Willow Cottage Nurseries offer parents and carers the highest quality childcare and a preschool education of excellence. Parents and carers can leave their child with confidence, knowing that they are in a happy, safe, and loving extended family environment. Our nursery practitioners and their team work in close partnership with parents and carers to support their child’s happiness and developmental and educational needs and so provide the best possible outcomes for their future.
Our Settings
Our nurseries are situated in spacious beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, chosen for abundant outside facilities.
Situated just off the A40, on the road to Church Hanborough, our Eynsham nursery provides a wonderful, leafy sanctuary for early learning. The setting features exceptionally well-resourced indoor play spaces that flow seamlessly into a generously sized, shared open garden. Surrounded by mature trees, it is a safe, inspiring haven where children naturally flourish
Conveniently located for easy access to the west of Oxford, our Farmoor setting offers a true countryside experience. Children can freely explore our beautiful orchard, expansive open field, and dynamic outside play spaces. This nurturing, nature-rich environment gives your child endless opportunities for daily outdoor adventure and discovery.
Housed in a picturesque Victorian school building, our Bletchingdon setting combines historic charm with innovative early education. Offering ready access to the A34, this location features unique garden classrooms and a large open field. It beautifully blends rich heritage with modern, nature-led play to inspire daily wonder and curiosity.
We also have a map of our settings.
Our curriculum is underpinned by the values of our founding director, Valerie Grady. Valerie has always promoted the importance of a connection to nature, physical play in outdoor spaces, a healthy relationship with food, and the need for children to build secure relationships with adults and peers to develop their emotional wellbeing.
These beliefs inspire our curriculum principals, which our teams use alongside the Birth to Five guidance to ensure every child makes progress at a developmentally appropriate rate.
Children learn best through play when they feel emotionally secure, inspired, and valued. Supported by dedicated key practitioners, our warm, home-like environments and rich outdoor spaces offer accessible resources that spark curiosity. Through meaningful interactions and thoughtful observations, we adapt play spaces to challenge every child’s unique pace and imagination.
We believe home cooked, wholesome food is essential for your child’s growth and well-being. Our bespoke menus are freshly prepared daily by specialist in-house chefs to provide delicious, nourishing meals tailored to young appetites. We thoughtfully cater to most dietary requirements and allergies, ensuring mealtime is always safe and enjoyable.
Natural Spaces
Our nurseries feature expansive natural spaces, generous gardens, and rich outdoor environments designed to spark curiosity and adventure. Thoughtfully resourced with natural play areas, we encourage children to explore, assess risk safely, and connect with the outdoors every day—fostering confidence, health, and a lifelong love of nature.
Our Professional & Reliable Team
Our experienced, highly qualified team are the heart of Willow Cottage. Every team member undergoes robust safeguarding checks and ongoing training to deliver excellence in early education. Through our key-person approach, staff form secure, caring bonds with every child and family. Parents can feel completely confident knowing their little ones are in safe, nurturing, and dependable hands.
Our nursery practitioners and their team work in close partnership with parents and carers to support their child’s happiness and developmental and educational needs and so provide the best possible outcomes for their future.
Music & Early Communication
Through rich musical experiences, rhythm, and rhyme, we nurture early communication, language development, and self-expression. Interactive song sessions, listening games, and sound exploration build crucial listening skills, vocabulary, and phonetic awareness—giving every child a joyful, expressive foundation for spoken language and early literacy.
Find out what parents say about their experiences at Willow Cottage.
Find out what OFSTED say about our nurseries.
A summary of useful parent information for new and existing parents can be found on the Parent Information page including Opening Hours, Fees, Funding.
Visits to the nursery are by pre-booked appointments and subject to the availability of a place for your child. To arrange a visit to a setting you will need to let us know a few details about your child, including their age and your required booking pattern via our Availability Request form. It usually takes from 2 to 4 weeks to complete this process.