Nursery Rhymes Chesterfield

A Georgian house, a garden pavilion and a room reserved for quieter play give Nursery Rhymes Chesterfield a character that goes beyond its age-group rooms. Outdoor activity runs through the day, while the Fox Room gives children somewhere to step back from busier play. That combination matters for families whose children enjoy company but also need quieter moments.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, with an effective key-person system supporting children's relationships with staff. The improvement priorities concerned challenge for the most-able preschool children and helping children understand the reasons behind rules. Those are useful points to weigh alongside the practical strengths.

The nursery has capacity for 45 children and accepts children from three months to five years. Its address is 619 Sheffield Road, Old Whittington, Chesterfield, S41 9DX. Full days sit alongside morning and afternoon bookings, with a separate term-time afternoon option for fully funded care.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room is labelled 0–12 months, although the nursery's starting age is three months, and combines supervised play, songs and conversation with daily outdoor time and a sleep room. Care begins with a sheet recording each baby's sleep, feeds and comforters, giving staff practical information from home.

In the Bunny Room, for 12–24 months, toys support balance and early walking, while water, craft and messy play sit alongside daily use of the large outdoor area. Children make introductory visits before moving from the Baby Room, giving the change a familiar starting point.

The Duck Room, for 24–36 months, mixes adult-planned activities with children's own choices, using music, craft and outdoor equipment such as bikes and slides to develop language, movement and social skills. Children staying through the day can sleep after lunch; those remaining awake join television or table activities. That distinction is worth considering against a toddler's usual afternoon rhythm.

For children aged three to five, the Hedgehog Room combines imaginative and table play with painting, cutting and sand-and-water activities, plus daily outdoor use of the lawn, pavilion or covered soft play area. Quiet periods and support with toileting also form part of its routine, so increasing independence does not mean removing help.

The Fox Room serves children across the age groups, bringing sensory activities and small-group work into a quieter space with a home corner and reading area. It is also used to help children with sensory needs relax and regulate. This is a concrete provision rather than a general promise of individual attention.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes activities through its seven areas of learning and development: in everyday terms, children learn through play, conversation, movement and practical experiences. Here, that includes songs for babies, colour and shape activities for toddlers, and imaginative play and craft for older children. The framework is the educational baseline; the detail lies in how each room puts it into the day.

Baking club is part of the enrichment offer, while gardening connects learning with things children can grow and eat. Music and movement, mindful wellbeing and outings into the local area also sit within the nursery's enrichment offer. These activities belong within nursery life, with the funding packages determining how associated charges are handled.

In July 2024, toddlers acted out The Gruffalo using story animals and handled oats while pretending to make cakes. Preschool children invented stories around toy machinery and repairs to water pipes. These examples show the practical link between familiar stories, conversation and play materials rather than a day built solely around adult instruction.

Outdoor and Community Life

The front garden has a large sand pit, grass for running and a bike path. A covered pavilion accommodates singing, music and smaller-group activities, while a play tower adds another physical challenge. Covered play space also allows outdoor activity during wet weather, making the garden useful beyond sunny days.

Growing food gives children a different reason to spend time outside. In spring and summer they can follow seedlings through to produce they pick and eat; examples include tomatoes, potatoes and herbs such as mint and rosemary. The connection is direct: food does not begin at the lunch table.

In July 2024, outdoor play included digging for treasure and activities involving climbing and balance. Children from different age groups also played together outside. The garden therefore supported both physical activity and contact beyond each child's usual room.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins around four to six weeks before a child's start, with a parent staying for the initial session. Children meet their key person during this period, and the All About Me information builds a picture of preferences, dislikes and ways of being comforted. The purpose is practical: staff can begin with details the family already knows about their child.

Baby care starts with a sheet covering feeds, sleep and comforters, and daily information is recorded for parents. In the sleep room, checks take place every 10 minutes, alongside use of a listening monitor and individual cot sheets. The Bunny Room offers sleep after lunch in the cot room or on cushions under staff supervision, allowing rest arrangements to change as children grow.

