Wolfson College Oxford Nursery

The Wolfson College Day Nursery is based within the College grounds in North Oxford. It aims to provide a safe and stimulating educational environment in which children can develop their knowledge and skills at their own pace. We aspire to produce happy, well-adjusted and confident children by working in close partnership with parents.

The Nursery believes in creating a ‘home away from home' for children and families. We believe that by providing children with an environment where they feel safe, secure and supported they will be confident enough to explore the world around them and learn naturally through this exploration. We acknowledge the critical importance of children, parents and staff as partners in a learning community that promotes the wellbeing, education and development of all children. We encourage family and parent participation and believe this is a key part of running a successful childcare program. Play is an important part of a child's development. Through play children learn about the world around them and it is, therefore, important to understand how valuable toys and play are in the development of the child.

By adopting the key-person system, we ensure consistency of care for the child and a two-way partnership between parents and carer to establish close links between home and nursery.

Oxfordshire provides a choice of daycare nurseries, but few can offer an environment nestled between Summertown and the city centre, in the heart of a peaceful College environment.

The Nursery prides itself on being self-reflective and working alongside educators and parents to create a ‘Continuous Improvement Plan' (link below). This plan is reviewed quarterly and updated where applicable. It allows the nursery practices to stay relevant and developing to coincide with industry developments and any regulation or legislation changes.  

The day nursery provides:

  • a relaxed, safe and stimulating atmosphere;
  • an encouraging, consistent and positive attitude towards all children;
  • a welcome for children of all abilities and from all social and ethnic backgrounds;
  • a recognition that children have individual needs and may therefore develop at different rates;
  • freedom from stereotyping of any kind
08:30 to 17:30 [days]
08:30 to 13:00 [mornings]
13:00 to 17:30 [afternoons]

Age range: 6 weeks to 5 years


The Nursery is open for 49 weeks a year excluding all UK Bank Holidays and College Closures; the Nursery has an additional closure for 2 weeks in August (closure dates on request).

Fees on application - Sibling discount available

The Nursery operates a waiting list; priority is given to members of Wolfson College, others are welcome.

Full details can be found in the Waitlist Application Form (link below).

The Wolfson College Nursery is a registered carer and all staff are required to undergo thorough DBS checks. The Nursery is subject to inspection by OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education), a Fire Safety Officer, and by Environmental Health Inspectors. We are proud of the Nursery's excellent record and good reports resulting from these inspections.

For more information contact: daynursery@wolfson.ox.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)1865 274085

For information about local schools, visit the Oxfordshire County Council website.