Open 7.30am - 6.30pm
Open 51 weeks
Fully funded places
FREE sibling places
At Apricot Day Nursery, we know that nursery education has many benefits. Evidence shows that it contributes to cognitive, social, and physical development, boosts confidence and independence, and supports children’s preparation for school.
To support this, our St Neots day nursery is pleased to offer a range of flexible benefits to families, including FREE childcare for siblings of registered children, do not charge for additions such as food, enhancements or consumables and some fully funded and part-funded sessions are also available for eligible families to provide as many families as possible with a nursery place to support your child’s development. Please contact the nursery team at Apricot to determine the nursery fee that is correct for your individual circumstances.
Our smaller size enables us to work closely with children and families to form a partnership which allows us to meet their individual needs and develop capable learners and communicators.
At our St Neots children’s day nursery, we follow the Montessori approach in a home-from-home environment. The children in our care learn through play, and the passionate team at our Ofsted-rated ‘Good’ nursery offer children a variety of activities and learning opportunities every day related to their individual interests, ensuring no two days are ever the same.
We know how special – and sometimes daunting – the transition to school can be for both children and parents. That’s why at our Pre-School, our Next Stop School program helps little ones develop the confidence, social skills, and independence they need, with plenty of support along the way to ensure they’re more than ready for this exciting next step
We welcome you to visit and tour our intimate setting, which consists of three rooms, each benefitting from its own safe and enclosed, age-appropriate outdoor play area. We are more than happy donning wellies and coats to discover the changing seasons, and free-flowing access to the outdoors allows children to learn and explore whenever they like, whatever the weather.
Our rooms are well-equipped with natural resources to stimulate the senses and encourage children to become independent, learn through discovery, and build their skills daily.
Apricot Nursery and Apricot Pre-School are spread across two sites, ensuring we can provide a unique and special nursery experience. When children are ready, they transition to our pre-school setting, which is just a few minute’s walk away.
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The Brighter Learning Approach (BLA) is unique to The Old Station Nursery group and is our advanced approach to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and core pedagogy. It differs from traditional nursery teaching methods by providing real-life opportunities to enhance children’s natural curiosity, with emphasis on hands-on experiences, child-led learning, and whole development.
The six core areas promote active engagement and critical thinking whilst encouraging exploration, creativity, and collaboration. Each child learns at their own pace and is challenged and extended at appropriate times.
The best place to see the BLA in action is via our local nursery Facebook page, where each post explains which part of the curriculum the children are working on. Our parents also receive updates on the Parent App too.
Championing children's holistic health and laying the foundations for a happy, healthy and successful life.
Helping the future generation of global citizens to understand the world they live in and to believe they can make a difference.
Enabling early experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM). Nurturing our next generation of investigators, inventors and innovators.
Enticing children to develop a life-long love of books and reading through engaging and interactive storytelling experiences. Building strong literacy skills while sparking imagination and creativity.
Engaging children in meaningful mathematical learning. Developing knowledge, building skills and exploring concepts, through purposeful play and plenty of practice.
Developing confident communicators by engaging in quality conversations with children every day, in a language rich and communication friendly environment.
We host activities that enable children to have new and interesting experiences. We hold numerous clubs that enhance the Brighter Learning Approach, our bespoke version of the Early Years Statutory Framework at our St Neots nursery and are fortunate enough to hold many of these outside.
Valuable and life-long skills are taught at Apricot Day Nursery St. Neots with our Budding Chefs loving the responsibility of cooking. Children eagerly take part in preparing and baking tasty treats and healthy alternatives to enjoy at snack time or to take home proudly to parents.
With the aid of a ‘cool touch’ oven, child-safe equipment and the children’s chef’s hats and aprons we follow a set curriculum to learn about the joys of cooking and gain lifelong skills such as measuring, counting and following set instructions.
Our babies can enjoy the benefits of baby yoga as an extracurricular activity at our nursery, which allows them to try gentle stretches, poses, and breathing exercises to develop flexibility, balance, and body awareness. Techniques of relaxation, managing emotions, focus, and self-control introduce mindfulness and self-awareness.
The Budding Artists at Apricot Day Nursery enjoy exploring and expressing their creative talents through much-loved arts and crafts sessions. Our nursery is fully set up to support messy play, too, and both include materials such as paint, natural elements, Play-Doh, lentils, shredded paper, and glue.
Children look forward to our music sessions which explore instruments, songs and rhythm. They grow in confidence and let off a little steam as they clap, shake, sing and dance and follow along with actions.
Come rain or shine, we tend our vegetable plots, teaching the children about the different stages of growth cycles and exploring the different tastes and textures of the produce.
As Budding Gardeners, children learn about the environment and gain lifelong sustainable growing skills and enjoyment, which they will carry with them throughout their lives.
Children learn so much during their early years and take great joy in exploring the world around them.
At our nursery they’re immersed into the world of Science through age appropriate hands-on experiments and activities designed to spark their curiosity.
Our nursery group is passionate about the link between home and nursery; the nursery experience is as much about the parent as it is for the child.
Apricot Day Nursery St Neots commits to verbally updating you about your child’s day at pick-up time and via digital updates on the parent App.
We are here at any time should you wish to call us or want to discuss any area of your child’s care. We aim to look after our parents as well as our children so you can carry on with your day, work and career with a sense of peace.
