Once Upon A Time Daycare

Both my children have had a wonderful time at Once Upon a Time nursery. Sally was wonderful when they first started in the little ones room and Aimee and Gina really stood out as key workers to both my children, and my daughter, who is in reception now, always talks about Alice and wants to go and see her! We love so many aspects of the setting- its soft play, the quality of food, the provision and especially in my daughter’s final year, we found the setting to be really good at getting the children to be school-ready. My son in particular loves the Kix football coaching that they bring in and I appreciate the app, which is filled with photos from my children’s time there. My daughter has so many happy memories from Once Upon A Time, from hatching chicks, lots of Art and crafts and her “Graduation.” The transition support to school was very good and the setting helped to ensure she made a great start at her new school.

⭐ 0 Stars – Deeply Disappointed and Shocked by Their Practices I am extremely disappointed with the way this nursery has handled our situation, and I feel it is important for other parents to be aware of our experience. When we first visited, we were clearly told that the notice period was 1 month. Several months later, when we enquired about availability, we were told that only limited spaces were available and that we needed to pay the deposit before they would even send the contract. Trusting their earlier explanation and wanting to secure our daughter’s place, we paid the £150 (£75 admin fee + £75 deposit). Only after paying the deposit did we receive the contract and forms. We relied on the earlier verbal information, completed the forms, and sent them back. Unfortunately, our circumstances changed, so we contacted the nursery — both by phone and email — one month before the start date to cancel. They acknowledged our cancellation, and even wished us well. However, when I asked for the deposit back, everything changed. They suddenly claimed that the notice period was 3 months, and that because their contract states the “contract starts once the deposit is paid,” we now owed them two additional months of fees, even though our child never attended, they never provided a single hour of care, and they did not spend a penny on our behalf. As they maintain the waiting list, they certainly did not have to leave the place vacant. This felt incredibly unfair and misleading. They bound us to a contract based on a telephone conversation, without sharing the contract terms until after the deposit was taken. No parent should be locked into a lengthy contract before even seeing it. As a community member and a supporter of local businesses, this behaviour was a real blow. It felt like a deliberate attempt to trap parents and take advantage of them financially. I challenged their claim several times, shared legal points, and even spoke with staff who privately agreed the matter should be closed. But the management ignored everything and instead escalated it to solicitors. The first solicitor contacted me on June. I responded in full detail, and they stopped pursuing the matter — presumably because they realised there was no legal basis for the claim. Now, from September, a different firm (name sounds like a formal court letter) has started sending threatening letters, adding extra charges on top of the original fabricated amount. It is extremely stressful, and completely unnecessary. I have responded to them too and am currently waiting for the court claim they keep threatening, which I am fully prepared to defend. It is deeply disappointing to see a childcare provider — an organisation that should be built on trust, transparency, and care — operate in this manner. Please read every document carefully and insist on receiving contracts before paying any deposit. My experience has shown that parents can be left vulnerable to unfair financial practices.

We have been using this nursery for 6 weeks, and I think it is exceptional. I was astonished at how quickly our little one settled in, and the strong bond she has already developed with her key worker - and in fact all the other staff! I have never seen any staff or child looking stressed or upset, it is a consistently calm and positive environment and everyone seems to enjoy being there. The facilities are modern and amazingly clean, and we have been impressed by the quality and range of food offered. And the on-site soft play is just phenomenal - it's amazing that the children have access to this every day! Thank you to all the team.

Our daughter started in the Outer Space Room - Chloe and Sally did an amazing job of settling her in and took really good care of her. She has now moved up to the next room where Shannon does a wonderful job of helping her gain confidence and learn new skills. I couldn’t recommend this nursery enough! Very lovely and very attentive staff.

Both our children have attended OUAT; one which has now ‘graduated’, the other, still there. We love the nursery, and the staff! Our son particularly liked Amy, Georgina, and Alice, who made his journey particularly memorable and enjoyable! Sally and Chloe in the Baby room (Outer Space) have been lovely to our second child, and I’m sure the staff in the following rooms will make his journey special too as he moves throughout the rooms. The facilities are great, and the rooms are very spacious with lots of areas with a variety of activities. We visited many nursery’s before deciding on OUAT, and found it to have everything we were looking for, and more!