Headstart-On-The-Hill Nursery & Pre-School

Headstart used to be a great family run business. However, since being taken over by Bright Stars nursery group in the autumn of 2023; owned by investment firm Oakley Capital; the service provision has deteriorated, fees have increased and the majority of permanent staff have resigned, leaving a bank of agency staff whom I'm sure are great but offer little to no continuity of care for children or parents. The nursery can feel chaotic, communication is poor and needless to say any perks, trips or individualised care have disappeared. You may get an update on your child once a quarter, and each child seems to have the same key worker in each room (due to the low level of permanent staff, I imagine.) I appreciate the new government childcare provisions must have stretched nurseries and honestly hope Bright Stars manage to sort the issues out at Headstart. This will be the last week for my son as we are moving him to an alternative childcare provider, as are others.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! Our daughter has leapt forward in confidence, language and ability since starting in Blossoms in January 2022. She is now in Chestnuts and thriving. We are delighted with the staff, how much they care for her and how effective the communication with parents is.

My daughter has been going to Headstart-On-The-Hill for 2 months and we're very happy to have found such a lovely nursery for her. They do lots of varied activities and all of the staff are very friendly and helpful. She's settled in really well and we have total peace of mind that she is in a very safe and caring environment while having lots of fun.

My daughter is in Chestnuts' Room at Headstart and she loves it. She often talks about nursery at home and sometimes asks to go in on her days off. I have seen huge leaps in her development especially speech and language since coming to nursery. Her confidence has grown too, thanks to such a great team!

The setting is in a great location and a lovely building where each room is safe, secure and clean. The meals provided are freshly made and change seasonally. Activities that the children take part in are great and my 3.5 year old loved forest school.

Excellent nursery that provides a variety of activities and enjoyment for little ones. There is always something exciting happening each week and I can see how my little one is developing so well thanks to the great standard of care provided.

My child has only been going to the nursery for 1 month and so far I have no complaints, the staff have been wonderful and welcoming, the food they have sounds amazing and very well balanced and my child seems to love it all he will tell me about his day when we get home. I have no issues or complaints with the nursery, couldn't have asked for a better first impression.

Wonderful experience at Headstart-On-The-Hill. My 3 - 3-year-old daughter has been attending Headstart since she was 1 year old and I couldn't be happier with our experience. The range of activities and learning opportunities is impressive. I've noticed that since attending this nursery my child's speech has improved massively and this is down to the staff for their support in her development. This nursery has become a second home for my daughter every day she comes home talking about her teachers and what type of fun acts they have done. Examples are - trips out to the city centre, cooking, and nature school. The staff are incredibly caring which provides peace of mind that my daughter is in good hands. Overall, Headstart on the Hill is a fantastic place for children to learn and grow. I highly recommend it.

I believe the above is down to the amazing staff they employ, every single one of them is supportive, caring and clearly enjoys their job.

She has more abilities and tools to be independent and she is happy.

I would 100% recommend this nursery to anyone!

Fantastic experience with Headstart on the Hill in Chester. Our little girl loves going every Tuesday, the staff are so friendly, and they put on nice events to get parents involved over Easter, Xmas etc.

Willows room is outstanding and we have nothing but positive things to say about the staff and the whole establishment. Our son wakes up excited to go to Willows to see his friends (which includes the staff). When we collect him he smiles and tells us all about the amazing day he has had.

I couldn’t recommend Headstart enough my daughter is so happy there, she’s always laughing, you can tell she loves the staff and they love her. The ladies are truly fantastic. The nursery is expensive but they all are. If she didn’t love it as much as she did I would certainly move her. I never have to worry about her, she’s safe, happy and loved and is coming on so much!

My son has thrived at this setting and has developed amazingly!

Seeing our child's face when he goes to school is amazing because we know that they are going to have a great day.

I could not recommend this nursery more.

My son has been attending Headstart for a year now and we are so happy with his experience so far. I was quite nervous about handing him over for professional care but Headstart is a cut above what I hear about most nurseries. As it is quite small, you get a really personalised experience; my son seems to know and be known by staff across all four rooms, even though he's only recently moved into the second room. He is appreciated and nurtured as an individual and the staff are fantastic, knowledgeable and caring about their work and always careful to involve us in our child's developmental journey and anything that comes up. The rooms are really well-designed and stimulating, the menu is healthy and varied, there is just the right level of focus on education and development, and always lots of fun to be had too. I like that the staff don't spend a lot of time on the app, instead focusing on the children, so you just get a thorough weekly/termly update instead of throughout the day.

Special thank you to the particular members of staff who have personally gone above and beyond for us! But all the team are wonderful. Thank you so much.

The whole team from management to the teams in the rooms are always friendly and welcoming and go above and beyond for the children in their care it is very clear they love the job they do. I cannot fault the nursery and would highly recommend.