper

Hello, I am Holly, I have been in Childcare 3 years, I have a level 3, and I am the SENCO

I am passionate about being an advocate and a voice for children with additional needs and signposting parents

Mollie Green Job Title: 3rd in Charge/Room Leader Joined: 2021
Mollie Green

hello, I am the 3rd in Charge/Room Leader, I have a level 3 and have been in childcare 3 years

Frequently Asked Questions about Butterfly Blue Day Nursery

What is the Age Range of Children that Butterfly Blue Day Nursery accepts?

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Open?

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery is open: 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.

How many Children does Butterfly Blue Day Nursery have capacity for?

Butterfly Blue Day Nursery has capacity for a total of 120 Children.

How far is Butterfly Blue Day Nursery to the centre of Colchester?

1.1 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

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