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Harwell Day Nursery and Preschool

"Excellent. My Daughter has been at the Nursery for 3+ years. It is faultless. The staff are excellent, caring and fun, and the nursery has a fantastic culture. Superb facilities too. One very happy daughter and parents"
(GH, Parent - daynurseries.co.uk)

A Spacious and Inspiring Nursery in Harwell, Didcot

Welcome to Harwell Day Nursery and Preschool. You and your child will love our Ofsted Good rated nursery and preschool, located on the Harwell Campus in Didcot. Every aspect of our nursery is specifically designed to support your child's development from the age of 3 months to 5 years.

Excellent Rooms and Resources for Every Age

In our bright and cosy Acorns room, little ones aged 3 to 18 months spend happy days exploring our wide range of stimulating, sensory resources. Unique activities aid their development in a warm and nurturing environment, while nap times are enjoyed in our separate sleeping room.

Our Saplings room is for children aged 18 months to 3 years and is an exciting environment to make new discoveries. Your toddler will be nurtured as they learn new skills and take part in activities based on their interests.

Oaks is our lovely preschool room for little learners aged 3 to 5 years. This is an airy and spacious room where your child will learn the key skills they need to prepare them for their next steps.

We're fortunate to have a large and brilliantly equipped children's kitchen, where your mini chef will explore recipes and nutrition with our qualified chef.

Children also enjoy Boogie Mites music sessions where they can learn about the world through music and song.

A Bright Beginning for Every Child

Your little one will get the best start to their schooling life through our enriching and wellbeing-focused Bright Beginnings Curriculum, designed by our own Early Years specialists.

Building on the foundations of the government's EYFS curriculum, Bright Beginnings combines a wide range of activities to nurture and develop the skills your child needs to flourish and reach their full potential. This holistic yet personal approach supports each child's wellbeing, development, and progress – whether that's moving rooms or preparing them for school.

You can stay updated with your child's progress through our Bright Horizons Family app.

Getting Ready for Their Next Steps

To ensure your little learner is confident to start school, preschoolers take part in our Ready for School programme, which brings structure and focus to maths, reading, writing and other essential skills they need to get ready for school.

Garden Adventures

Your little explorer will love spending time in our large, all-weather garden, which is full of exciting activities and age-specific areas. There is so much to discover from our trike track and climbing frame to our planting area and mud kitchen. We also have a lovely baby garden with its own sandpit and covered area.

Each classroom enjoys free-flow access to the garden, allowing the children to choose when to take their play and learning outdoors.

All-Inclusive Care and Convenience

  • Nutritionally balanced meals are prepared by our onsite chef. Our all-inclusive care extends to meals, nappies, wipes, formula, and creams.
  • Onsite parking.
  • Our nursery in Didcot is conveniently located on the Harwell Oxford Science Campus, with excellent transport links between Didcot Parkway and the campus.

Your Personal Tour

We're so excited to meet you and your little one. To learn more about our Didcot nursery or to see us for yourself, please get in touch and we'll arrange a personal tour.

Manager Harwell
Alison
Nursery Manager
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Curie Avenue, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QQ
Find us on what3words
award.every.punctual
  • Monday7:30AM - 6:00PM
  • Tuesday7:30AM - 6:00PM
  • Wednesday7:30AM - 6:00PM
  • Thursday7:30AM - 6:00PM
  • Friday7:30AM - 6:00PM
Lines open: Mon - Fri 08:00 - 19:00

Here's an 'at a glance guide' to what Harwell has to offer.

Buggy Park 

Buggy
Park

On-site Parking 

Onsite
Carpark

Landscaped Garden 

Landscaped
Garden

Water Play 

Water
Play

Sensory Room 

Sensory
Play

Green Flag Award 

Eco
School

On-site Chef 

Chef
Onsite

Transport Links 

Transport
Links

Mud Kitchen 

Mud
Kitchen

Vegetable Garden 

Vegetable
Garden

Children's Kitchen 

Childrens
Kitchen

Boogie Mites 

Boogie
Mites

Included in our fees

Green Tick
Unlimited hypoallergenic nappies*
Green Tick
Unlimited hypoallergenic wipes*
Green Tick
Three nutritious meals
Green Tick
A range of healthy snacks
Green Tick
Formula milk for babies under 1 year
Green Tick
Cows' milk or dairy-free alternatives for older babies and children
Green Tick

*A very small number of our nurseries are not able to offer all of the above, please check with your nursery for specific details.