Tapestry, the nursery's communication app, carries activities, milestones and baby care diaries covering sleep, food and nappy changes; parents can also contribute photographs and updates from home. Daily spoken handovers complement progress summaries every six months, termly meetings with the key person and termly newsletters. There are several ways to follow development, rather than relying on a single end-of-day conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The inclusion and SEND policy provides for reasonable adjustments to help children access nursery services. The Fox Room adds a specific environmental option for children who benefit from sensory activities or a quieter setting. Neither replaces discussion of an individual child's needs, but both give that discussion something concrete to work with.

Meals are cooked on site by a chef, using a seasonal four-week menu that accommodates weaning stages and dietary requirements. Gardening adds opportunities to see ingredients growing before children pick and eat them.

In July 2024, independence developed through ordinary routines: babies practised feeding themselves, toddlers used cutlery and preschool children helped prepare lunch tables and served food. Staff had also undertaken training in signs and symbols to support communication. Preparation for school was expressed through everyday skills rather than an admissions link.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Families can make initial enquiries by telephone, email or the contact form, and a brochure and nursery visit form part of the joining process.

The full-day booking runs from 8am to 5.30pm. Morning sessions cover 8am to 1pm, and afternoons run from 1pm to 5.30pm; an early breakfast club covers 7.30am to 8am. For non-funded attendance, the minimum booking is three sessions, described as one and a half days. That minimum belongs to non-funded bookings, rather than being a rule to apply automatically to every funding arrangement.

The fully funded Package Two uses term-time afternoons from 1pm to 5pm. This is a different timetable from the standard afternoon session and needs to be considered separately when matching nursery attendance with work or other commitments.

Funding and Paid Extras

The 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements can be spread across 50 weeks, giving approximately 11.4 or 22.8 funded hours each week respectively. Term-time-only arrangements are also offered for teaching staff, and Package Two provides the separate fully funded term-time afternoon route. The useful distinction is between an entitlement and the attendance pattern through which it is delivered.

For funded hours, Package One has optional daily charges covering meals, snacks and learning consumables; families choosing Package Two may supply food under the packed-lunch policy and do not pay additional package charges. Enrichment, outings, events, health and hygiene items, an IT package and settling sessions are also identified as costs outside government funding, supported through optional charges when sessions use funded hours.

Package One is not a requirement for accessing a funded place. Its enrolment charge covers a settling package of four two-hour sessions, food and administrative preparation, whereas Package Two incorporates settling into the booked sessions. This makes the package choice relevant before attendance begins.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and funding information sets out the package structure. Invoices are issued by email at month-end and payment is due by the 10th; changes to the care package and fees are reviewed each September, with at least 28 days' warning of increases.

• Preschool challenge. In July 2024, the most-able preschool children sometimes needed more demanding interaction to remain engaged. At a visit, ask how Hedgehog Room activities are extended for a child ready for the next step.
• Understanding boundaries. In July 2024, staff did not consistently explain why rules mattered. Ask how practitioners now help children connect a boundary with its effect on other people.
• Funding and timetable. Package Two's term-time hours are 1pm to 5pm, while the standard afternoon ends at 5.30pm. Compare the package, food arrangements and attendance pattern together before agreeing a booking.
• Settling and individual care. A parent stays for the first settling session, and settling charges differ between packages. Use the visit to discuss the proposed settling plan, sleep arrangements and current practice for any allergy or dietary requirement.

Nursery Rhymes Chesterfield suits families seeking either full-day attendance or separate morning and afternoon sessions, with a further term-time afternoon route for fully funded care. Its strongest practical combination is age-specific rooms, substantial outdoor provision and a quieter shared space, backed by communication that includes daily handovers and regular development reviews.

The July 2024 improvement priorities deserve attention, especially for families of preschool children ready for greater challenge. The package decision matters too: funded hours, food, consumables and settling arrangements need to be read together. For parents who value play, outdoor activity and continuity with a key person, there is a clear basis for considering this nursery.