Arcadia Nursery
Arcadia Nursery is a dual-location early childhood education and care service operated by UOE Accommodation Ltd (University of Edinburgh subsidiary), providing full-day childcare for children aged 6 weeks to primary school age across King's Buildings and Easter Bush campuses in Edinburgh and Midlothian.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Arcadia Nursery does
Arcadia Nursery is a dual-location early childhood education and care service operated by UOE Accommodation Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh. The company provides full-day childcare for children aged 6 weeks to primary school age across two purpose-built sites: Arcadia at King's Buildings in Edinburgh (licensed capacity 113 children) and Arcadia at Easter Bush in Roslin, Midlothian (licensed capacity 78 children), for a combined capacity of 191 children. Each site features three open-plan playrooms organized by age band (Harmony 0-2 years, Peace 2-3 years, Serenity 3-5 years), operating Monday to Friday 7:30am-6:00pm for 50 weeks per year.
The nursery relies on third-party technology platforms — Kindersoft for nursery management and Learning Journals for educational records tracking — rather than proprietary systems. Curriculum delivery is aligned to Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (Early Level), Realising the Ambition, GIRFEC, UNCRC, and My World Outdoors frameworks. Arcadia is registered with the Care Inspectorate and SSSC and participates as a research site for University of Edinburgh studies on early childhood cognitive and linguistic development.
Revenue is generated primarily through recurring daily tuition fees (£72.50/day at King's Buildings, £70.00/day at Easter Bush) billed monthly via Direct Debit in 12 instalments, supplemented by £150 refundable deposits. Additional revenue streams include partnership funding from City of Edinburgh Council and Midlothian Council providing up to 1,140 free childcare hours annually for children aged 3+, salary-sacrifice childcare vouchers accepted via employer schemes, and a University of Edinburgh Workplace Nursery Scheme discount of 20% for staff. Customer segments are split between University of Edinburgh staff and students (with childcare fund support available) and general public families across Edinburgh and Midlothian. No AI capabilities, external funding events, or M&A activity are disclosed.
Arcadia Nursery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Arcadia Nursery
- Legal name
- UOE Accommodation Ltd
- Website
- https://arcadianursery.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Arcadia Nursery is a dual-location early childhood education and care service operated by UOE Accommodation Ltd (University of Edinburgh subsidiary), providing full-day childcare for children aged 6 weeks to primary school age across King's Buildings and Easter Bush campuses in Edinburgh and Midlothian.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Arcadia Nursery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Childcare Services
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD), Nursery School Wraparound Care (Extended Hours) (EDACACAG)
Keywords
Where Arcadia Nursery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Arcadia Nursery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Childcare Tuition Fees: Flat fee structure based on 52 weeks of charging per year. Fees are charged daily and calculated to account for the two-week Christmas closure and in-service days. Full-day rates apply, with payment via Direct Debit in 12 monthly instalments.
- Partnership Funding: Children aged 3+ may receive up to 1140 hours of free childcare per year through partnership funding with City of Edinburgh Council and Midlothian Council. Funding is paid to Arcadia in advance and deducted from monthly fees.
- Childcare Voucher Schemes: Accepts workplace childcare vouchers through salary sacrifice schemes, which reduce monthly fees and provide savings on National Insurance contributions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Full day rate at King's Buildings: £72.50 |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Full day rate at Easter Bush: £70.00 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Deposit: £150 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Arcadia Nursery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Arcadia Nursery operates two purpose-built early years childcare and education facilities on University of Edinburgh campuses in Edinburgh and Roslin, serving children from 6 weeks old until primary school age. Each location provides age-banded playrooms (Harmony 0-2 years, Peace 2-3 years, Serenity 3-5 years), a Curriculum for Excellence-aligned program, freshly prepared meals, and free-flow garden access, with combined capacity for 191 children across 50 weeks per year.
Product overview
Arcadia Nursery is a dual-location early childhood education and care service operated by UOE Accommodation Ltd (University of Edinburgh). The company provides full-day childcare for children aged 6 weeks to primary school age at King's Buildings (Edinburgh) and Easter Bush (Roslin), operating Monday to Friday 7:30am to 6:00pm, 50 weeks per year. Core services include structured curriculum aligned to Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence, with dedicated playrooms for different age groups (Harmony, Peace, Serenity). Additional offerings include partnership funding (up to 1140 free hours), childcare voucher acceptance, and student financial assistance through the University of Edinburgh. The nursery integrates with Kindersoft for management software, Learning Journals for educational tracking, and participates in university research programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Arcadia Nursery (King's Buildings) Full-day early years childcare and education service located on the King's Buildings campus in southeast Edinburgh, serving children aged 6 weeks to primary school age. Features three open-plan playrooms (Harmony 0-2 years, Peace 2-3 years, Serenity 3-5 years) with capacity for 113 children, open Monday-Friday 7:30am-6:00pm for 50 weeks per year.
- Arcadia Nursery (Easter Bush) Full-day early years childcare and education service located on the Easter Bush campus in Roslin, Midlothian, serving children aged 6 weeks to primary school age. Features three open-plan playrooms (Harmony 0-2 years, Peace 2-3 years, Serenity 3-5 years) with capacity for 78 children, open Monday-Friday 7:30am-6:00pm for 50 weeks per year.
- Partnership Funding (Free Childcare Hours) Government-funded free childcare programme providing up to 1140 hours per year for eligible children over the age of 3, delivered via partnerships with City of Edinburgh Council at King's Buildings and Midlothian Council at Easter Bush. Funding is paid to Arcadia in advance and deducted from monthly fees.
