Nursery World Awards 2023 – congratulations to all our winners!

Download a digital version of our 2023 Awards Book here 

• Read all the full stories of the winners on our website at https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/awards

More photos from the night will be available to download soon

More than 530 people from across the early years sector attended the event.

The awards evening was hosted by actor and comedian Paul Whitehouse.

 

Nursery of the Year
Sponsored by childcare.co.uk

Winner

• Archfield House, Bristol
  With awards host Paul Whitehouse and judge Helen Moylett (far right)

Highly Commended

EsSENtial Early Years, Wirral

Lambkins Day Nursery and Pre-School Centre, Cumbria

Finalist

The Oaks Day Nursery – Birmingham

 

Nursery Group of the Year

Sponsored by Eden Training Solutions

Winner

• Naturally Learning, Cornwall

Highly Commended

Kirktonholme Childcare, Glasgow

Finalists

Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries, West London and Buckinghamshire

Little Adventures Nursery Group

 

Pre-school of the Year

Winner

• Seedlings, Doncaster
  With judge John Warren (right)
  
  

Highly Commended

Alphablocks Nursery School & Pre-Prep, Enfield

Beeches Park Day Nursery, Burton upon Trent

Finalists

The Old Forge Day Nursery,  Derby
Smallville Nursery, Kent

 

Early Years in School Award

Winner

• Manor Wood Primary School, Leeds
  With judge Di Chilvers

Highly Commended

Great Corby School and Nursery, Carlisle

Finalist

Diamond Wood Community Academy – Dewsbury

Childminding Business of the Year

Sponsored by childcare.co.uk

Winner

• Cheeky Cherubs Childcare, Leicestershire
  With judge Helen Donohoe
  
  
  

Finalists

Sarah and Carly Baker Childcare – Rotherham

The Playroom Marple – Stockport

 

Nursery Manager of the Year
Sponsored by Busy Bees

Winner

• Elizabeth Kemsley, Nurtured at Chell, Stoke on Trent

Highly Commended

Hazel Moody, Advantage Day Nursery, Surrey

Finalist

Hannah Saunders, Snapdragons Nursery, Keynsham

Nursery Operations/Area Manager of the Year

Sponsored by CC Nurseries

Winner

Louise Monange

• Beeches Park Day Nursery; The Old Forge Day Nursery; The Old School Adventure Club
  
  

Highly Commended

Danielle Hamer, Bright Horizons

Finalists

Tracy Berry, The Old Station Nursery Group

Rachael Lyons, Elmscot Group

Sarah Yates, The Old Station Nursery Group

 

Nursery Practitioner of the Year

Sponsored by Childbase Partnership

Joint Winner

• Matt Langton, Outdoor Owls Richmond with judge Lorna Wigley

Joint Winner

David Heard, The Oaks Day Nursery Birmingham

Highly Commended

Sophie O’Sullivan, Springfield Bees Pre-School, Essex

Finalists

Jess Fudger, Cherubs Wynndale – Nottinghamshire

Katy Hicks, Kingswood Day Nursery and Preschool, Hull

Early Years Apprentice of the Year

Winner

• Hibah Ahmed, Edgbaston Nursery School, Birmingham
  With judge Aaron Bradbury

Finalists

Natasha Bruce-Jones, Smallville Nursery,Kent
Bethan Hall, Kerries Cherubs, Blyth  
Bethany Moorhouse, Little Angels Day Nursery and Out-Of-School Club, Huddersfield
Liliana Nobrega Afonso, Seahorse Nursery Park House, London

 

Childminder of the Year

Sponsored by childcare.co.uk

Winner

• Charlotte Greeno, Among The Leaves, Cambridge
  Collected by Catherine Gaunt, deputy editor Nursery World with judge Rebecca Martland (right)

Finalists

Kimberley Forteath, Little Sunbeams Childminding Service, Guisborough

Debra Meakin, Cheeky Cherubs Childcare, Leicestershire

 

Trainer of the Year

Sponsored by MCW Support Services

Winner

• Dr Stella Louis, The Froebel Trust, London
  
  

Highly Commended

Liz Edwards, Janet Packer, Jan White – Outdoors Thinking, Sheffield

Finalists
Aaron Bradbury, Early Years Reviews
Kate Peach and Jo Caswell, Peachwell Early Years Consultancy, South East
Becky Watanabe, Acorn Early Years, Milton Keynes; Northamptonshire; Bedfordshire

 

