Shining Stars Nursery Blackburn

A purpose-built sensory room and Chatter Chums, a speaking-and-listening programme delivered with the local children centre, give Shining Stars Nursery Blackburn a clear character. Sensory exploration and communication are tangible parts of its offer, rather than abstract promises about early learning. For families whose children are beginning to communicate, those are useful starting points when weighing the nursery.

At its 15 January 2026 inspection, Ofsted assessed achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership at the expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. This is a report-card assessment: the individual areas matter more than a single headline label.

The nursery has capacity for 120 children aged 0 to 60 months. That is the whole-setting total, rather than the number sharing a room or attending together. Its address is 10 Randal Street, Blackburn, BB1 7EG.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for children's learning and care, encompassing development through play alongside everyday skills. Here, the January 2026 examples included singing, counting, storytelling and practical independence. The useful question is how those experiences are adapted to the child taking part.

Chatter Chums gives language development a concrete structure. A trained teacher from the local children centre delivers classes at the nursery, covering listening and speaking, taking turns, responding to instructions and rhymes. Practitioners advise which children could benefit. This links communication practice with the social demands of joining an activity, rather than treating speech as an isolated skill.

In January 2026, stories were revisited across related activities. The Very Hungry Caterpillar became an opportunity for two-year-olds to handle fruit, recall the narrative and talk about quantities. A familiar book supplied the thread connecting words, objects and numbers. Mathematics also had a deliberate sequence, with staff introducing number ideas in an organised order.

The youngest children's experiences were less consistent at that visit. Babies had treasure baskets, play dough and sensory activities, but staff sometimes restricted the ways they explored materials instead of allowing age-appropriate investigation. For this age group, the adult response matters as much as the resources themselves. The improvement priority was to plan suitable experiences and allow exploration to continue.

Outdoor and Community Life

The purpose-built sensory room gives children a dedicated space to investigate sensations through exploration.

In January 2026, children spent time outdoors each day and took local park outings. Indoors, movement included yoga, climbing and activities combining music with movement. A ramp leading to a slide gave very young children a physical challenge. These examples show that movement extended beyond a single organised activity.

Culture weeks also featured in January 2026, with families contributing cultural activities. Songs reflected children's backgrounds, while staff spoke several languages. This gave children ways to encounter their own home experiences within nursery life and share them with others.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2026, staff gathered information about children's preferences and home routines before they settled. Familiar blankets helped bridge home and nursery, and children sought staff when they needed comfort. The practical emphasis was on recognising what already helped each child feel secure.

Family support extended beyond discussions about nursery learning at that visit. Staff accompanied parents with limited English to appointments and assisted with school applications when requested. For parents dealing with unfamiliar processes, that was a concrete form of help.

Older children took small learning tasks home in homework bags in January 2026. Staff and parents exchanged information about development, connecting nursery activities with things families could do together. Everyday independence also received attention: children washed their hands, managed tissues and, in some cases, served lunch. These were practical preparations for greater independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found consistent communication progress, including among children beginning to learn English, and effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through adapted activities, targeted plans and work with external professionals. The concrete examples included visual aids for children with limited language and changes to small-group activities following professional advice.

In January 2026, leaders supported staff through training linked to individual needs and nursery priorities. Staff also used stories and named feelings to help children recognise emotions. However, adapting routines and teaching for two-year-olds was uneven: some staff were less confident about changing an activity when a child struggled to engage.

Eating arrangements had received attention by January 2026. Following incidents, leaders changed policies and emphasised close adult supervision while children ate. Healthy lunch choices remained an improvement point, with families needing more guidance about lunch boxes. Both adult supervision and the food children bring deserve attention.

The Blackburn branch is at 10 Randal Street, Blackburn, BB1 7EG. Enquiries can be made on 01254 265760 or by emailing blackburn@shiningstarsnursery.com; the contact form also allows families to select Blackburn. This helps direct an enquiry to the correct branch.

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year and closes on bank holidays. These are opening hours, rather than the clock times of individual booked sessions.

In January 2026, flexible sessions and a collection-and-return service helped families access the nursery. Those were arrangements at that visit. They are useful subjects for an attendance discussion, especially where transport affects whether a child can attend regularly.

• Baby exploration. In January 2026, adults sometimes interrupted babies' investigation of materials. On a visit, ask how staff now plan sensory activities and respond when babies explore them in different ways.
• Consistency for two-year-olds. Adapting teaching and routines for this age group was a January 2026 improvement priority. Ask for an example of how an activity changes when a child loses interest or needs extra support.
• Food and attendance arrangements. January 2026 priorities included better guidance on healthy lunch boxes. Before booking, ask for a written quotation setting out your attendance pattern, any funded-hours arrangement, and who supplies or pays for food and consumables.

Shining Stars Nursery Blackburn merits consideration for families who value language activities and sensory exploration. Chatter Chums provides a specific communication programme, while the sensory room adds a purposeful physical space. The January 2026 picture also included practical family help and learning connected to children's home lives.

The balance is age-sensitive. Baby exploration and consistency for two-year-olds need careful discussion, rather than being overshadowed by the facilities. Families seeking care across the year have a clear operating calendar to work with; the next step is to establish an attendance agreement that fits their child and household.