Winners of the Nursery World Awards 2015

Host Barney Harwood of Blue Peter conducted the ceremony at the Brewery in London, and the dancing and celebrating went on late into the night.

Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School has been named as Nursery World’s Nursery of the Year 2015.

The setting, based in Horsham – West Sussex, was announced as the winner of Nursery of the Year at the eighth annual Nursery World awards, held at the Brewery in London this evening (26 September).

Nursery World’s Lifetime Achievement award went to independent educational consultant and early years specialist Marion Dowling.

The award winners are:

Nursery of the Year

Winner - Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School (sponsored by childcare.co.uk, with judge Penny Tassoni)

Finalists - Advantage Day Nursery; First Steps Children's Nursery Rathvilly School; Little Learners Childcare

Pre-School of the Year

Winner - Magdalen Gates Pre-School (with judge Neil Leitch of Pre-school Learning Alliance)

Highly commended – Little Franche Nursery, Little Franche Community Primary School

Finalists - Benhall Pre-School; Jenniflowers Pre-School Nursery; Little Green Rascals Organic Day Nursery; Stone Eden Nursery School

Nursery Chain of the Year

Winner - First Steps Children’s Nursery Group (with sponsor Paul Harris of Early Years Direct)

Highly commended – Mulberry Bush Nursery Group; Snapdragons Nurseries

Finalists - Growing Places Community Childcare Centres; Naturally Learning; Paint Pots Pre-School & Nursery

School Early Years Team of the Year

Winner – Franche Community Primary School, Kidderminster (with judge Beatrice Merrick of Early Education)

Finalist - Stamford Bridge Primary School

Nursery Manager of the Year

Winner –James Crosswell, Kids Allowed, Stockport (sponsored by Primary Site, with Chrissy Dodman)

Highly commended – Jane Bulmer, Franche Community Primary School, Kidderminster; Steph Rogerson, Sparklers Private Day Nursery, Gretna

Finalists - Heather Goode, Pear Tree Nursery; David Lord, Kiddi Caru Day Nursery, Torquay

Nursery Operations/Regional Manager of the Year

Winner - Charlotte Eavis Wix, Toad Hall Nursery Group (with judge June O'Sullivan of LEYF)

Highly commended – Kate Reed, First Steps Children’s Nursery Group

Finalist - John Warren, Fennies Nurseries

Early Years Professional/Early Years Teacher of the Year

Winner – Jessica Curbishley, Woodlands Day Nursery (with Lucy Bradshaw of Nursery World Jobs and her manager)

Highly Commended - Joy Homersham, Elmscot Day Nursery

Finalist - Hannah Birchall, Kids Planet Beamont

Nursery Practitioner of the Year

Winner –Jenna Holloway, Elmscot Day Nursery (with judge John Warren of Fennies)

Highly commended – Margaret Kelly, Seabrook Day Nursery, Childbase Partnership

Finalists - Jo Berry, Kidzone Cranwell; Julie Caddick, Kids Planet Beamont; Georgia Garraway, Guinea Lane Nursery; Tim Graham, Snapdragons Nurseries; Hayley Morris, Montessori People

Newcomer of the Year

Winner – Emma Scott, Pear Tree Nursery (with Ravi Chandiramani of MA Education)

Highly commended – Kayleigh Willows, Kiddi Caru Day Nursery, Plympton

Finalists - Jacqueline Bracewell, Bright Horizons Mansion House; Zulakah Quershi, Hungry Caterpillar, West Twyford

Trainer of the Year

Winner – Anne Horn, Southend Adult Community College (sponsored by CACHE, with Julie Hyde)

Highly commended – Sarah Olley, Montessori Centre International

Finalists - Gill Springer, Professional Training Solutions & LEYF; Helen Vickery, Professional Training Solutions

Childminder of the Year

Winner – Sharon Collier (sponsored by childcare.co.uk, with judge Jane Comeau of PACEY)

Finalist - May Collin, Maisie Poppins Childcare

Outstanding Contribution

Winner – Carolynn Fletcher, Swineshead Pre-School (with MA Education's Matt Govett)

Finalist - Cindy Morgan, Creswick Pre-School

Lifetime Achievement

Winner - Marion Dowling (with Lesley Curtis of Everton Nursery School and Family Centre)

Provision for Two-Year-Olds

Winner – Kidspiration Childcare and Education (with judge Nancy Stewart)

Finalists - Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries; Swineshead Pre-School

Working with Parents

Joint winners – Sparklers Parent Mentoring Programme, St Paul’s Community Development Trust (above with judge Jane Harrison of Red Hen Day Nursery)

Joint winner - HMP Styal Mother and Baby Unit, Action for Children

Highly commended – Kidzone Cranwell; Springboard Saturdads, Springboard Opportunity Group, Chippenham

Finalist - Stone Eden Nursery School

Inclusive Practice

Winner – Achieving Early, Achievement for All (with judge Mary Dickins)

Highly commended – Allens Croft Children’s Centre

Finalists - Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries; Prime Time Programme for Vulnerable Two-Year-Olds, Lincolnshire Birth to Five Service

Team Development

Winner – Dukes and Duchesses, Liverpool (sponsored by BunkCot, with MAG's Ben Allen)

Highly commended – Kidzone Cranwell; Training Depot Day Nursery

Business Development

Winner – Jenniflowers Childcare (with judge Catriona Nason of NEYTCo)

Finalists - Fennies Day Nurseries; Tiddlywinks Day Nursery

Nursery Food

Winner – Elmscot Day Nursery (sponsored by Kellogg's, with Alexa Hoyland)

Highly commended – Kidzone Cranwell;  Meadows Children’s Nursery; Little Green Rascals Organic Day Nursery

Enabling Environments

Winner – Little Barn Owls Nursery & Farm School (sponsored by Early Years Resources, with Payman Mostaan)

Highly commended – Dukes and Duchesses

Finalists - Acorn Day Nursery; Nature to Nurture; Sunbeams Day Nursery

Online and social media

Winner – Kiddi Caru Day Nurseries (with judge Kate Tyler of Shake Social)

Highly commended – Child’s Play Private Nursery

Finalists - Acorn Childcare; Dizzy Ducks Day Nurseries; London Early Years Foundation

Community Support

Winner - The Co-operative Childcare Newburn Nursery (with Nursery World's Rachael Sarson)

Finalist - London Early Years Foundation

Equipment and Resources: Birth to Fives

Winner – Play Collection, Community Playthings (with judge Nicole Weinstein)

Highly commended – TickiT Sensory Flashing Glitter Balls, Commotion; TickiT Silver Sensory Reflective Balls, Commotion

Equipment and Resources: Staff Resources

Winner – iConnect and ParentZone, Connect Childcare (with Nursery World's Ruth Thomson)

Finalists - NurseryBook; Toy Box Talks, Noel Quinn

Equipment and Resources: Professional Books

Winner – Foundations of Child Development Series, various authors, Routledge (with judge Julie Coackley of Chelsea Open Air Nursery School and Children's Centre)

Highly commended – 100 Ideas for Early Years Practitioners: Outdoor Play, Julie Mountain, Bloomsbury

Finalists - Continuous Provision: the skills, Alistair Bryce-Clegg, Bloomsbury; Time to Move, Trudi Fitzhenry and Karen Murphy, Bloomsbury

Entertainment from the Black Eagles

Nursery World editor Liz Roberts

Charity draw for Spread a Smile to win a Community Playthings Country Kitchen

Read more about our winners

You can download photos here