Davenport Lodge School

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Reviews

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  Sharan Dhadda

  The school have been absolutely amazing with both of my children. They have been comforting, nurturing and academically supportive. My kids have both come out confident and excited to begin their primary school journeys. The staff have always responded well to any concerns, have kept me updated with any issues and have taken the time out to comfort the kids when needed. My kids come home content and I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you to the staff at DL! :)

  26-08-2022
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  Gus Bhandal

  We visited a number of nurseries before Davenport Lodge, and we chose them based upon the positive first impression. Our child had a very enjoyable experience throughout the three years he was there, and the teachers always quickly responded to any issues or concerns. Things that particularly attracted us were the care provision, qualified teachers, low staff turnover, great facilities, and ongoing learning/development plans (which have put our child in a great position for the transition to primary school).

  26-05-2022
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  Rebecca Palmer

  Firstly, at least 2 or 3 of the positive reviews have been posted by people who would have been members of staff at the time the review was written. Also, some not so positive reviews have been removed from Google so bear that in mind as well. Approach this nursery with caution if you even suspect your child might not fit the mould or if you want them to grow up appreciating or accepting neurodiversity. It is a non selective nursery at entry, the selection takes place when the child is there. If the child does not conform they will make a token gesture of involving SENDCO but no real action is taken and the child will be forced out instead. Parents are not listened to. We repeatedly told them our daughter was struggling with fatigue which later turned out to be a thyroid issue but they decided, without telling us, that she was autistic and just put her in a corner. We appointed support from a private speech and language consultant and they refused to engage with the recommended strategies and when the consultant told them my daughters behaviour was their fault they turned on the consultant. They also lied to NHS Speech and Language Therapy telling them they had told us they thought our daughter was autistic but they did not, in fact we had raised the issue with them and they said they weren't allowed to comment. They make out that education is a joint effort between parents and teachers, which we believe in, but we had little engagement with them on key issues. We will pay the price for their mistakes for a long time to come. If your child will conform with their expectations it is probably a great place to be.

  26-05-2022
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  Claire Gibbons

  Everything you'd want from a nursery. Delighted with how our little boy has developed since he started at Davenport.

  26-05-2020
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  sarah townend

  My daughter's journey here is at an end. She has been here since 9months old and I can't thank all the staff enough their support and kindness In helping my daughter develop into the character she is today. She has made some strong bonds with staff and children there. Will be sad to see her go. She is able to write her name without support and become more confident. Great nursery school.

  26-05-2019
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  steve macdonald

  Congratulations to Mrs Nalus and her team for the GOOD Ofsed rating. A true reflection of a great establishment. Thank you for educating, looking after and ensuring fun times for our son and the other children. Our son looks forward to going each day and particularly enjoys forestry class. All the staff are attentive, patient, caring and detailed especially in their end of day reporting at collection/home time. Keep up the good work, thank you.

  26-05-2018
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  jennie maclean

  My daughter had been at davenport lodge since she was 9months old and ive never had a problem i was very happy with the care she recieved and as a parent any concerns i had was taken on board and resolved. My daughter formed a very good bond with all staff and towards me as a parent the staff were very professional. My daughter struggled with eating and trying various foods but this nursery helped no end encouraging her to try new foods and now i have no problem with her eating at all.no longer a stressed parent when it comes to making her meals! I loved looking through her journal and seeing how many milestones she had reached and how she had been encouraged to reach these goals! when my daughter left there was a graduation ceremony for all the children that were leaving and parents were allowed to stay an get involved with activities and take photos.. alot of planning and care had gone into the graduation day and it made me feel happy that my child was given such a big send off. My little girl still talks about davenport lodge and the staff that were there, she left there being able to write pre cursive and starting to read ! i was very proud she achieved this and it was down to her teachers encouraging her and persisting with her in a positive way to reach those milestones.

  26-05-2018
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  Sara sara

  The worst nursery I have ever come across. basic security for children is lacking. My son is been left in the garden on his own for more than 30 mins and they realized it only after I went to pick him up. All the care is money.Going to report about them to ofsted.

  26-05-2018
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  Alan Lynch

  26-05-2018
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  Tahera Khan

  Avoid at all costs. FOOD: Even with a kitchen and onsite 'chef', the food is reheated food and 'value' priced items. Nothing is 'cooked'. Children are given only one portion, and if they spill it or throw it, which they tend to do, they don't get another. If they sleep though a meal time, they are given 'simple' foods like a sandwich, so if your child slept through lunchtime, they would be given a sandwich, whether your child likes it or not. The lunch is not reheated so even though you have paid for a hot meal, don't think they will reheat it and give it to your child. We have heard story their child was left alone throughout the day, and when he went home, he was scoffing all his food with both hands because he was so hungry! EDUCATION: There is a SEVERE lack of care and attention to children development. The childminders have "no time" (according to the Head Mistress) to spend developing your child as per the early years syllabus. With regards to record keeping, the claim they update this on a daily basis, this is far from it. You'd see the variation of pen colours and handwriting, crosses or ticks. It is clear this was completed the day/night before your visit. Worse, is the development record is not a true reflection as there are points in the syllabus which our child clearly exhibits has not been marked as completed. This demonstrates they a) don't record daily and b) are not challenging the child to drive towards learning a particular key element on the syllabus (e.g. learning numbers). I've picked my child up he is sitting in corner, bored, rubbing his eyes whilst the childminders are standing around or running around looking busy (probably because they know it is pick up time so need to clean up the child, or stimulate them for the last hour of the day). The other children look gormless, bored waiting to be picked up. There is no stimulation. They fill a sand pit with some rice and put the kids in it and think that is stimulation! And they are NOT OFSTED and run another scheme. RETENTION: The turnover is horrific and your child does not get time to bond so they don't feel reassured. If they do, the childminder may only be there for collection, but what happens during the day is they get passed out and go with a 'favourite' childminder. Sorry to say, if your child does not have a favourite, god knows what happens. The claim it is 1:3 is wrong. It is more 1:5, and it should be 1:3 as per the government guidelines. CLEANING: The place stinks. They claim it is cleaned twice a day, I beg to differ. Three parents saw stains and dust on toys and surfaces for 4 days, and until we pointed it out, they hadn't done anything. Worse was we heard that a parent watched his child being cleaned by one of the staff and cleaned back-to-front with the same wipe! This leads to infections!! OVERALL: Avoid paying over £900 for this place. My child is so much happier now in another nursery regardless of the fees.

  26-05-2017