Shining Stars Nursery

In June 2024, storytelling, number games and a lending library gave Shining Stars Nursery in Coxhoe a recognisable character: children’s play connected with language, early mathematics and learning at home. At its 4 June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found its safeguarding arrangements effective.

Based at The Venue, Parkhill, Coxhoe, DH6 4JH, the nursery has capacity for 24 children aged 24 to 60 months. The strongest detail comes from its June 2024 daily life, alongside clear priorities for improving teaching.

In June 2024, learning followed the early years foundation stage, the framework for children’s learning, development and care; play brought language, number work and physical challenges into the day. Staff joined children indoors and outdoors to extend their activities, rather than leaving play entirely to chance.

Books supplied plenty of material for conversation. During that June, staff used props and repeated story refrains to hold younger children’s attention, while imaginative camping play introduced vocabulary for equipment and campfires. Number work was equally concrete: children arranged numbered circles into a caterpillar and practised counting, estimating and comparing shapes.

Outdoor experiences included balancing and climbing. Children also practised handling scissors and spades safely. The wake and shake activity added energetic movement, with staff helping children recognise when they felt hot and needed to adjust their clothing. These were practical opportunities to connect physical activity with awareness of their own needs.

In June 2024, staff gathered information from parents about children’s routines, interests and needs to help them settle. For children learning English alongside another language, familiar words from home were paired with visual prompts. That gave staff a concrete way to make early communication more accessible.

A special educational needs coordinator worked with parents and other professionals, arranging referrals for additional support or funding where needed. Individual healthcare plans were part of that work. The lending library let children take books home, and staff offered parents ideas for continuing learning beyond nursery.

School preparation also had a practical form that June: circle games gave children opportunities to cooperate, take turns and practise waiting. Independence and interaction received attention alongside early language and number activities.

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with an all-year operating schedule. In June 2024, closures included bank holidays and a break over Christmas and New Year.

At that time, the nursery received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated account of its funding participation.

• Teaching development. At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted asked for clearer sequencing of new skills and more targeted staff development, especially to support the youngest children and those ready for greater challenge. How do staff now plan the next steps for children at these different stages?
• Holiday planning. The June 2024 operating pattern included bank-holiday closures and a Christmas and New Year break. Families needing care across those periods should factor that pattern into their plans.

Shining Stars Nursery suits families seeking care for children beyond babyhood, with books, imaginative play and practical early mathematics prominent in its June 2024 experience. Its Good judgement provides a clear inspection position, balanced by specific teaching-development priorities. In June 2024, the lending library and communication with parents connected nursery learning with home.