- University of Edinburgh Childcare Fund (Student Financial Assistance) Financial support programme for eligible University of Edinburgh students, with no set limit to the assistance available, intended to make Arcadia Nursery accessible to student parents.
- Workplace Nursery Scheme (University Staff) Discounted childcare programme providing University of Edinburgh staff with a 20% discount via the Workplace Nursery Scheme, including priority access for children of university staff.
Companies that use Arcadia Nursery
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Arcadia Nursery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Arcadia Nursery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Showcase Computer Systems Ltd (Kindersoft)coreProvides nursery management software Kindersoft used by Arcadia for administrative and operational purposes. Details of Kindersoft's GDPR and personal data policy available at their website.
- Learning Journals LtdcoreProvides online educational records platform for tracking children's learning and development. Only authorised nursery staff and parents of individual children can access information.
- City of Edinburgh CouncilcoreProvides partnership funding for eligible children over 3 years old (up to 1140 hours free childcare per year) for Arcadia at King's Buildings location.
- Midlothian CouncilcoreProvides partnership funding for eligible children over 3 years old (up to 1140 hours free childcare per year) for Arcadia at Easter Bush location.
- Care InspectoratecoreGovernment regulatory body for care services in Scotland. Arcadia is required to meet Care Inspectorate standards and undergo statutory inspections. Personal data must be updated every six months as required by Care Inspectorate.
- Enable ScotlandminorPartnership for Modern Apprentice project providing training opportunities. Arcadia was nominated and shortlisted for STF Awards for this partnership work.
- PA TrainingminorPartner in Modern Apprentice project with Enable Scotland, providing training opportunities for future workforce.
- University of EdinburghcoreParent organisation. Arcadia is a division of UOE Accommodation Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of The University of Edinburgh. Provides childcare fund for student financial assistance.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Arcadia Nursery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- N Family Club: Premium London-focused nursery chain with multiple locations, designed facilities, and a research-informed curriculum. Most comparable in ethos (purpose-built, premium positioning, strong brand, parent communication app) and likely head-to-head competition for professional families.
- Storal Learning: UK nursery group operating purpose-built settings with a curriculum-led approach and parent app integrations. Directly comparable operating model with multi-site rollout and similar regulatory environment to Arcadia.
- Tops Day Nurseries: Multi-site UK nursery chain offering full-day care from 0-5 with structured curriculum and parent communication tools. Comparable in service scope, age range served, and reliance on government-funded hours.
- Kidsunlimited (part of Bright Horizons): UK nursery brand offering full-day early years education for 0-5 with research-led curriculum focus. Highly comparable in age range, day-rate model, and curriculum alignment to UK national frameworks.
- Imperial College London Early Years Centre: University-operated nursery serving Imperial College staff and students on its South Kensington campus. Closely comparable as a Russell Group university workplace nursery offering subsidized early years education and serving a similar academic community.
- University of Cambridge Day Nursery: University of Cambridge's own workplace nursery on campus, serving staff and students with subsidized childcare. The most direct peer given virtually identical ownership structure (university-owned), location (on campus), customer base (university staff/students), and purpose-built facilities.
Broad incumbents
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Global nursery and early years provider with UK operations including workplace nursery partnerships. Most directly comparable as a multi-site, employer-affiliated nursery chain competing for the same corporate and institutional clients Arcadia serves, though at materially larger scale.
- Busy Bees Nursery: One of the UK's largest nursery chains with hundreds of sites. Comparable in offering full-day, structured early years curriculum aligned to UK frameworks and operating under similar regulatory oversight (Care Inspectorate equivalents / Ofsted).
Emerging players
- Mace Montessori Nurseries: Smaller UK nursery group with Montessori-aligned curriculum. Comparable in age range served and parent-facing communication, but differentiated by pedagogical approach; potential indirect competitor in Edinburgh's mid-market.
Others
- Forest Friends Nursery (former Easter Bush operator): The nursery that previously operated at the Roslin Biocentre site before being absorbed into Arcadia in 2018. Not an active commercial peer but illustrates the local competitive landscape Arcadia inherited and a historical benchmark for staffing models in the Edinburgh biotech corridor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Arcadia Nursery social profiles
Digital presenceArcadia Nursery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Arcadia Nursery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Arcadia Nursery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Arcadia Nursery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Arcadia Nursery
What does Arcadia Nursery do?
Arcadia Nursery operates two purpose-built early years childcare and education facilities on University of Edinburgh campuses in Edinburgh and Roslin, serving children from 6 weeks old until primary school age. Each location provides age-banded playrooms (Harmony 0-2 years, Peace 2-3 years, Serenity 3-5 years), a Curriculum for Excellence-aligned program, freshly prepared meals, and free-flow garden access, with combined capacity for 191 children across 50 weeks per year.
Is Arcadia Nursery a public or private company?
Arcadia Nursery is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Arcadia Nursery founded?
Arcadia Nursery was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Arcadia Nursery based?
Arcadia Nursery is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Arcadia Nursery make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Childcare Tuition Fees are the primary driver. The others are partnership Funding and childcare Voucher Schemes.
Who are Arcadia Nursery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are N Family Club, Storal Learning, Tops Day Nurseries, Kidsunlimited (part of Bright Horizons), Imperial College London Early Years Centre and University of Cambridge Day Nursery. Broad incumbents are Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Busy Bees Nursery. Mace Montessori Nurseries is listed as an emerging player. Forest Friends Nursery (former Easter Bush operator) is listed as an others.
Does Arcadia Nursery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Arcadia Nursery.
What industry is Arcadia Nursery in?
Arcadia Nursery's product category is Childcare Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACABAL, Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers, with a secondary code of EDACACAD, Full-Day Nursery Programs. Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8351.