We've got it covered

Baby and toddler care items are all included, together with all food and snacks (and milk for babies under 1 year-old). We offer milk alternatives and dairy- free milk to children with allergies.

We cater for a wide range of nutritional needs allergies, intolerances and special diets (including vegetarian and cultural). Find out more about our food, menus and mealtimes.

Fee Calculator

Our calculator enables you to estimate your basic fees BEFORE childcare funding is applied. We’ve taken this approach as funding is dependent on your own very individual situation, how old your child is, where you live, whether you’re working and so on.

Our comprehensive funding guides provide guidance on what funding you’re likely to be eligible for, we can send this to you after you’ve estimated your fees.

When you visit us, we can also help you understand your options and work out what your net fees will be after any childcare funding is taken into account.

Estimate your fees

Oops! We appear to be having a few technical challenges! Our team is working hard to get our fee calculator back up and running soon as soon as possible. Thanks for bearing with us.

In the meantime, if you need some answers or to book a nursery visit, then please call us on 01235422053, our friendly team is here to help.

Find out what people love about us

Parent testimonials taken from daynurseries.co.uk.
  • Parent Testimonial
    "The level of care has been outstanding. The team have been really supportive throughout his journey with them. The activities available have helped him develop his skills and also his curiosity which has been great to see. The outside space, especially, has been a favourite due to the numerous exercises they can do out there!"

    Lucy F, Parent

  • Parent Testimonial
    "Not only do the children love to go (including the older one who likes to pop in and see his nursery staff friends) but the team make an effort with little things like bird music in reception in the morning which lifts the spirits, free fruit for rushed mums and dads who skipped breakfast and fun gatherings with parents."

    Matt Y, Parent

  • Parent Testimonial
    "From the moment you walk in, you can tell that Bright Horizons in Harwell has a lovely feel to it. Bright, spacious, and airy, a warm welcome from all staff members at all times, and evidence of lots of really lovely activities for the children everywhere you look"

    Naomi F, Parent

Here you can explore more about how we’ll support you and your family, right from day one and throughout your journey with us.

The Nurture Approach

The Nurture Approach

Our holistic, research-backed approach nurtures emotional wellbeing, inspires learning, and provides exceptional care - supporting your child’s development every step of the way. 

Childcare Funding Options

Childcare Funding

Take a look through all the available options to see what childcare funding is available to support your family, and download our funding guide.

Our Nursery Day

Our Nursery Day

Discover what happens after drop-off! From outdoor adventures to cosy story time, our days are thoughtfully structured to balance play, learning, rest, and mealtimes.  

SEND

SEND Support

We’ll ensure we give your child the support to feel empowered to thrive at their own pace through our inclusive, tailored support.

Family Resources

Family Resources

Take a look at our wide range of activities, book reviews, nursery rhymes, recipes, blogs and more.

Settling In Sessions

Settling In Sessions

Starting at nursery can be an exciting time for you and your child. Our Settling in Sessions will provide you with the chance to get to know your nursery.

Food & Mealtimes

Food and Mealtimes

Our nurseries are proud to serve every child with freshly prepared food. Take a look at our menus and more.

Meet the team

Our team are dedicated to making your child's experience safe and fun. We always go the extra mile.

  • Manager Harwell
    AlisonNursery Manager
  • Harwell Third in charge
    SarahDeputy Manager
Read more

Follow us on social media...

Did you know that our nursery is on Facebook and Instagram? 'Like' or 'Follow' us to join in the fun! We share what we've been getting up to, as well as activities you can try at home with your little one. Learn about upcoming events happening at our nursery to pop in your calendar and enjoy meeting the team with posts about the amazing early years practitioners in our setting. We look forward to welcoming you to our Facebook and/or Instagram community - just click 'Like' or 'Follow' and you're in!

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