Waterfront Nursery

Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh EH5 1QE
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Top 20 award
9.9 29 Reviews
  • Waterfront Nursery, Edinburgh
As the Waterfront Nursery name suggests, the nursery is situated near Granton’s waterfront, overlooking the Firth of Forth. The diverse staff team has been providing quality childcare for over ten years and can communicate in more than 20 languages.

The nursery houses three learning environments that support children’s development from three months to five years, with a particular focus on child-led learning. Fun and engaging activities help support the key learning experiences which are part of the national curriculums. Children take part in dance, sports, performance, and cookery experiences within the nursery.

The Waterfront Nursery aims to offer the best value childcare for families. Fees include a two-course, nutritious hot lunch, along with morning and afternoon snacks for children attending a full day. Children attending morning sessions receive a morning snack and lunch, while those attending afternoon sessions receive an afternoon snack. The nursery is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks of the year.

Parents at the Waterfront Nursery have access to an individual online learning journal for their child. Children under two receive daily sheets detailing sleep, food, and nappies. Older children receive this information as part of a verbal handover, and lunch details for pre-schoolers are displayed on the lunch board.
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Funding & Fees

Full day session for children age 6 month to 3 years, 25/26 £78.80.AM half day £42.00, PM half day £39.00
Full day session for children age 3 Years to school age 25/26 £73.60 AM have day £41.00 PM half day £38.00

We are a partner provider nursery and can accept Terrific Twos funded placements and 1140 hours funded placements
We are part of the affordable childcare scheme working in partnership with CEC and families may be offered additional funding towards the cost of childcare.

Contact Waterfront Nursery to get a personalised quote.

Contact Waterfront Nursery to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

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

Owner

  • Edinburgh College
  • Privately Owned

Person in Charge

  • Catherine Buchanan (Manager)

Admission Information

  • children between 6 months and school age

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 36

Total Places for Children

  • 136

Age Range

  • from 0 years 6 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

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

  • Christmas & some bank holidays

Parking

  • The nursery has an accessible drop off area outside.

Waterfront Nursery Reviews (29)

9.9

Waterfront Nursery has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.902) out of 10, based on 29 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Waterfront Nursery has 29 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
  • 29
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Reviewer Connection to Waterfront Nursery
  • 22
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Total of 29, showing 21-29
Review from Ilaria M (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I love waterfront nursery
Highly recommend
My son is only 1 but I think he is enyoyong as well !!
Food is good as well and they always send updates during the day which good as well
Lots of picrtures and good activities
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much, we all appreciate your kind words.
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Review from Marta J (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been attending Waterfront Nursery since she was 11 months old and I couldn't be happier with the care and support she has received. She has progressed through all the rooms, and at every stage the staff shown incredible dedication, warmth and love. The team created a nurturing environment
where my child feels safe, happy and encouraged to learn and grow. Communication has always been great and I have felt reassured knowing she is in such caring hands. Thank you to everyone at Waterfront Nursery for making her early years so special.
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much, we all appreciate your kind words.
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Review from G O (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Waterfront nursery is very nice, amazing nursery for my son. My son is always happy and very looked after whenever he at the nursery. Both the teachers, office staffs are very nice and they are doing excellent job. Indeed lm glad l choose waterfront nursery for my son.
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much, we all appreciate your kind words.
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Review from Monica R (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I would start by saying that this review is an overall feedback based on my recent and also past experience with Waterfront Nursery. My second child currently attends this nursery and the decision to enrol him was taken without too much debate. Having had my first child in this nursery before, during
and after the COVID lockdown, I have only wonderful words to say towards the staff. Of course, not everything is perfect, but management are willing to listen to parents issues and work towards improving the service, some of the staff have been in the establishment since 2018 or even longer, they engage the children in various activities and the outdoor garden and secret garden ( for the older children) is a plus. I would definitely recommend this nursery, my youngest was 9 months when he joined, the staff members are very good at providing care for the little ones and preschool children.
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much, we all appreciate your kind words.
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Review from M A (Father of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Nursery is perfect for me and near me. My kid loves the nursery, the garden, the activities and of course the outdoor walks. Would have given a 5 but just not happy the nursery gets clothes mixed up sometimes and we keep losing some good quality clothes.
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much, we really appreciate your kind words.
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Review from Jenna G (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little one started in the baby room last year, I was nervous as a first time mum and returning to work after a year off with just my baby. The teachers in the baby room could not of make me feel more comfortable about leaving my baby with them, they celebrate all milestones as if they are their own
children and will do a lot to make sure your child is happy. I don't have a bad word to say about my experience sending my child here, my child is now moving up rooms and I'm sure the experience will be the same
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much, we all appreciate your kind words.
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Review from F M (Father of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We've had a great experience with this nursery and couldn't be happier. The staff are friendly, caring, and really take the time to get to know each child. My daughter settled in quickly and is always happy and excited to go, which is very reassuring.


Communication with parents is excellent, and

we're regularly updated on her day and progress. There's a nice balance between learning and play, and it's been lovely to see her confidence and social skills grow. The nursery is clean, safe, and welcoming, with a warm, family-like atmosphere. We're very grateful for the care and support they give our daughter and would happily recommend this nursery to other parents.
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much for your kind words, we really appreciate your feedback.
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Review from J R (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We couldn't be happier with the care our son receives at Waterfront Nursery. Since joining, he has come on in leaps and bounds - not only in his learning, but also in his confidence and happiness. The staff are incredibly kind, patient, and attentive, and it's clear how much they genuinely care about
each child. He loves going in,which gives us such peace of mind as parents. We're so grateful for the positive impact the nursery has had on his development and would highly recommend it to any family.
Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much for your kind words, we really appreciate your feedback.
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Review from R R (Mother of Child) published on 16 January 2026 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been attending Waterfront Nursery since June 2025 and we have had a fantastic experience.


When I mentioned I was nervous about him starting Nursery, they arranged a second tour of the Nursery for us and invited us to a special introductory session with other families joining around

the same time to run through everything, answer our questions, and this made us feel much more at ease.


The staff are incredible, it's so organised, well laid out, clean, and has a great range of spaces and facilities for the little ones. There is an outdoor play space connected directly from my son's classroom, a sensory room, nap room, and even a separate room that the children eat in at cute little tables and chairs together with meals cooked by a chef.


Compared to our friends nurseries and others that we have visited, I can confidently say that Waterfront Nursery has the best facilities we saw in Edinburgh. We're so glad our son attends here.

Reply from Catherine Buchanan, Manager at Waterfront NurseryThank you so much for your kind words, we really appreciate your feedback.
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.902)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.902) out of 10 for Waterfront 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 29 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 28 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 4.902 for Waterfront Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (315 Excellents x 5) + (28 Goods x 4) + (3 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 346 Ratings = 4.902
  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 Waterfront Nursery is based on 28 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 136 number of registered child places is 27.2, which has been reached with 28 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 (2)

Meet the Team (0)

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