Saplings Nursery

What Saplings Nursery does

Saplings Nursery is a family-owned, Ofsted-registered children's nursery operating since 1998 in a semi-rural location on Bambers Green Road, Takeley, Essex (CM22 6PF). The business provides daytime childcare and early-years education for children aged 0-5 across two adjacent properties: Waltham Hall Cottage, housing babies, toddlers and 2-3 year olds in age-banded rooms (Piglets, Eeyores, Tiggers), and Chapter House, a dedicated preschool facility for 3-5 year olds (Roos, Kangas, Owls groups). The service operates 7:30am-6:30pm, 52 weeks per year, with a minimum booking of 2 days and 16 hours per week, and offers all-inclusive pricing covering food, snacks, consumables, and extras such as swimming, Spanish and dance in preschool.

The company's product surface extends beyond core nursery care to include a Forest School program led by a qualified practitioner, a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) offering with experienced SENCOs and Makaton-trained staff in a wheelchair-accessible building, and Parent Support Services encompassing NHS speech and language referrals and the JADES autism diagnosis pathway. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Stortford KidsOut, runs breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs for school-age children at Summercroft (since 2003) and Birchanger (since September 2016) in the Bishops Stortford area. The technology layer is limited: the primary digital tool is the Tapestry online learning journal, introduced January 2017, used to record and share developmental observations with parents for children aged 2-5.

Commercially, Saplings operates a direct-to-consumer model with monthly recurring private fees, complemented by acceptance of 15 and 30 hours government childcare funding, Tax-Free Childcare, and Childcare Vouchers. The business is owned and run by Linda Davies (Owner, Financial/Policy/H&S) and Anna Davies (Co-Owner, Diet & Nutrition, DSL, First Aid at Work, Grief First Aider), with a small named leadership team of Lead Practitioners and an Administrator. The nursery has been Ofsted Outstanding for over 12 years and received a Good rating at its September 2022 inspection (registration number 2563298). New enquiries are primarily driven by word-of-mouth reputation within a roughly 5-mile catchment around Takeley, Bishops Stortford and surrounding Essex/East Hertfordshire villages.

Name

Saplings Nursery

Legal name

Saplings Nursery

Website

https://saplingsnursery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saplings Nursery is a family-owned, Ofsted-registered children's nursery in semi-rural Essex providing daycare and early-years education for children aged 0-5, plus SEND support and out-of-school clubs through subsidiary Stortford KidsOut, serving families in the Takeley and Bishops Stortford catchment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare & Early Years Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Needs–Inclusive Nursery & Playgroups (EDACACAJ), School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Preschool childcare
• Nursery daycare
• Forest school
• Special needs childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

SWANSCOMBE

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Private Childcare Fees: Core revenue from private fee-paying childcare places. Minimum booking 2 days, no half days available. All-inclusive pricing covers food, snacks, consumables including nappies and cream. Swimming, Spanish and dance included at no extra cost in preschool.
2. Government Childcare Funding: Accepts 15 and 30 hours government funding. Offers 30 hours extended funding since September 2017. Tax-Free Childcare accepted where government contributes 20p per £1 up to £2000 annually.
3. Childcare Vouchers: All Child Care Vouchers accepted as payment method.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Saplings Nursery operates a semi-rural private children's nursery caring for babies, toddlers and preschool children aged 0-5 years across two properties: Waltham Hall Cottage (under 3s) and Chapter House (preschool 3-5s). Core delivery is all-inclusive full-day childcare (7:30am-6:30pm, 52 weeks a year) with food, snacks, nappies and enrichment activities (swimming, Spanish, dance, Forest School) bundled into a single recurring fee, supplemented by a wholly-owned out-of-school club brand (Stortford KidsOut).

