“We moved our daughter here after just not having a great feeling at her previous one, and my goodness the difference it’s made. The staff are all so friendly and welcoming, it is a home from home and our daughter is so happy and settled here. The girls in the baby room are the most amazing ladies and I’m so thankful, my daughter adores them! Kayleigh the manager made me feel comfortable from the get go and I don’t want my daughter to ever move on from Lucy the baby room lead, she is incredible.”
12 Chestnut Lane, Hazlemere, HP15 7BZ
A nursery for families in Penn, just seven minutes away
Penn is the kind of village where the common and the church on Church Road feel like the centre of life, and where the morning school run tends to be a deliberate choice rather than something that fits neatly into a commute. Families here are used to driving a short distance for the right thing, and The House That Jack Built in Hazlemere is about seven minutes from the village. If you would like to come and have a look around, we would be glad to show you what we do.
Why families choose us
Our approach
What parents tend to notice first when they visit is how much the children are in charge of their own day. We run free flow between indoors and the garden all day, every day, in all weathers, which means children follow their own curiosity rather than waiting to be told what comes next. That is not a small thing. It builds the kind of confidence and independence that carries children a long way beyond their early years, and it is something Margaret had in mind from the very beginning when she opened the nursery in 2000.
In practice
On the practical side, we put a lot of thought into how children start with us. Every child has two settling-in sessions before they begin properly, and we build on those if a child needs more time. Your key carer will be in touch from the start, daily diary sheets keep you informed of what your child has been doing, and we check in properly with you shortly after they have settled. We accept both 15-hour and 30-hour funded places for eligible families, and we are rated Good by Ofsted, which reflects the consistency of what we offer day to day rather than just on inspection day.
For families in Penn
Families from Penn are used to a village pace and a certain amount of space around them, and the nursery at Hazlemere has something of that same character. It is a converted bungalow that genuinely feels like a home rather than an institution, with a garden the children have access to throughout the day and regular walks out into the local community. For families who value that kind of environment and are happy to make a short, purposeful drive each morning, it tends to be a good fit.
Address
12 Chestnut Lane, Hazlemere, HP15 7BZ
Phone
01494 713425Opening hours
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:30pm
Ages
6 weeks to 5 years
Ofsted
Good
Funding
15 & 30 hours accepted
Getting here
From Penn, the most straightforward route takes you out along Church Road and Elm Road, then onto Hazlemere Road before coming through Penn Road, Amersham Road, Holmer Green Road and Eastern Dene to Chestnut Lane. The drive is around two and a half miles and takes approximately seven minutes in normal morning conditions. There is on-site parking at the nursery, so you do not need to factor in finding a space at the other end.
We also serve families from
Ofsted Rated Good
What Buckinghamshire families say about us
The families already with us can tell you more than we ever could. Parents who started with us as babies are now sending their second and third children through our doors. That kind of trust is not given lightly, and we do not take it for granted.
“My daughter joined The House That Jack Built in September, having moved to Marlow Bottom from Marlow. The new manager Michelle and her team have been fantastic. The nursery is always clean, my daughter hardly gets ill as opposed to the other setting where she was always sick. All events and learning objectives are always carefully planned and carried out. My daughter is happy to go in and has not cried once. Thank you to all the lovely staff for being great.”
“A lovely bustling day nursery which prides itself on exceptional childcare. The staff I worked with were wonderful during my university placement years and the children were a joy to be around. The pastoral support is equally a key asset among all of the House That Jack Built nurseries and I would highly recommend them for any parents looking to see their child flourish in preparation for school.”
See us in action
Come and see a normal day
A tour is the best way to know whether we are the right fit. Meet our team, explore the spaces, and ask us anything.
Not ready yet?
Things parents ask us
Common questions
The nursery is at 12 Chestnut Lane in Hazlemere, which is roughly two and a half miles from Penn and about seven minutes by car in normal morning traffic. The route comes out through Church Road and Elm Road before picking up Hazlemere Road and carrying on through to Chestnut Lane. There is parking on site, so the drop-off itself is straightforward.
Yes, we accept both the 15-hour and 30-hour funded places for families who are eligible. If you are not sure which you qualify for or when your funding starts, it is worth checking with the government's Childcare Choices website, and we are happy to talk it through with you when you visit. We will always be clear about what the funding covers and how it works in practice at our nursery.
We care for children from six weeks old up to five years, so we can be with a family from early maternity leave right through to school. Places at Hazlemere do fill up, and families in rural villages like Penn sometimes find they are planning further ahead than they expected. It is worth getting in touch as soon as you have a rough idea of when you might need childcare, even if the date feels a long way off.
An Ofsted Good rating means inspectors found the quality of teaching, care and leadership to be consistently strong across the nursery. For your child it means the environment, the relationships and the way the day is run have all been looked at by an independent body and found to be working well. We do not change what we do because an inspection is coming; the rating reflects how we run things every day, which is what matters.
The easiest way is to get in touch directly and we will find a time that suits you to come and look around. If you decide to go ahead, every child has two settling-in sessions before they start properly, with parents present, and we build on those if a child needs longer to find their feet. Shortly after your child starts we check in properly with you to see how things are going, and your child's key carer is your main point of contact from day one.
Ofsted registered, inspected, and rated Good
All nurseries are Ofsted rated Good. Reports are available for every location so you do not have to take our word for it.
"Children develop strong social skills and gain high levels of confidence."