First and foremost, you and we need to know that your child is safe. Before we can deliver the excellent curriculum that makes our nurseries so special, robust policies and procedures are followed to meet the exacting standards of Ofsted, building and fire regulations, food safety standards and staff DBS background checks and references.
Our staff are trained in numerous areas and we offer further training opportunities for staff who have an interest in a particular area.
For example, some of our nurseries have attained Millie’s Mark, an accreditation gained by having 100% of staff on site trained in paediatric first aid.
Meals at Apricot Day Nursery are freshly prepared on-site by our own cook. We use fresh, seasonal ingredients to create a variety of nutritious meals that rotate regularly. Dietary preferences are taken seriously, and we cater to all requirements, including food intolerances and allergies.
Every child has a nursery key person who knows them best and who will be the child and parent’s main contact. Your key person at our nursery will update you about your child’s day and is there to answer your questions.
When your child moves to the next age group room, we hold several settling sessions with a new nursery key person.
We encourage our parents to view the new room too, and we will work with you to discuss the new routines, just like we did when you first started nursery.
It is wonderful to nurture and see our children graduate to primary school. Part of the unique offering at our nurseries is our focus on the next stage of your child’s learning journey. We prepare the children through school activities, teacher meet and greets and graduation ceremonies. Our commitment is to support our parents too by providing child learning journey updates, parents evenings or one-to-ones and home link learning kits to enhance the link between nursery and home.
When our children leave us in June, July, August and September the term before joining primary school, each family will receive a £30 Clarks voucher to help towards your child’s first pair of school shoes. It’s our way of saying thank you for being part of our nursery family.
All our nurseries follow the Brighter Learning Approach, our bespoke version of the Early Years Statutory Framework. Within this, each nursery chooses extra clubs, activities, and enhancements suitable for their space.
We welcome parents, families and their little ones from our St Neots community along to our weekly baby club. We also hold open days where parents and carers are encouraged to come and meet other parents to build their own personal friendships and networks ahead of primary school.
Apricot Day Nursery in St Neots commits to providing a simple fee structure so you can manage your nursery costs.
In addition to FREE childcare for siblings of registered children, our nursery in St Neots do not charge for additions such as food, enhancements or consumables and some fully funded and part-funded sessions are also available for eligible families.
Please contact the nursery team at Apricot to determine the nursery fee that is correct for your individual circumstances.
Free Sibling Terms and Conditions: Where more than two children attend, the 100% discount applies to one child only. 100% discount applies to the eldest sibling’s account. This offer is valid until the eldest child leaves. The discount does not transfer to additional children. Eldest child must be in receipt of government funding of 15 or 30 hours. The 100% discount will be applied based on the attendance hours of the youngest child. Limited availability applies; only available nursery sessions or spaces will be offered, and once full, the offer will no longer be available. This offer is valid for permanent booking patterns only. Extra sessions are not eligible for ‘Sibling Free’ discount. The discount will be applied to invoices from January 2025. Other discounts or offers are not applicable during this period. This offer does not apply to staff. We reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer valid for a limited period only. Offer will be honoured until the eldest child leaves. Available across selected nurseries only: Alvechurch, Apricot Nursery, Apricot Pre-school, Bromsgrove, Dover, Iver, Little Oaks, Maidstone, Margate, Moseley, Northfield, Rubery, St Nicholas, Taplow, The Grange, and Uxbridge. By taking up the offer, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
Our youngest learners can explore and develop at their own pace, gently encouraged and supported by our experienced nursery practitioners in sensory play using mirrors, musical instruments, and textures to discover and learn.
A warm and calm environment ensures babies feel settled, and we work with parents to follow feeding and sleep routines to create a home-from-home feeling.
In the one-year-old’s room, we begin to focus on communication and introduce the Makaton language programme of symbols, signs, and speech to support children’s communication.
There is plenty of space and age-appropriate resources for children to enjoy exploring and develop quickly and confidently when they become more mobile.
Here, staff focus on independence, and children can serve their own meals and pour themselves drinks. Through their natural curiosity, children challenge themselves to put on their own shoes and coats, helping them to understand self-care, a sense of achievement and a positive mindset. Nursery practitioners facilitate role play activities, and children learn to manage their emotions. Activities are both child-led and adult-led to help them develop.
At Apricot Nursery, we offer FREE childcare for siblings*, allowing them to benefit from nursery education and prepare for their next stage of learning at school.
The benefits of nursery education extend to parents too, allowing them to return to work knowing their children are safe and cared for.
*Terms and conditions apply. Please contact the team at Apricot Nursery to determine the correct fee for your circumstances.
“We love getting to know parents and children and welcoming them into the Apricot family. I am passionate about ensuring the children in our care have the very best start in life by meeting each child's individual needs. I aim to be a role model of best practices in early years education for our staff team, who go above and beyond to make the nursery a fun and safe environment for all children to have a variety of different, exciting, and challenging experiences.”
Lisa Payne, Nursery Manager, Apricot Day Nursery
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Please note that this is not a confirmation of your tour. One of our nursery team will endeavour to get back to you ASAP to confirm your date and time. Thank you.
If you are looking to arrange a tour within the next 48 hours, we recommend calling the nursery directly.
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