The Early Years Academy Loughborough

Outdoor space for each age group gives The Early Years Academy Loughborough a practical starting point: children have places to play outside alongside indoor environments designed for their stage of development. At 5-7 Limehurst Avenue, Loughborough, LE11 1PE, it has capacity for 44 children aged three months to five years.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 5 June 2024 and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest examples from that period concern everyday independence and emotional preparation: toddlers serving food, preschool children speaking directly to their friends, and dressing-up activities that make starting school more familiar. These are small experiences with a clear purpose. Children practise doing things for themselves.

Current attendance choices include morning and afternoon sessions, a full day and shorter day patterns, with no minimum booking requirement.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, play and practical activities give children opportunities to develop communication, movement and social skills. The current curriculum uses play to encourage children to investigate problems, while open-ended resources and natural elements provide materials they can explore in different ways. The emphasis is on doing and discovering.

Age groups have their own outdoor spaces. That matters because physical play can sit alongside indoor learning rather than being confined to a shared space designed for a different developmental stage. The environments are organised around children's ages, with play areas supporting exploration.

In June 2024, baby-room activities included adults helping children steady themselves as they attempted to walk, repeating simple words during play, and encouraging them to offer toys to other children. Movement, early speech and sharing were approached through immediate experiences. The examples give a concrete picture of how an adult can turn an ordinary moment into learning.

Toddlers were encouraged to dish up their food and pour their drinks in June 2024. Those tasks gave them a manageable opportunity to practise independence, with staff acknowledging their efforts and reminding them about manners. There was also an important limitation: loud adult voices sometimes made it harder for children in this room to pay attention and join in.

For preschool children in June 2024, growing carrots and strawberries connected food with the work of planting and caring for it. Adults also prompted children to ask their friends questions themselves, rather than relying on a practitioner to speak for them. Older children tried making sparks with flints under close adult supervision. These experiences combined practical exploration with opportunities to use their voices and make decisions.

Relationships and Communication

Unlimited settling-in sessions allow the start to be planned around the child rather than a fixed allowance of introductory visits. A personalised settling plan provides a practical way to organise that transition. For families facing their first separation, the useful feature is time to become familiar with the setting before the normal attendance pattern begins.

Parents receive newsletters and take part in meetings about their children's development. Observations, feedback and assessments also form part of parental involvement, giving families several ways to understand what their child is learning. Communication has a practical purpose: it connects nursery activities with experiences at home.

In June 2024, staff shared activity information with parents and explained ways to extend children's learning at home. Emotional changes were addressed through play, too: dolls were used when children had a new sibling, and school clothes were available for dressing up before the move to school. Familiar experiences gave children a way to explore changes that might otherwise feel abstract.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support, including timely referrals to specialists and shared staff understanding of individual needs, while additional funding supported extra adult help and targeted group activities. The practical strength was coordination: children's needs informed both outside involvement and the support delivered within the nursery.

Health education also needed attention in June 2024. Activities did not consistently help every child understand why caring for their teeth matters. This sits alongside the toddler-room interaction issue as a specific area for families to explore, rather than a reason to treat the overall Good judgement as covering every aspect equally.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm; afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. The morning and afternoon choices make this more adaptable than an offer built solely around a complete working day.

The 10 Hour Day can run from 7.30am to 5.30pm or 8am to 6pm. For a 9 Hour Day, the choices are 7.30am to 4.30pm, 8am to 5pm, 8.30am to 5.30pm or 9am to 6pm.

An 8 Hour Day offers starts at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am, 9am, 9.30am or 10am, with respective finishes at 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, 5pm, 5.30pm or 6pm. These fixed alternatives let families align attendance with different working schedules. There is no minimum booking requirement, and enquiries can be made by telephone or through the Loughborough enquiry form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered from nine months for eligible children, with two-year-old funding also supported. For three- and four-year-olds, the entitlement is 15 hours each week over 38 weeks, with an additional 15 hours dependent on circumstances. Funding can be stretched across 51 weeks, spreading the hours through the year.

The all-inclusive service includes food, nappies, wipes and creams in its rates; funded hours cover childcare, with meals, nappies and other consumables charged separately. Freshly cooked food is prepared by EYA cooks, with meals adapted to children's dietary needs.

A non-refundable registration charge applies to all bookings. Fees are paid monthly in advance, with equal monthly payments calculated across 51 weeks and payment due on the first of the month. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the Loughborough fees and funding page explains the charge structure.

• Toddler-room participation. In June 2024, loud adult voices sometimes disrupted listening and involvement. On a visit, ask how practitioners now manage their voices and support children during group activities.
• Learning about teeth. Planning for oral hygiene needed greater precision in June 2024. Ask for examples of how this is taught across the different ages.
• Funded-hour costs. All-inclusive rates include meals and consumables. Funded childcare excludes meals, nappies and consumables, which carry separate charges. Request a written quotation for your intended session pattern so those elements are clear.

The Early Years Academy Loughborough suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as a full day or a shorter working-day pattern. Outdoor spaces for the different age groups, unlimited settling and the absence of a minimum booking requirement give the current offer practical appeal.

The June 2024 Good judgement is supported by concrete examples of independence, emotional preparation and coordinated additional support. The two improvement points deserve attention, especially for parents of toddlers. This is a useful combination of flexible attendance and purposeful everyday learning, with specific questions to take into a visit.