Outstanding Contribution

Winner

• Helen Bingham, Aspire Academy Trust, Cornwall

With judge Sue Allingham

Highly Commended
Marie Anslow, St Aubin Nursery Roath, Cardiff

Finalists

Joan Bannister, Paint Pots Nurseries and Pre-Schools – Southampton

Mandy Farrer, Diamond Wood Community Academy, Dewsbury

Deborah Hutler, Blackberries Childcare Group, Cambridgeshire

Linda Richardson, Hitchin House Day Nursery, Hitchin

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner

• Dr Stella Louis

With presenter of the award early years expert Julia Manning-Morton (right) and daughter Hannah

Early Childhood Graduate of the Year
Sponsored by Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN)

Winner

• Helen Haygarth, University of Sunderland
  With judges Philippa Thompson and Dr Tanya Richardson (far right)
  
  

Highly Commended
Laura Hale, University of Northampton

Finalist
Louisa Johnson, University of Chichester

 

Health and Well-Being Award

Winner

• SIL, Liverpool

With judge Mine Conkbayir

Finalists

Bright Horizons, Nationwide

Eagley School House Nurseries, Bolton
Edufeel, Enya’s Childcare, Lincolnshire
The Old Forge Day Nursery, Derby

Enabling Environments Award
Sponsored by Kids Inc

Winner

• The Nurture Nursery, Bathgate

With Linda Keats

Finalists
Birmingham Day Nurseries and Explorers’ Forest School at Winterbourne House and Garden, Birmingham
Broussa Day Nursery, Hale
Incy Wincy’s Day Nurseries, North Yorkshire
Jack In The Box Nursery, Bosbury

 

Eco-Friendly Early Years Award

Sponsored by Hope

Joint Winners

• Acorn Early Years, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, and Bedfordshire

• The Old Forge Day Nursery, Derby
  
  

Finalists
Childbase Partnership
Jayne’s Nursery, Chelmsford

Working with Parents

Sponsored by Nursery Story

Winner

• The Indigo Childcare Group – Early Years, Glasgow
  
  

 

Highly Commended

Roots Federation, Hertfordshire

 

Finalists

Babblebrooke Day Nursery, Loughborough

Bright Little Stars Nursery, Watford

Centre for Early Child Development, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

esSENtial Early Years, Wirral

 

Working with Babies and Toddlers

Winner

• Snapdragons Nurseries, Bath, Bristol and Wiltshire
  With judge Sarah Mackenzie
  
  

Highly Commended

Kids Planet – Wallasey

Finalists

Blue Giraffe Childcare – Worcestershire

Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries – Northolt

 

Business Development Award

Winner

• Bonnie Bear Day Care, Liverpool
  With judge Neil Leith

Finalists
Family First Nurseries
Little Adventures Nursery Group

Team Development Award

Sponsored by Family First

Winner

• The Nurture Nursery, Bathgate

Highly Commended

The Sunflower Children’s Centre, Hyde

Finalist

Hitchin House Day Nursery, Hitchin

 

Nursery Food

Winner

• Portland House Nursery, Huddersfield

With judge Edwina Revel

Highly Commended

Grass Roots Private Day Nursery, Sowerby

Finalists

Acorn Early Years, Milton Keynes; Northamptonshire; Bedfordshire
Woodlands Day Nursery, Elmscot Group, Altrincham

 

Inclusive Practice Award

Sponsored by nasen

Winner

• Early Intervention Speech and Language Team, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

With judge Dhanvanti Deshmukh

Finalists

Early Inspirations, Manchester
SEND Support Team, Kids Planet Day Nurseries
Smallville Nursery, Kent
South Acton Nursery School and Children’s Centre, London

 

Community Support

Winner

• Family Matters – The Indigo Childcare Group, Glasgow
  
  

Highly Commended

The Nursery in Belong, Ready Generations, Chester

Finalist
Pillars of the Community, Smallville Nursery, Kent

 

Online and Social Media

Winner

• Beeches Park Day Nursery, Burton upon Trent
  
  

Finalists
Dandelion Education, Norfolk
Highfield Nursery, Blackpool
Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries

Jesters Childcare, Essex

 

Professional Book of the Year

• Winner
  Slow Knowledge and the Unhurried Child: Time for Slow Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education by Alison Clark Routledge
  With judge Anna Wright

Highly Commended
The Passionate Practitioner’s Handbook – by Michele Doull and Avril Robertson (That Guys House)

Finalists

Developing Child-Centred Practice for Safeguarding and Child Protection: Strategies for Every Early Years Setting (Little Minds Matter) – by Rachel Buckler (Routledge) 

Early Childhood Theories Today – edited by Aaron Bradbury and Ruth Swailes (Learning Matters)

The Neuroscience of the Developing Child. Self-Regulation for Wellbeing and a Sustainable Future – by Dr Mine Conkbayir (Bloomsbury)  

Schemas In the Early Years: Exploring Beneath the Surface Through Observation and Dialogue – by the Pen Green Schema Group, edited by Cath Arnold (Routledge)