Cherubs Kimberley

A Timotay Playscapes outdoor environment, a Sensory Theatre and weekly Explorers sessions give Cherubs Kimberley a recognisable character: physical play and discovery sit alongside spaces for quieter exploration. This is a substantial nursery on High Street in Kimberley, Nottingham, with capacity for 114 children and an accepted age range of 1 to 60 months.

At its 10 February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The detail matters as much as the grade. In February 2023, children encountered books, outdoor activity and practical opportunities to become more independent, but some drifted between activities and quieter children did not consistently receive enough encouragement to contribute to conversations.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Breakfast and after-school clubs add a separate option for families arranging care around school.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Unit emphasises exploration through its environment and resources, while the Toddler Unit combines adult-led activities with physical play, creative experiences, role play and quieter periods. Pre-School has an open layout, with accessible resources, opportunities to serve food independently and a more structured daily routine. These are different stages of the nursery day, rather than one identical offer repeated across rooms.

The Sensory Theatre adds equipment and objects for exploring smell, sound, touch and sight. Its value is concrete: children have another way to investigate materials and sensations alongside the activities in their usual room.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: here, its everyday expression includes play, conversation, books and growing independence. The group-wide blended approach also influences the organisation of spaces, the daily routine and staff-led learning at Kimberley.

In February 2023, younger children joined action songs, while older children explored drawing and identifying their own names. Books were used both with adults and independently. Those examples connect communication with early literacy, rather than treating recognising letters as an isolated task.

Weekly Sports Coaching introduces Pre-School children to physical activity through cricket, fencing and football. The emphasis is on an age-appropriate introduction. In February 2023, a coach demonstrated different ways of throwing, and children practised using a bat: specific opportunities to coordinate movements and take turns.

Outdoor and Community Life

Explorers provides weekly experiences based on Forest School principles, with children investigating the natural environment through building, hiding and exploration. Sessions take place either within the nursery or in the surrounding community. That gives outdoor learning a recurring place in the week, beyond simply having a garden.

The nursery was refurbished in 2020, including its bespoke Timotay Playscapes outdoor environment. Garden activities include climbing and stories, with the space arranged around children's interests. In February 2023, babies spent time outside with books, while older children used large climbing apparatus and combined counting with hide-and-seek. Outdoor activity reached across the ages.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2023, younger children's preparation for sleep included gentle music, stories and individual reassurance. Staff responded with cuddles where needed. For parents of babies, this is a useful dated picture of how rest and emotional comfort were handled together.

Blossom Educational Software gives parents access to their child's learning and nursery experiences through an app, with opportunities to contribute themselves. It makes communication two-way. In February 2023, newsletters, parents' evenings and stay-and-play opportunities also helped connect families with nursery life, while the app supplied ideas for extending learning at home.

The Family Room provides a private space that can be used for breastfeeding and informal meetings, as well as somewhere for parents to work or have a hot drink while waiting. It is a practical facility for family needs, rather than another children's activity space.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified two improvements: helping every child participate meaningfully in activities and drawing quieter children into discussions to develop their speaking skills. This qualification belongs alongside the positive findings, especially for families whose child is less likely to volunteer an answer or join a busy group.

In February 2023, children explored feelings through songs, signs and yoga, and discussed differences while making faces from play dough. Everyday independence was encouraged through serving lunch, cleaning their own faces and helping friends with coats. These examples show how emotional learning and practical self-care were brought into ordinary routines.

A dedicated on-site chef prepares meals, with menus changing on a three-week seasonal cycle and Meat Free Monday providing a recurring meat-free day. Dietary requirements, including allergies, intolerances and cultural or lifestyle preferences, are catered for.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is High Street, Kimberley, Nottingham, NG16 2PD. The nursery opens Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 6pm and operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Those closures matter when arranging care through the working year.

Breakfast and after-school clubs include transport to and from local schools. These are separate from the nursery's opening window and serve a different family need: care around the school day. Tour bookings use a form for Cherubs Kimberley that collects the child's age, requested sessions and preferred starting date.

Getting There

Regular buses connect Kimberley with Nottingham City Centre and other destinations, and the nursery has direct access to the M1. That gives both local families and commuters transport connections to weigh against their own daily route.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated account of participation, rather than a guarantee of an individual family's entitlement or attendance arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Quieter children. The February 2023 findings highlighted inconsistent encouragement for children who contributed less readily to discussions. At a visit, ask how staff now bring a reserved child into conversations and help them take part in activities.
• Nursery and school-day care. Breakfast and after-school clubs include school collection and drop-off, while the nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm. Establish which schools the clubs serve and how the arrangement would fit siblings' routines.
• Funding and dietary needs. Funded early education was part of the February 2023 offer, and the chef caters for dietary requirements. Request a written breakdown of the current funded arrangement, including meals and consumables, and discuss any allergy requirements against current practice.

Cherubs Kimberley suits families who value outdoor exploration, sensory experiences and weekly physical activity alongside an open Pre-School environment that encourages independence. Explorers, Sports Coaching and the Family Room give that proposition substance.

The attendance offer also reaches families needing breakfast-club or after-school care with school transport. The February 2023 judgement provides a positive inspection position with a clear qualification: participation and quieter children's conversations needed more consistent attention. That is the most useful issue to explore alongside the facilities and daily activities.