Henley Day Nursery (formerly St Mary's)

Thank you St Mary's!

My daughter was very shy to begin with but after a few weeks she's standing infront the class doing show and tell. They also do a buddy system with year6 which is greatShe truly does love it there and I'm so glad we chose St Mary's

From our first visit, all of the staff have been very helpful and welcoming. The teachers ensure that the children are appropriately challenged and have created a wonderful community that our daughter is really enjoying being part of.

Every day at pick up he is so happy and always wants to show us the wonderful things he has played with or made - it really is a pleasure to see him so animated and thriving in his new environment.

Our daughter has recently started at St Mary's and absolutely loves it! She settled in immediately thanks to the kind and caring staff. The overall atmosphere at the school is amazing, we feel so lucky to have our daughter there. We would recommend to anyone.

Such a lovely, nurturing environment for our little one. The staff have been amazing in helping us to settle our daughter into nursery. They have been so kind and supportive and our daughter is thriving.

St Mary’s is such a wonderfully nurturing and caring place to learn. All the staff care so specifically for each child and family. The school is a happy place and we could not be more grateful for the experiences our children have had.

Our three-year-old daughter has recently started at the St Mary’s nursery and is loving it. The teachers and support staff are all incredibly nurturing and kind. Nursery time is a great mix of play, socialising and more focused learning. My little girl has settled beautifully and is making friends and having fun!

My older daughter attended St. Mary's Nursery and my younger daughter currently attends. The nursery provides a warm and extended family feel which we love. It sits happily within the school environment and the children in the older school years love interacting with the little ones. Nursery are integrated within the school which makes the transition into kindergarten so unbelievably seamless. The curriculum is broken down into half-term blocks with a precise schedule sent out of the plan for the weeks ahead. Fridays are outdoor school days when the children are taken to a nearby nature area to see, touch and discover the outdoor world. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the nursery children all have such terrific friendships and are so happy to arrive each morning. I have seen with my older daughter how her time in nursery set her up for many happy years of schooling to follow.

The children also have the opportunity to bring their home world into the nursery, which creates a very settled and comfortable environment. Ultimately, I think what makes this such a special nursery is the teachers and the days that they create for the children.

I can’t really put into words what it has meant to us as a family to have our daughter in such an amazing nursery. I was nervous about how she would settle (as mums often are!) but I had nothing to worry about. The thing that sets St Mary’s School apart from all the other places in Henley are the people and their level of care. It’s a joy to go to every day because everyone is so warm and the individualised attention to making each child and family feel special is really unique. I don’t know how they remember everyone’s names but they do! My daughter frequently tells me ‘Mummy I love Mary’s school!’ Best decision we ever made.

We have been delighted with our daughter’s first term at St Mary’s upper nursery. She has been able to settle in really easily due to the kind and attentive nature of all the staff. The school has a lovely community/family feel to it and everyone is very responsive to individual requests and needs. We look forward to our daughter’s development into the school proper - we can see that she is being gently readied for that transition already.

I cannot speak highly enough of this wonderful nursery. My son who is 2 years old skips in every morning and is always greeted by the best cuddles from all of ladies who work there. The staff are just so kind and caring and always smiling and happy. He settled in immediately and has never looked back (quite literally!). They offer the children different activities everyday and even take them out of the nursery at least once a week for forest school or most recently to post letters to Santa! I also love that it is part of the Primary School and the older children are able to get involved. It gives the nursery children such variety. They give each child a buddy in the school and it's such a wonderful scheme for them all. I feel blessed that we are able to send our son to such an amazing nursery and preschool. Cannot recommend enough. The best nursery in Henley-on-Thames!

St Mary’s provides a wonderful environment for children to learn, play and grow. The staff here are wonderful and across the board, everyone is kind, friendly and engaging. This is reflected by the pupils and the nursery children who are all part of the St Mary's family. I especially like the way the school includes the nursery in their activities such as sports day, nativity and having the buddy system where older children are paired with a younger child in nursery. This reaps rewards for both and it’s the attention to detail that means this nursery is a much higher standard than others. We have seen our boy grow in confidence and he loves going to a school/nursery that is fun, active and inspires learning.

Well done, St Mary's School team, for achieving and maintaining such high standards of early years education.

When looking for a nursery and future school for our nearly 3-year-old daughter, one of the most important things for us was finding somewhere with the perfect balance between a place that would nurture her in her young years while simultaneously being an environment where she would thrive, learn and grow. A tough ask from any parent, but St Mary's could not have been more perfect for her. From the outset, my husband and I were impressed by the care and attention shown by all the staff. The fact the headmaster greets each child by name every morning, and most importantly, tests our confident and happy little girl. I couldn't recommend St Marys more highly and knows that as a family, it will be a special place for us for years to come.

I would describe St Mary's School as outstanding! It is just the most fantastic nursery! The teaching staff are so dedicated, totally committed to each child's individual needs, nurturing and genuinely caring for them. I cannot rate this nursery highly enough. I couldn't be happier; it was the right decision above and beyond all the other nurseries in the area that we visited.

Our child literally runs in every morning, and on collection, is bursting with all the activities and fun of the day, happily exhausted with a busy mind and a beaming smile.

Our third child has recently started at St Mary’s Nursery and has settled in so well with the kindness of the manager and her staff. All of our children have loved the nursery and grown and developed so well in the safe and friendly environment.

We looked at so many nurseries for our son, but none felt right- some had so many children, I felt our son might get "lost", others we looked at felt too formal. St Mary's was completely different - it felt so warm and nurturing there, and the class sizes are lovely. I can't say enough great things about the teachers. With the Covid restrictions making drop-offs a little less friendly, my son had some real issues going in, and would only allow one of the teachers to take him in. She was at the gate every morning to meet him, and after a couple of weeks, my son accepted the new way! He is so happy to go to nursery now and play with his friends. The updates, photos and videos every week are great; I just love seeing how happy he is and how many activities he gets to take part in.