Little Strawberries Nursery School

A covered outdoor classroom, a vegetable patch tended by children and a preschool room with a magic fairy tree give Little Strawberries Nursery School a recognisable character. Its indoor and outdoor spaces accommodate energetic play and quieter activity.

At its 24 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, recognising good progress and strong support for communication and language while identifying weaknesses in individual activity planning and the pace of group learning. That is a useful balance for parents: positive findings about children's development, with clear points to examine more closely.

The Burton-on-Trent nursery has capacity for 72 children, with an early-years age range of 2 months to 5 years. Jelly Babies, Jelly Tots and Jelly Beans organise care by stage. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different attendance options.

Rooms and Ages

Jelly Babies, for children from 6 weeks to 2 years, combines a carpeted play area and ball pool with a washable space for messy activities and learning to feed themselves, plus a dedicated sleep room and shaded outdoor area. The carpeted and lino areas accommodate different activities, with messy play and eating sharing the lino area; the dedicated sleep room separates rest from the main room.

For children aged 2 to 3, Jelly Tots uses two rooms for water play, chalk-board mark making and a role-play kitchen, with meals taken around a table alongside a key person. These are practical opportunities to experiment with materials, make early marks and practise conversation. The toddler unit also uses the garden, so its day is not confined to indoor activities.

Jelly Beans, for ages 3 to 5, spreads creative and pretend play through the purple room, quieter tabletop activity around the green room's magic fairy tree and tepee, and technology through the orange room, alongside a separate dining room that encourages self-service. The allocation of different spaces gives preschool children places to pursue different kinds of activity. Child-safe iPads have a stated limit of 10 minutes per child per day, keeping that part of the offer clearly bounded.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, movement, social skills and early literacy and mathematics through their daily experiences. Circle time includes talking about feelings and sharing experiences. Swings, slides and a trampoline support physical activity, while handwriting, phonics and counting are part of preparation for school.

In June 2025, babies explored foil-covered balls hidden in shredded paper, while younger children searched sand for toy sea creatures and named what they found. Preschool play included directing water through a twisting tube and making pretend meals for dolls. Those examples show how ordinary materials can invite investigation and conversation, rather than relying entirely on adult-led tasks.

A caterpillar topic in June 2025 connected observations of living creatures with painting, a story and fruit preparation. Children discussed the chrysalis stage, imagined the butterflies' appearance and made fruit kebabs. The activities brought several kinds of learning together around something children could observe and discuss.

Outdoor and Community Life

The covered outdoor classroom supports learning across the seasons. Children help tend the vegetable patch in summer, connecting outdoor activity with growing food.

In June 2025, outdoor play included climbing equipment, swings and tunnels for babies, and preschool children sometimes had lunch in a shaded seating area. The current arrangements also allow local walks, with parents able to decline participation; organised trips require advance notification and a consent form. These are permissions for outings, rather than a promise of a particular trip schedule.

Relationships and Communication

FAMLY is the parent communication app, combining diary updates during each session with messaging and photographs. Families can follow their child's day and contact staff through the same channel.

Comforters and security blankets from home are accepted, allowing children to bring familiar comforts. The separate baby sleep room includes cots and sensory lighting.

In June 2025, staff helped children think about how another child might feel when something was not shared. They also repeated individual words alongside objects and used flash cards to support children learning English as an additional language. The examples show the detail beneath the wider inspection findings: social understanding and language were worked on through everyday interactions.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENCO role and designated safeguarding lead roles. Staff hold paediatric first-aid certificates. These roles identify responsibility for additional support and safeguarding.

Medication requires written parental consent before staff can administer it. Parents are informed about an accident immediately or at the day's end, depending on its nature, and children with infectious illness, including sickness and diarrhoea, should stay at home. These conditions matter when planning care alongside work.

School preparation includes handwriting, phonics and counting, together with opportunities for children to serve themselves at meals. Staff also liaise with local primary schools about children's next stage. The emphasis is on practical independence as well as early learning.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Strawberries Nursery School is at 275 Shobnall Road, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 2BE. It opens Monday to Friday throughout the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Full days run from 7.30am to 5.45pm; morning sessions are 8am to 1pm, and afternoons run from 1pm to 5.45pm. Full-time and half-day patterns also form part of the booking offer.

For part-time attendance, two sessions per child are recommended to provide continuity. This is a recommendation rather than a stated compulsory minimum. A completed application form is required before a booking can be made, and confirmation is requested in writing. Telephone and an online contact form provide enquiry routes.

A non-refundable deposit applies to both part-time and full-time bookings and is credited against the first monthly invoice. The nursery requests one month's written notice, where possible, for changing or cancelling booked sessions. Those terms make the written booking agreement important, especially for families whose work pattern may change.

Holiday charging differs by attendance pattern. Full-time children have a four-week retainer arrangement during the year, while part-time children do not receive a holiday retainer; additional holidays are charged at the full rate. Christmas closure is payable, and illness normally brings no refund, with an exception for extreme cases of prolonged illness.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, alongside privately paid care. Funding covers the childcare element, while meals and additional activities may attract extra charges on funded hours; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation and its fees and booking terms.

For privately paid care, meals, drinks and baby wipes are included, with food cooked on site from fresh ingredients. Parents supply nappies and formula for babies, nappies where needed for toddlers, summer sun cream, and toothbrushes and toothpaste for toddlers and preschool children. The distinction matters: some everyday items come with the fee, while others need to arrive from home.

• Individual learning and group pace. In June 2025, activity planning needed clearer intended learning for each child, and some group activities kept children waiting too long. During a visit, ask how staff adapt the same activity for different children and keep group sessions moving.
• The youngest starting age. Jelly Babies is described for children from 6 weeks, while the nursery's current early-years age range starts at 2 months. Families seeking care at the youngest end should clarify the agreed starting age before booking.
• Funding and everyday charges. Meals and additional activities may cost extra during funded hours, while families supply several personal-care items. Ask for a written breakdown for the intended attendance pattern, including how funded hours are arranged.
• Holiday and cancellation terms. Christmas closure is payable, part-time bookings have no holiday retainer, and changes carry a request for written notice. Compare those terms with your own holiday plans before committing to sessions.

Little Strawberries suits families seeking full days, mornings or afternoons, especially those who value outdoor learning and regular communication through FAMLY. The covered classroom, vegetable patch and quieter indoor areas give children different ways to spend their day.

The June 2025 Good judgement supports a positive assessment, balanced by specific concerns about individual activity planning and waiting during group learning. Those remain the key reservations.