Lilliput Montessori Day Nursery, Anstey

Log cabins, a climbing wall and a garden reached directly from the upstairs preschool rooms give Lilliput Anstey a recognisable character. Inside, the former Liberal Club has separate spaces for younger children, with quieter play, messy activities and sleep accommodated in different parts of the building. The layout matters as much as the equipment: children have places for both movement and rest.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective, while asking for clearer activity explanations and better organisation of group sessions. Those improvement points deserve attention alongside the positive judgement. They concern how well children understand activities and whether shared learning holds their interest.

The nursery has capacity for 79 children, with a current age range of 2 to 60 months. Morning and afternoon sessions provide different attendance options, rather than requiring every family to organise its week around the same pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Under two's at Anstey have two rooms across the corridor from each other, with resources chosen for younger children and the calmer room serving as a sleep room after lunch. That gives rest a defined place within the daily arrangement.

For the 2 to 3 age group, two rooms divide quieter activities from messy play, alongside a bathroom supporting nappy changes and toilet training. Children can choose between different kinds of activity rather than having every experience take place in one shared space.

The 3 to 4 year olds use an upstairs open-plan space and two smaller rooms, including one devoted to art and craft, with their own bathroom and direct garden access. Creative work therefore has a dedicated setting, while outdoor activity remains connected to the preschool accommodation.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and practical activities support communication, physical development and relationships. In February 2022, the nursery followed a Montessori philosophy, an approach centred on children's practical exploration and growing independence.

February 2022 observations give concrete examples of that learning. Older babies threaded spaghetti into a colander, practising persistence and careful hand movements. Toddlers recreated family experiences in a play kitchen. Preschool children built car tunnels from cardboard tubes and adjusted the pieces together when their construction failed to line up. These were small tasks with meaningful demands: trying again, sharing ideas and finding a workable solution.

The same month, staff introduced vocabulary while babies explored oats with spoons. However, some activity instructions were too complex, and children learning English as an additional language sometimes lost interest because they did not understand. The issue was not simply which activities were offered. The explanations needed to make those activities accessible.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines slides and a climbing wall with log cabins, quieter spaces, and areas for planting and digging. A Forest School area adds a place associated with practical outdoor learning; it should not be read as a promise of a particular session frequency. This is an outdoor offer with room for energetic play and slower exploration.

In February 2022, children enjoyed outdoor bubble play, reaching and jumping to catch bubbles. Staff also organised regular community outings. Those experiences extended learning beyond the indoor rooms, while keeping exploration close to children's everyday interests.

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised children's learning needs, worked with families and other professionals where necessary, used additional funding appropriately and maintained useful communication with parents. That finding gives substance to the account of individual support, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

Care routines in February 2022 included recognising when babies needed sleep and giving them a peaceful place to rest. Toddlers practised washing their own faces after eating, while preschool children put on their coats for outdoor play. These details show how ordinary care tasks also gave children opportunities to become more independent.

Relationships were evident in February 2022 through children's connections with adults and friends, including cooperative construction play. Preparation for moving on also included links with a local school. This was transition support, rather than a school-place entitlement, and should be considered alongside the practical independence children were developing.

Group routines were the weaker part of the February 2022 picture. Storytelling and singing before meals could continue too long and become unsettled; children were also taken away to wash their hands while still involved in the activity. For families, the relevant question is how shared sessions fit children's attention and preserve the learning already taking place.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Latimer Street, Anstey, LE7 7AW. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm, and afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm, giving families a choice between an earlier start and an afternoon attendance pattern.

Bank holidays and Christmas week are closures. These breaks need to be included in a family's childcare arrangements, especially where working days continue through the festive period.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded education sessions are offered, including an afternoon session from noon to 3pm. In February 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Eligibility and the current charge structure belong in a written quotation from the nursery, with funded hours distinguished from any additional paid attendance.

Enquiries can be made through the Anstey contact form or by telephone on 0330 043 1262.

• Funded-session timing. The funded morning session has a printed end time of 11.30pm, whereas the nursery closes at 6pm. Confirm the intended morning timing and request a written quotation separating funded attendance, additional hours, meals and consumables.
• Group learning. In February 2022, lengthy shared sessions and complicated instructions sometimes reduced children's engagement. During a visit, ask how explanations are adapted and how storytelling fits around meals and handwashing.
• Baby sleep. The quieter baby room becomes a sleep room after lunch. Ask how this arrangement accommodates your child's individual sleep pattern at other times of day.

Lilliput Anstey suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance, with separate age-group spaces and a garden that combines climbing, creative outdoor play and planting. The upstairs art room and the quieter baby sleep space give its layout practical purpose.

Its February 2022 judgement provides a positive foundation, with specific reservations about instructions and group routines. Families who value practical exploration and increasing independence have clear reasons to consider it; a visit should test how today's daily organisation responds to those earlier concerns.