Daisy Fays St Ives

A sensory room, space for soft play and a garden for digging give Daisy Fays St Ives a character that goes beyond its coastal address. This purpose-built nursery at St Ives Children's Centre, Trenwith Burrows, accepts children from three months to five years. Its physical spaces accommodate different kinds of activity, from movement and music to exploring outdoors.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 24 October 2023 inspection. The useful detail beneath that judgement concerns conversation, relationships and independence: children had opportunities to talk during play, take books home and practise looking after themselves. There were also weaknesses in the organisation of group activities and the changes between parts of the day. Those matter alongside the grade.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, so learning through play sits alongside communication, physical development and growing independence. Here, the current environment includes a sensory room and a larger space used for soft play, music and dance. These give children ways to explore and move beyond their main play spaces.

Babies have their own room, while toddlers have a large room and garden; preschool children use an extensive outdoor area for digging and play as they develop independence before school. The practical distinction is between spaces suited to different stages, rather than one shared description applied to every age. For a family with a baby and an older child, that separation is a useful part of the setting's design.

In October 2023, staff planned activities around children's interests and used observations to decide what to introduce next. Conversation was an emphasis, with spaces arranged to encourage children to talk and adults extending exchanges during play. That made language part of ordinary activity rather than something reserved for a separate group session.

Reading also reached beyond the nursery day. In October 2023, families could take home packs combining books and rhymes, and children could borrow books. This gave parents something concrete to share at home and broadened the stories children encountered. It was a practical connection between nursery learning and family life.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supported different kinds of exploration in October 2023. Toddlers moved water between containers, preschool children planted and played in mud kitchens, and babies explored sand while practising movement outdoors. These were age-related experiences, with the outdoor environment used for physical activity as well as discovery.

The current preschool offer includes digging in the garden, while the toddler garden provides space to explore nature. Outdoor play therefore has a physical setting of its own. The sensory room and movement space add alternatives indoors, giving the environment more variety than a garden alone.

Relationships were a strength of the October 2023 nursery day. Key workers exchanged information with parents, and staff learnt about children and their families. Children developed close relationships with adults and played cooperatively with one another. For parents, the important mechanism was the connection between home knowledge and daily care, rather than a general promise of individual attention.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children, including those with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, received support that helped them progress. Staff coordinated SEND support with professionals from outside the nursery. That is a dated assessment of practice, rather than a guarantee about any individual child's experience.

In October 2023, adults helped children recognise emotions and manage their responses, while celebrating achievements encouraged them to persist with tasks. Self-care was also part of preparation for school. However, opportunities for children to do things independently were less consistent during changes such as returning indoors or getting ready for lunch. Care and learning need to work through those ordinary moments too.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. That calendar gives families a concrete closure pattern to build into their childcare arrangements.

Getting There

The address is St Ives Children's Centre, Trenwith Burrows, St Ives, TR26 1DJ. Telephone enquiries go directly to the St Ives branch on 01736 223185.

Funding and Paid Extras

In October 2023, the nursery received funding for free early years education for children aged two, three and four. Families should use the nursery's current written quotation when assessing prices and their total childcare budget.

• Group activities. In October 2023, some whole-group experiences did not accommodate children's differing needs well enough. During a visit, ask how activities are adapted so younger children and those needing additional support can take part meaningfully.
• Independence between activities. The October 2023 improvement points included keeping children engaged during changes in the day and giving them more tasks to complete themselves. Ask how the move from garden play to lunch works now.
• Your baby's routine. Babies have a separate room, while the setting also has shared sensory and movement spaces. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how your child's sleep and feeding routine fits around those activities.

Daisy Fays St Ives suits families seeking childcare from babyhood through the preschool years in a purpose-built setting with both garden play and indoor movement spaces. Its sensory room and age-related environments give the offer substance. The October 2023 picture also included practical links with home through books and regular conversation with parents. Balance those strengths against the two improvement points: participation in group activities and independence during changes in the day deserve attention when choosing it.