Lime Tree Day Nursery Sileby

A full-time chef and continuity of staff give King Street its clearest character. Lime Tree Day Nursery Sileby combines food cooked from scratch with low staff turnover, making familiar adults and everyday care central to its offer. For a family choosing care for a young child, those are practical qualities: relationships have time to develop, and food preparation is part of nursery life.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The detail adds texture to that judgement: children practised doing things for themselves, babies explored textures, and outings connected nursery life with the village. There were also improvements to make in conversation during snacks and vocabulary during group activities.

The nursery takes children aged 1 to 60 months. It offers both full-time attendance and funded term-time places, giving families different ways to organise care.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through experiences such as sharing books, exploring materials and practising everyday tasks, rather than treating education as something separate from play.

In November 2024, babies experimented with textures, touching materials and putting them against their heads. Adults joined their play and responded to their interests. Younger children shared books with adults, using sounds and words as they turned the pages. These were concrete opportunities to communicate before conversation became fluent.

Independence also had a practical shape that November. Children washed their hands and poured their own drinks; older children managed coats and zips. Such small tasks give children opportunities to take responsibility for themselves throughout the day. At lunch, older children served themselves and used courteous language with others.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2024, the garden provided opportunities for older children to dig, while babies were encouraged to move towards toys and younger children practised negotiating stairs. Physical activity reached across different stages of development, with tasks suited to what children were learning to do.

Village outings widened the experience beyond the nursery. That November, children made regular trips around Sileby and took part in songs and rhymes at the local library. Families also contributed winter clothing for people facing hardship. These experiences linked language, community life and helping others, rather than leaving those ideas as abstract topics.

Relationships matter most when a child is beginning nursery. In November 2024, babies who were new to the setting received gentle reassurance and became involved in play. Adults knew children’s needs and responded to them while playing alongside them. This gives parents a useful picture of how settling worked at that point, with comfort and exploration happening together.

Communication extended beyond a description of the day. In November 2024, parents received detailed updates about experiences and development, alongside ideas for continuing learning at home. That connection makes a nursery activity more useful to a family: parents can understand what their child has been doing and build on an interest outside nursery hours.

Food is prepared from scratch by a full-time chef, with provision for different dietary needs, following the Healthy Tots Programme. The programme sits within the nursery’s food arrangements; the practical detail is the chef’s cooking and attention to diet.

All staff have paediatric first-aid training, including administering an Epipen, and some have additional training for administering epilepsy medication. These are specific arrangements for responding to health needs. They should form part of an individual discussion about a child’s care rather than substitute for one.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-time attendance and funded term-time places are both offered. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with the nursery operating throughout the year apart from bank holidays. The distinction matters: the building’s opening window and a family’s attendance pattern are separate decisions.

Getting There

The nursery is on King Street in Sileby, with the current address given as 42–46 King Street, Loughborough, LE12 7NA. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01509 812554 or by email to sileby@limetreedaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded hours are accepted for children aged 2, 3 and 4, and funded term-time attendance is an explicit part of the offer. Families considering this pattern should distinguish it from the full-time option when deciding which arrangement fits their week. Current prices should come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Language during shared activities. In November 2024, older children’s group stories did not consistently introduce more demanding vocabulary, and staff sometimes carried out other tasks during snacks. Ask how conversation and new words are now developed in these parts of the day.
• Your attendance pattern. King Street offers full-time attendance and funded term-time places. Use a visit to discuss how the chosen pattern would work for your child and family.
• Individual health needs. Paediatric first-aid training includes Epipen administration, and some staff have epilepsy-medication training. Families managing allergies or medication should discuss their child’s plan and confirm current practice before starting.

King Street suits families seeking either full-time attendance or funded term-time care, with continuity of adults and a full-time chef prominent in its offer. The November 2024 picture of daily life was concrete and encouraging: children handled everyday tasks, explored textures and took part in village activities. The reservations were equally specific, centred on making better use of conversation at snacks and extending vocabulary in groups. Those are useful points to test alongside the nursery’s personal scale and practical attendance options.