Shining Stars Nursery

Soft play, a sensory room and an outdoor classroom give Shining Stars Nursery a character that goes beyond its Cummings Street address. Its toddler accommodation combines separate spaces for play and craft with access to the garden, while the preschool unit is arranged to encourage children to do more for themselves. These are useful distinctions for parents weighing physical play alongside preparation for school.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The nursery has capacity for 52 children and accepts ages from 3 to 60 months. Capacity is a whole-nursery measure, rather than the number of children sharing any one room.

Morning, afternoon, School Day and Full Day bookings give families several attendance patterns. The practical difference between them matters: a short session and a day extending into late afternoon serve different family routines.

Rooms and Ages

Toddlers have two playrooms, a dedicated craft space and a soft play room, with French doors connecting the unit to grass steps and the outdoor area. That arrangement gives messy activities and movement their own spaces, rather than asking one room to accommodate everything.

Pre-School occupies a single-storey unit arranged around independence and preparation for school. The emphasis is on children becoming more capable of managing things themselves, a useful complement to learning through play.

A sensory room and outdoor classroom add further settings for activities. The physical variety is one of the clearest reasons to consider this nursery: children can encounter different kinds of play across indoor and outdoor spaces.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, play and practical experiences connect language, physical development and exploration, rather than separating learning from the nursery day.

In February 2025, staff extended children's vocabulary during sand-building, introducing a word as the towers fell and returning to it as the children watched. A story also prompted children to mix water with oats, repeat rhymes and act out the narrative using toys. These examples show how conversation and books can become part of hands-on activity, giving words a meaning children can experience.

Baking, yoga, technology activities, soft play and community trips form part of the current activity offer. Baking has a practical learning role too: in February 2025, children measured ingredients and compared their experiences of cooking at home. The activity joins early mathematical ideas with something familiar and tangible.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2025, children practised balancing, watched one another and adjusted their movements until they could complete the equipment circuit independently. They also voted on a weekly activity. One example gives children a physical challenge to return to; the other gives them a direct say in part of their day.

The same month's nursery life included community visits, cultural and religious celebrations, and visiting guests. These experiences brought people and customs into children's learning alongside activities within the setting.

Children in Need is an annual event involving pyjamas and spot-themed activities, with fundraising alongside it. Sponsorship through Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust (KORT), an organisation supporting orphaned children through education and welfare, adds a named charitable connection. For families who value participation in fundraising, this is a concrete part of the nursery's community life.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that support plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were reviewed with parents, and that additional funding was used effectively to meet developmental needs. This gives parents a specific example of how inclusion worked: discussion with families was linked to individual planning and resources.

In February 2025, parent workshops covered mathematics and the move to school. Their practical value was to connect nursery learning with what parents could support at home. Staff also helped children recognise emotions and express how they felt, alongside giving them choices during the day.

Millie’s Mark is a first-aid award held by the nursery. It adds a named first-aid credential to the care offer.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 22 Cummings Street, Derby DE23 6WW, and opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 4.30pm. It operates throughout the year, with a Christmas-week closure.

Four booking patterns have their own times. Morning Session runs from 9am to noon, while Afternoon Session runs from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. School Day spans 9am to 3pm; Full Day starts at 8.30am and ends at 4.30pm. The opening window therefore begins before the named Full Day booking. Extra hours can be booked in advance and are charged separately.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. Registration begins with contact with the nursery, followed by discussion of the application and a visit. This gives families a practical route into joining rather than an automatic booking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both privately paid childcare and funded places are offered, including the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements for eligible children. The 15-hour arrangement is usually taken during term time, across 38 weeks; the extended entitlement is described for eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds. Participation in funding does not itself establish a family's eligibility.

Breakfast, lunch and tea carry separate charges. Additional pre-booked time also increases the cost, so the chosen session and meals need to be considered together when comparing attendance patterns. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation; its sessions and prices page sets out the booking and charge structure.

• Opening hours and booked time. Opening begins at 8am, but the named Full Day starts at 8.30am. During a visit, discuss how an earlier start would fit the separately charged, pre-booked extra-hour arrangement.
• Meals alongside funding. Breakfast, lunch and tea are separately charged. Ask for a written quotation showing how meals and non-food consumables would be treated within your child's funded attendance.
• Spaces for younger children. The toddler unit combines playrooms, craft space and soft play. Use the child-inclusive tour to discuss how a younger child's settling and daily care would work within those spaces.

Shining Stars suits families choosing between morning or afternoon sessions and the longer School Day or Full Day patterns. Its strongest practical attractions are the variety of physical spaces, hands-on activities and emphasis on independence in preschool. The February 2025 Outstanding judgement gives that offer a strong inspection position, while the choice of session, extra time and separately charged meals will shape the family's actual arrangement.