Hami's Daycare

Independence supplies the clearest thread at Hami's Daycare: babies learning to feed themselves, toddlers fastening coats and older children serving their own lunch. These were practical examples from November 2024, rather than abstract promises about school readiness. At its 21 November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found an ambitious, carefully ordered curriculum, while asking staff to make the intended learning from adult-led activities more precise.

The Shear Brow setting is based at St Marys College in Blackburn, within a gated compound with parking. It has capacity for 132 children. Children attending in November 2024 were aged 0 to 4; that age range describes the inspection visit.

Everyday tasks had an educational purpose in November 2024. Toddlers practised managing their coats, while handwashing and nose wiping helped children take more responsibility for personal care. The value for families is concrete: nursery learning included skills children could also use at home.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its areas of learning were brought together through practical experiences: food conversations developed vocabulary, movement supported physical development and counting games made numbers something children could act out.

In November 2024, preschool children explored food-group vocabulary and discussed balanced eating. Toddlers had a monkey puppet to help explain expectations for behaviour, giving ideas such as kindness a familiar character and a practical context. Language learning extended beyond naming objects to understanding how people treat one another.

Number work also involved participation. Preschool children acted out a counting song, leaving an imaginary bed in turn and counting backwards. Fingers helped them work through calculations. These examples connected number order with actions children could see and repeat, rather than relying only on verbal answers.

Staff had also received training to run small-group activities that encouraged children to attend to other people's words and actions. The daily rhythm included energetic movement alongside quieter periods. In November 2024, children were learning both to join in and to pause, useful habits for taking part in group experiences.

Communication linked nursery life with home in November 2024. Staff shared videos of new songs through an online app, allowing parents to learn them too. Accident and injury information went through the same channel. Parents therefore had practical material to use with their children as well as information about their day.

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including joint work with parents on consistent language, attention to small gains and good progress for children, including those with SEND. The useful detail is the shared wording: a child experiencing language delay encountered consistent phrases across home and nursery.

Mealtimes provided another route towards independence in November 2024. Babies explored food while beginning to feed themselves; children approaching school age served their own portions. Eating routines varied between chairs and floor seating, and between fingers and cutlery, helping children recognise that families can do things differently.

Health messages were equally practical. Staff explained the importance of drinking regularly and talked with children about caring for their teeth. Safety work included raising the external door's release button beyond children's reach. That physical change addressed a specific risk of children leaving unaccompanied.

Getting There

The address is St Marys College, Shear Brow, Blackburn, BB1 8DS. Parking is provided within the gated compound, making the site layout relevant to families travelling by car.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is open Monday to Friday until 6.30pm. Saturday and Sunday are closed. Enquiries for the Shearbrow nursery can be made on 01254 800153 or by email to Shearbrow@hamisdaycare.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2024, the nursery provided government-funded childcare. Families considering funded attendance should use the funding discussion alongside their intended attendance pattern, rather than treating the inspection-time provision as a guarantee of eligibility or a particular arrangement.

• Precision in planned learning. The November 2024 improvement point concerned how clearly staff defined what children should learn from adult-led activities. During a visit, ask for an example showing the intended learning and how staff recognise achievement.
• Funded attendance and charges. Government-funded childcare formed part of the November 2024 provision. Ask how a proposed funded pattern works now, including the arrangements for meals and non-food consumables.
• The college setting. Nursery premises are within St Marys College's gated compound, with parking. A visit can establish how the parking and access arrangements fit your usual collection routine.

Hami's Daycare suits families who value practical independence, language developed through everyday activities and close communication about children's experiences. The November 2024 examples give those priorities substance: coats, meals, songs and counting all became opportunities to learn.

Its Blackburn college site and weekday opening hours are useful practical anchors. The main educational consideration is the precision of adult-led learning: the activities had purpose, but staff needed to define their intended results more clearly. That is a focused question to carry into a visit.