Product overview

Saplings Nursery is a semi-rural children's nursery providing quality care and education for babies, toddlers, and preschool children. The nursery operates through two main facilities: Waltham Hall Cottage (for children aged 0-3 years) and Chapter House (for preschool children aged 3-5 years). Additional offerings include Forest School outdoor activities, Special Needs support services, Parent Support Services, and out-of-school care through their Stortford KidsOut brand. The nursery operates Monday to Friday, 7:30am-6:30pm, 52 weeks per year, serving families since 1998.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waltham Hall Cottage (Under 3s Care) Dedicated nursery facility for babies and children aged 0-3 years with separate rooms by age (Piglets for younger babies, Eeyores for older babies, Tiggers for two-year-olds). Each child has an individual key carer; staff qualified to minimum Level 3 in Early Years with First Aid and Food Hygiene Certificates.
• Chapter House (Preschool) Preschool facility for children aged 3-5 years with dedicated rooms (Roos, Kangas, Owls groups). Children have freedom to access all spaces and experiences with smaller key carer groups, following a play-based emergent curriculum with Reggio Emilia pedagogy and including swimming, Spanish and dance at no extra cost.
• Stortford KidsOut (Out of School Provision) Wholly-owned out-of-school provision offering breakfast clubs, after school clubs and holiday clubs for primary school children in the Bishops Stortford area, including exclusive clubs at Summercroft (since 2003) and Birchanger (since 2016).

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stortford KidsOutcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStortford KidsOut is Saplings Out of School provision, part of Saplings group entities. Operates breakfast, after school and holiday clubs in Bishops Stortford area at Summercroft (opened 2003) and Birchanger (opened September 2016).
• The Peoples Food and Farming AllianceminorOthersEndorsed by The Peoples Food and Farming Alliance. Logo displayed on website indicating support for local farmers and food sourcing.
• West Essex Children’s Speech and Language Therapy ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner providing speech and language support for children from 2.5 years in West Essex area including Harlow, Epping and Uttlesford District. Supports assessment, diagnosis and treatment of speech, language, communication and feeding difficulties.
• JADES NHS Autism Diagnosis ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaplings is provider for NHS children's Autism Diagnosis Service in West Essex. JADES assessment pathway for children aged 2-18 years involves multi-disciplinary diagnostic team including speech and language therapist, paediatricians, occupational therapist and psychologist.
• Amanda Bate HomeopathminorOthersHomeopathy for Children service highly recommended by Saplings Nursery. Contact: Amanda Bate MARH, TEL: 01279 851998.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Storal Learning: UK nursery group operating multiple day nurseries and pre-schools with focus on early years education. Comparable multi-site operator in the same child day care services category.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest UK and US nursery chain offering full-day early years education and preschool programs. Comparable as a multi-site operator in the same child day care category, though operating at vastly greater scale.
• N Family Club: Multi-site UK nursery group offering full-day care for 0-5 year olds with emphasis on quality facilities and learning programs. Comparable in target customer (working parents) and core offering.
• Kidsunlimited: UK nursery chain (formerly part of Bright Horizons) providing full-day care for 0-5 year olds. Comparable in core service offering and target demographic.
• Tops Day Nurseries: Mid-sized UK nursery chain providing day care and out-of-school clubs. Comparable in offering full-day care plus wraparound services to working parents across multiple sites.
• The Old Station Nursery: UK nursery group with multiple settings providing day care and preschool education for 0-5 year olds. Comparable multi-site operator serving similar customer base.
• Busy Bees Nurseries: One of the UK's largest nursery chains providing 0-5 day care, out-of-school clubs, and nursery on-site at workplaces. Comparable broad incumbent in the same core category as Saplings.

Emerging players

• Cozy Days Nurseries: Small UK chain of day nurseries providing full-day care and early years education. Comparable as a smaller-scale operator in the same child day care category.
• Mulberry Bush Day Nurseries: Independent UK nursery group operating multiple day nurseries and pre-schools. Comparable as a small-to-mid-size operator offering full-day child care to local families.
• Banana Moon Day Nurseries: UK franchise network of day nurseries targeting the same 0-5 child care segment. Comparable business model and customer base, though delivered through a franchise structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nurserysapling
• Facebookfacebook.com/saplingsnursery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saplings-nursery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saplings Nursery