Hunsdon House Garden School

We are a long-established Nursery School tucked away in the heart of Headington, Oxford, offering a loving start to the joy of learning for 2 ½ to 5 year olds.

The Hunsdon House family ethos is rooted in its history, opening its doors in 1922 in a family home. In the 1920s it was praised by the Education Minister for its innovative use of both indoor and outdoor learning spaces – the first true ‘Garden School’ of its kind. To this day, the nursery offers each child a nurturing haven of love and guidance as they navigate the world of friendships, nature and education. We have always been an international Nursery School (we took the children of African kings in the 1960s!) where children hear different languages and learn to speak English fluently in a year or two alongside their native language.

We limit our numbers each day to a maximum of about 20 children and employ 4 caring, qualified and experienced staff with passion for seeing each child develop their full God-given potential. We are a nursery upholding traditional Christian values, and welcome children and families of all faiths or none.

The Hunsdon House Approach

Our innovative school has retain the philosophy of Freidrich Froebel, where the children are brought into contact with the natural world at every opportunity. Most of our playthings are made of wood and every room has large windows on to the garden.

The rooms are light and bright and the children are always surrounded by reminders of nature.

Today we are one of the most international Nursery Schools in Oxford, where children hear many different languages from the age of two and a half (a key age for rapid language development) and learn to speak fluent English in a year or two alongside their mother tongue.

We find that a combination of free choice and structured activities provides the best learning environment to stimulate each child’s potential. We provide a rich variety of carefully chosen educational materials to encourage children’s learning and creativity. Teachers gently nurture each child’s emotional, physical, intellectual, social and spiritual growth to allow each individual to unfold at their own pace.