Children 1st Syston Nursery School

A calming Tree Room, Cottage and Construction areas, and gardens divided by age give Children 1st Syston Nursery School a recognisable character. There is room for different kinds of play: quieter exploration, imaginative activity and time outdoors. This is a substantial setting, with capacity for 131 children aged from two months to five years.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement provides a dated assessment of care and education, rather than a verdict on every aspect of today's nursery day. The improvement priorities concerned extending language and thinking, reducing disruption during routines, and positioning staff where children needed support.

For families, the practical appeal includes a choice of morning, afternoon and day sessions, alongside funding stretched across the year. The useful distinction is between the attendance pattern and the funded hours within it: shorter bookings and longer days both form part of the offer.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this means a day that supports communication, relationships, physical development and increasing independence through play and everyday experiences. It is the foundation of nursery education, rather than an extra programme.

Forest School adds outdoor learning through exploration of the natural world. At Syston, separate gardens for the different age groups give outdoor play its own space within the setting. The Tree Room offers a calmer setting, while the Cottage and Construction areas provide contrasting places to explore. Those physical differences matter more than a broad promise of stimulating activities: children have several types of environment within the same nursery.

Cookery sessions involve handling ingredients and developing practical skills, with opportunities to learn about growing food. That connects an activity to something children encounter again at mealtimes. Yoga and community trips also sit within the additional activities, alongside extra learning resources.

In July 2022, very young children sustained their attention while playing with cars in water, copying sounds and actions from adults. Favourite puppets were used for singing with younger children. These examples show how familiar interests could become starting points for attention, interaction and language, rather than activities being planned independently of the children taking part.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2022, children took turns with small tools while planting wheat in the garden. Older children also helped restore the outdoor area after play. The combination gave them practical responsibilities as well as opportunities to explore materials and living things.

Relate is the nursery's chosen community charity, providing relationship counselling and support across Leicester. Fundraising during the year includes sponsored challenges, bake sales and dressing-up days. For families, this creates opportunities to take part in a shared cause beyond the usual nursery routine; the dressing-up element is also a practical detail to keep in mind.

Relationships and Communication

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that relationships with staff helped children feel secure enough to explore, and that families received useful information and support for learning at home. In July 2022, communication included an online system recording children's daily learning experiences. The important point was the connection between nursery activities and what parents could do afterwards, rather than updates being limited to a list of what had happened.

Everyday independence was another clear thread in July 2022. Younger children practised using cutlery and putting food on their plates; older children served lunch, poured drinks and managed handwashing. A lunch-monitor responsibility gave children a reason to help prepare the table. These were small, usable skills embedded in the day, with support adjusted to what children could manage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The July 2022 improvement priorities qualify that positive picture. Adults sometimes repeated familiar language rather than stretching children's vocabulary or ideas. Movement between spaces could disturb other children's activities and leave some waiting unnecessarily. Staff positioning also sometimes reduced the support children received. These concerns affect the texture of a nursery day: the quality of adult conversation, the continuity of play and whether help reaches the child who needs it.

An onsite chef prepares meals, using local ingredients where possible. Menus accommodate different dietary requirements, making food planning relevant to each child's care as well as to the convenience of having meals prepared at nursery.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 1324 Melton Road, Syston, Leicester, LE7 2EQ. Attendance runs Monday to Friday, with several booking patterns rather than one day length.

Business Days run from 8am to 6pm, while Nursery days finish at 5pm after an 8am start. School days run from 9am to 3pm. Mornings are 8am to 1pm, and Afternoons are 1pm to 6pm. These differences let families compare a shorter daytime booking, a half-day pattern and a later finish against their actual working hours.

The nursery operates throughout the year, closing for Christmas week and two staff-training days annually. Its branch enquiry form provides a direct starting point for joining. A non-refundable registration charge applies, and the deposit is credited against the first invoice.

Funding and Paid Extras

The 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer is for eligible children aged nine months and above, with funding beginning the term after the relevant birthday. Funding is stretched over 51 weeks, giving up to 11.18 or 22.35 funded hours each week respectively. Up to 10 funded hours can be used in a day, with remaining entitlement applied to other regular sessions. That makes the funding allocation a separate consideration from the session's full length.

Private fees include meals and snacks, formula and milk, together with nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream. Funded sessions carry separate charges for food, health and hygiene consumables, and additional activities; unfunded hours are charged separately too. The activity charge applies to children over two, with no such charge for under-twos. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the Syston fees and funding information explains the structure.

• Conversation and continuity. The July 2022 priorities covered extending language, reducing interruptions and improving staff positioning. During a visit, ask how staff now build on children's ideas and keep room changes from interrupting play.
• Your child's daily spaces. Syston's Tree Room, Cottage and Construction areas offer contrasting environments. Ask which spaces your child would use and how their settling sessions would introduce them to those spaces and the adults caring for them.
• The whole funded-session bill. Food, consumables and additional activities carry separate funded-session charges. Discuss the alternatives to the integrated package before agreeing the attendance pattern, including any dietary arrangements your child needs.

Children 1st Syston suits families considering morning or afternoon sessions as well as different day lengths. Its gardens, contrasting indoor spaces, cookery and Relate fundraising give the offer substance beyond its timetable. The July 2022 assessment also supplies useful examples of independence and relationships, alongside specific concerns about conversation, routines and staff support. Those priorities deserve attention when judging how the nursery day works for your child now.