1st Place at Chumleigh Gardens

Baby joined nursery around 11 months old. He is picky with food, doesn't nap well, and fights nappy changes. It was a very rough start for him and us at nursery but amazingly he did settle and is so happy at drop offs now. If he can settle in well, I believe 98% of babies can. The staff have been nothing but good to us.

The facilities are amazing, they do so many varied activities through the week (forest school, football lessons, all sorts of sensory play and mixed medium art!), and also give them time to simply play, and feel at home when they're away from home. The food is nutritious and varied. I cannot express my gratitude enough to the incredible staff of 1st Place who uphold these standards each and every day. We feel so lucky to be there.

We are privileged to have our two children attend this fantastic nursery. We' ve felt nothing but care from the staff for both of them, our kids especially love their key workers. Our son is preparing for reception in September and this transition is feeling more manageable with all the support he has received. Our daughter has also settled in well with our return to work after parental leave. We are always impressed by how well they know them, myself and my wife would highly recommend Chumleigh gardens to all parents, we drop off the kids everyday knowing they are in safe hands.

1st Place has been a great place for my son to attend. Staff have been supportive of my son and my family - particularly in difficult times over the last few years. The facilities are excellent, with a great amount of outdoor space - the facilities are within Burgess park also, which provides great access to additional outdoor space for activities and play. In each of the rooms / stages of my son's time at the nursery all the staff have been great both with the kids and parents. We have made good connections and made a community with parents also which has been great also

Both my children have gone to first place and have been extremely happy. The nursery staff are caring, thoughtful and sensible. They really get to know the kids and understand their foibles. The setting is bright, clean and has great outdoor space. All the kids are active and physical throughout the day and they have opportunities to play sports. The kids all say that the chef makes the best jollof rice ever. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better provider for my children and I will miss them greatly.

All the staff are so wonderful and happy, and my son really gets on with them all. They've got great facilities, and have wonderful outdoor space where they spend a lot of time and they have forest school. The staff are dedicated to making it an amazing place for the kids, they were also very accommodating when my son had an operation and had certain needs. Highly recommend

We highly recommend it.

A deep thank you from us all.

Our son has been at 1st Place Chumleigh Gardens for 3 years. We will be sad to say goodbye when he leaves for school in a couple of weeks. We have valued the responsive and consistent staff who create genuine bonds with the children. We have also valued the community that is created around the nursery. The children had a beautiful graduation ceremony to mark their ending. We look forward to our second child joining next year.

1st Place at Chumleigh Gardens has been an amazing experience for our daughter, for four years she has been excited to go to nursery every day. After looking at many nurseries this one definitely stood out not only for the great location in the park with a bright, cheerful building but also because of the creative learning approach. The staff provide a lovely warm atmosphere for the children, the food menu is well balanced and nutritious and they have done a lot of age-appropriate activities to ensure that the children are school-ready. We have also enjoyed meeting other families and integrating with the community, we would highly recommend this nursery.

We have had such a positive experience at 1st Place Chumleigh Gardens. The staff, facilities and overall environment have been so welcoming and nurturing. Our daughter started nursery whe she was 15 months old and has really thrived. We know the high level of care, support and creativity she has experienced at 1st Place have played a crucial part in allowing her to feel safe and comfortable to explore the world around her. We have seen how much she has developed and how happy she is at nursery and are so thankful for the hard work and efforts of all the staff, particularly through the unprecedented challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented them with. We can't recommend them highly enough.

We have been delighted in our choice of First Place since our daughter joined at 11 months (now 3) and our baby son will join in the Summer. The environment is lovely, light filled with great outdoor space in the middle of the park. Our daughter has always been very happy there, staff take time to get to know children and families well - supporting children to settle in, develop their interests and pursue new ones and supporting parents to navigate the whole process successfully. We have got to know lots of the other families too and feel really lucky to be part of such a great little local community - we genuinely couldn't ask for more or better and wholeheartedly recommend it (and I'm the headteacher of a primary school so I have some professional knowledge too.)

My daughter just turned two years old and she loves 1st place so, so much. The beginning wasn’t easy, neither for her nor me. Lots of tears and separation anxiety but everyone (from the receptionist to the teachers and her key worker) made sure she would be happy. After three weeks she was so happy to go to the nursery. She literally runs and waves at me goodbye. I feel my daughter is safe and loved at 1st place (Bruges Park). The big plus is they stimulate children too. She counts to 10 and sings Abcd on her own. She is so happy, we started with two days a week and now we are increasing. Thank you 1st Place.

We saw lots of nurseries and this was our first choice and we have not regretted it. The building and rooms are beautiful and full of light and it's proximity to the park makes a nice walk to and from it every day. Our daughter has been attending 1st Place for more than 2 years and looks forward to going back every day. She has learned so much and speaks very highly of the staff. We appreciate the variety of their food menu and we'll be sorry to leave once she starts school.

I highly recommend 1st Place at Chumleigh Gardens. My daughter attended the nursery from 2 years old and my son from 8.5 months old. It has, therefore, been a big and positive part of all our lives. We had a good experience when securing places for both children and have had a fast and efficient response to any queries, for example regarding payments and change of days. The space inside is flexible, open and light and the garden is fantastic, allowing easy free flow play. The staff are approachable, warm and friendly. Both my children have formed a close bond with their key person and other staff in their room. The educational approach is clear to see. Written reviews of both children have been insightful and helpful to guide onwards progression at home. The nursery have managed the challenges of the pandemic extremely well and we are so grateful to all the staff for their efforts. We will miss the nursery when my son graduates in the summer.

My husband and I had our first child at 1st Place from 9 months until she started reception, and our younger child from 15 months onwards. We love 1st Place - gorgeous, light-filled, new, purpose-built space. Wonderful menu for the children, with a hot meal cooked fresh daily on-site. Very competent, experienced staff that celebrates diversity in the community. Sometimes there can be admin/billing/comms errors, so just keep an eye. This has been our only issue. The charity that runs the nursery also does a lot of parent-and-child well-being work in the community, which is great. They have managed the Covid transition well, with protected bubbles. We love 1st Place and recommend it highly.

She learnt so much in those few months. I recommend 1st Place very highly.

I am overall happy with the nursery. My daughter started there a year ago and the change in her is immense. I particularly love the Reggio Emilia approach that 1st Place offer and the activities they do with the children. My daughter is always happy to go into nursery and the building is spacious and welcoming.

My son has been attending this nursery since he was nine months old, and over a year later he absolutely adores the place, can't wait to head there first thing and protests when he's due to come home. The staff are attentive, affectionate when required and enable both structured learning and free play in a perfect balance. He settled in extremely quickly and we're overall very happy with this nursery.