St Paul's Nursery

Somerville College was the first Oxford college to offer child-care facilities, thanks to the foresight and originality of the Nobel prize-winning Chemist Dorothy Hodgkin. During her years at Somerville, Hodgkin saw for herself the clear need for women to have childcare provision in order to work unimpeded. Today, Somerville remains one of the few colleges to offer childcare to its academics and postgraduates.

Originally established as a work-place nursery for Somerville students and staff, the St. Paul’s Nursery today offers childcare provision for 16 children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years. Priority is given to members of Somerville – however, we are also open to families who are not connected to the College.

The aim of the Nursery is to promote a positive environment for learning through experimenting, investigating and by example. Children are encouraged to develop at their own pace and we try to build up each child’s confidence and self-esteem. As it is quite a small Nursery, we pride ourselves on our family environment.