2023 Shortlist

Our judges from across the early years sector spent a day of debate, discussion and deliberation to decide which of our entries for the Nursery World Awards 2023 should go through to the shortlist.

Congratulations to all those who have made the shortlist!

Nursery of the Year

Archfield House Nursery - Bristol

esSENtial Early Years - Wirral

Lambkins Day Nursery and Pre-School Centre - Cumbria

The Oaks Day Nursery - Birmingham

Nursery Group of the Year

Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries - West London and Buckinghamshire

Kirktonholme Childcare - Glasgow

Little Adventures Nursery Group

Naturally Learning - Cornwall

Pre-School of the Year

Alphablocks Nursery School & Pre-Prep – Enfield

Beeches Park Day Nursery - Burton upon Trent

The Old Forge Day Nursery - Derby

Seedlings - Doncaster

Smallville Nursery - Kent

Early Years in School Award

Diamond Wood Community Academy - Dewsbury

Great Corby School and Nursery - Carlisle

Manor Wood Primary School - Leeds

Childminding Business of the Year

Cheeky Cherubs Childcare - Leicestershire

Sarah and Carly Baker Childcare - Rotherham

The Playroom Marple - Stockport

Nursery Manager of the Year

Elizabeth Kemsley, Nurtured at Chell - Stoke on Trent

Hazel Moody, Advantage Day Nursery - Surrey

Hannah Saunders, Snapdragons Nursery - Keynsham

Nursery Operations / Area Manager of the Year

Tracy Berry - The Old Station Nursery Group

Danielle Hamer - Bright Horizons

Rachael Lyons - Elmscot Group

Louise Monange - Beeches Park Day Nursery; The Old Forge Day Nursery; The Old School Adventure Club

Sarah Yates - The Old Station Nursery Group

Nursery Practitioner of the Year

Jess Fudger, Cherubs Wynndale - Nottinghamshire

David Heard, The Oaks Day Nursery - Birmingham

Katy Hicks, Kingswood Day Nursery and Preschool - Hull

Matt Langton, Outdoor Owls - Richmond

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

Childminder of the Year

Kimberley Forteath, Little Sunbeams Childminding Service - Guisborough

Charlotte Greeno, Among The Leaves - Cambridge

Debra Meakin, Cheeky Cherubs Childcare - Leicestershire

Trainer of the Year

Aaron Bradbury, Early Years Reviews

Liz Edwards, Janet Packer and Jan White, Outdoors Thinking - Sheffield

Dr Stella Louis, The Froebel Trust - London

Kate Peach and Jo Caswell, Peachwell Early Years Consultancy - South East

Becky Watanabe, Acorn Early Years - Milton Keynes; Northamptonshire; Bedfordshire

Outstanding Contribution

Marie Anslow, St Aubin Nursery Roath - Cardiff

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

Helen Bingham, Aspire Academy Trust - Cornwall

Mandy Farrar, Diamond Wood Community Academy - Dewsbury

Deborah Hutler, Blackberries Childcare Group - Cambridgeshire

Linda Richardson, Hitchin House Day Nursery - Hitchin

Early Years Apprentice of the Year

Hibah Ahmed, Edgbaston Nursery School - Birmingham

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

Early Childhood Graduate of the Year **NEW CATEGORY**

Laura Hale - University of Northampton

Helen Haygarth - University of Sunderland

Louisa Johnson - University of Chichester

Health and Well-Being Award

Bright Horizons - Nationwide

Eagley School House Nurseries - Bolton

Edufeel, Enya’s Childcare - Lincolnshire

The Old Forge Day Nursery - Derby

SIL - Liverpool

Enabling Environments Award

Birmingham Day Nurseries and Explorers’ Forest School at Winterbourne House and Garden – Birmingham

Broussa Day Nursery, Elmscot Group - Hale

Incy Wincy's Day Nurseries - North Yorkshire

Jack In The Box Nursery - Bosbury

The Nurture Nursery - Bathgate

Eco-Friendly Early Years Award

Acorn Early Years - Milton Keynes; Northamptonshire; Bedfordshire

Childbase Partnership

Jayne's Nursery - Chelmsford

The Old Forge Day Nursery - Derby

Working With Parents Award

Babblebrooke Day Nursery - Loughborough

Bright Little Stars Nursery - Watford

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

esSENtial Early Years - Wirral

The Indigo Childcare Group, Early Years – Glasgow

Roots Federation - Hertfordshire

Working with Babies and Toddlers Award

Blue Giraffe Childcare - Worcestershire

Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries - Northolt

Kids Planet - Wallasey

Snapdragons Nurseries - Bath, Bristol and Wiltshire

Business Development Award

Bonnie Bear Day Care - Liverpool

Family First Nurseries

Little Adventures Nursery Group

Team Development Award

Hitchin House Day Nursery - Hitchin

The Nurture Nursery - Bathgate

The Sunflower Children's Centre - Hyde

Nursery Food Award

Acorn Early Years - Milton Keynes; Northamptonshire; Bedfordshire

Grass Roots Private Day Nursery - Sowerby

Portland House Nursery - Huddersfield

Woodlands Day Nursery, Elmscot Group - Altrincham

Inclusive Practice Award

Early Inspirations - Manchester

Early Intervention Speech and Language Team at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

SEND Support Team - Kids Planet Day Nurseries

Smallville Nursery - Kent

South Acton Nursery School and Children's Centre - London

Community Support Award

Family Matters, The Indigo Childcare Group - Glasgow

The Nursery in Belong, Ready Generations Nursery - Chester

Pillars of the Community, Smallville Nursery - Kent

Online and Social Media Award

Beeches Park Day Nursery - Burton upon Trent

Dandelion Education - Norfolk

Highfield Nursery - Blackpool

Hungry Caterpillar Day Nurseries

Jesters Childcare - Essex

Professional Book of the Year

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

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

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

The Passionate Practitioner's Handbook – That Guys House, by Michele Doull & Avril Robertson

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

Slow Knowledge and the Unhurried Child: Time for Slow Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education – Routledge, by Alison Clark

Lifetime Achievement

To be announced at the ceremony.