Tiny Tots Private Day Nursery

Pretend ice creams, butterfly life cycles and small bikes give Tiny Tots Private Day Nursery a concrete identity: play supplied the starting point for learning in July 2024. Children’s ideas became opportunities to practise language, creativity and movement.

At its 26 July 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The current age range is 9 to 60 months, with 45 places in total, at 93 Shardlow Road in Alvaston, Derby.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning and care: play, conversation and physical activity help children develop their skills. In July 2024, preschool children made pretend ice creams with dough, paper and glitter, while staff introduced words to describe their creations. An interest in insects also prompted learning about how caterpillars become butterflies.

During that July 2024 visit, stories encouraged older children to join in familiar lines. Babies practised balance by pushing small bikes, while garden climbing gave children opportunities to attempt physical challenges. Toddler routines used pictures to signal a change of activity, making the next step easier to understand.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported that parents felt supported and well informed about their children’s care and learning. That provides a dated assessment of both protection and communication.

In July 2024, staff used information from parents alongside their observations to plan children’s next learning steps. Adults also ate with children and discussed healthy food, encouraging them to try unfamiliar tastes. The pre-school promise gave older children simple expectations about listening, kindness and enjoying learning.

Staff had supervision meetings, opportunities to reflect on their interactions and access to training in July 2024. However, practice needed greater consistency in helping children complete tasks independently and in matching spoken language to each child’s understanding.

The address is 93 Shardlow Road, Alvaston, Derby, DE24 0JP. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

In July 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. This is an inspection-time account of its funding offer.

• Doing things independently. In July 2024, guidance did not consistently help children finish tasks for themselves. Everyday opportunities to practise self-care and solve small problems deserve attention.
• Language matched to the child. In July 2024, some adult language was too complicated for children to understand. Clear, appropriately pitched conversation matters alongside songs and stories.
• Planning attendance. The nursery opens across the year but closes for bank holidays and a Christmas week. At a visit, what booking arrangements and funded-hours terms would apply to your child?

Tiny Tots suits families seeking care across the year and a day built around play, conversation and physical activity. Its July 2024 examples give substance to that picture, from butterfly learning to garden climbing. The balance rests on two practical improvements: helping children do more for themselves and making adult communication easier for each child to understand.