Children 1st Derby Road Nursery School

A dedicated baby suite, spaces across two levels and hands-on cookery give Children 1st Derby Road Nursery School a clear practical character. This Long Eaton setting combines an indoor base for younger children with outdoor exploration and a community link to Rainbows Hospice. The appeal is concrete: space to play, opportunities to make things and a cause families can support together.

At its February 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, while identifying a need for staff to be clearer about what children should learn from particular activities. That qualification matters alongside the grade. Enjoyable play and precise teaching intentions both deserve attention.

The nursery has capacity for 122 children, with a current age range from 2 months to 5 years. Attendance choices include morning and afternoon sessions as well as several longer day patterns.

Rooms and Ages

The building extends over two levels, with a dedicated baby suite providing a calmer base for the youngest children. For parents choosing care for a baby, that separation is a useful feature to explore: the baby's immediate surroundings matter as much as the activities offered elsewhere in the nursery.

In February 2022, babies sought comfort from familiar adults and joined musical play while sitting close to them. Younger children also used slides, while older children turned physical play into imaginary adventures. These examples show how movement and imaginative play fitted together at that time, rather than treating exercise as a separate part of the day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, learning happens through play and everyday experiences, with adults helping children build communication, physical skills and independence. It is the baseline for early education here.

In February 2022, a story about a vegetable superhero prompted preschool children to make characters of their own, choosing vegetables and adding costumes before discussing their imagined powers. The activity linked listening, making and conversation. Other experiences moved from babies exploring paint with their fingers to older toddlers scooping materials and preschool children practising letters with crayons. The materials changed as children's skills developed.

Cookery now adds a practical strand: children handle ingredients and explore where food comes from, including opportunities to learn about growing it. This gives food a place in learning as well as at mealtimes. Yoga and seasonal events also form part of the additional activity offer.

The February 2022 improvement point concerned the purpose behind activities. Some staff needed a clearer understanding of the knowledge and skills they intended children to gain. For families, the useful distinction is between an activity that keeps a child occupied and one that an adult can explain in relation to that child's next step.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2022, the mud kitchen supported exploration of vegetables and the different textures of wet and dry ingredients. Garden activities included planting, digging and looking for insects. These experiences brought nature into children's learning, including for children who did not have a garden at home.

Rainbows Hospice is the nursery's chosen community cause, supporting children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. Fundraising across the year includes sponsored challenges, baking sales and days involving dressing up. Families can take part together, and the link gives kindness a practical expression beyond the nursery's rooms.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2022, babies used familiar staff as a source of comfort, while adults shared photographs and accounts of children's learning with parents. Conversations also covered children's experiences at home, which staff used to shape activities. That exchange connected nursery learning with family life rather than limiting communication to a summary of the day.

Everyday independence was part of the February 2022 picture too. Toddlers practised handwashing, and preschool children talked about hygiene and used scissors carefully. During shared play, children reminded one another about turns. These are small actions with a useful purpose: managing their own needs and learning how to play alongside others.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff using songs and sign language to support communication for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are dated findings, including a specific example of how adults adapted communication.

An onsite chef prepares meals, using local ingredients where possible, and menus accommodate dietary requirements. Food preparation within the nursery connects naturally with children's own cookery experiences, although an individual child's dietary arrangements need a separate discussion.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 146 Derby Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 4AX. The nursery operates throughout the year, with Christmas week and two annual staff training days as closures.

Five attendance patterns give families meaningful choices. Business Days run from 8am to 6pm; Nursery days finish earlier, running from 8am to 5pm. School days are 9am to 3pm, while Mornings run from 8am to 1pm and Afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. The School days label describes a daily time window: it should not be read as a promise of term-time attendance.

The nursery can be contacted by telephone or through its enquiry form. A non-refundable registration charge applies, and a deposit is credited against the first invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Monthly billing uses the same amount each month, which helps families plan across the year.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged 9 months and above can access the 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks: the respective weekly amounts are up to 11.18 and 22.35 hours. This spreads entitlement over the year rather than concentrating it into school terms.

Up to 10 funded hours can be applied in a day during Nursery or Business day sessions, with remaining entitlement usable against the other regular sessions. Additional attendance beyond funded hours is charged at the relevant session rate. The choice of session therefore affects how funded entitlement and privately paid time fit together.

Private fees include meals and snacks, milk and infant formula, alongside nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream. During funded sessions, food and health and hygiene consumables are charged separately; additional activities carry a separate charge for children over 2, with no activity charge for under-2s. Families considering alternatives to the integrated package can discuss those options with the manager.

• Purposeful learning. The February 2022 improvement point concerned staff understanding of what activities should teach. On a visit, ask how practitioners explain a child's next learning step and choose activities to support it.
• Baby care across two levels. The dedicated baby suite sits within a nursery spread over two levels. Ask to see how your baby's day would work, including sleep, movement between spaces and contact with familiar adults.
• Funding and the final bill. Stretched entitlement sits alongside separate food, consumables and activity charges during funded sessions. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, including any alternatives to the integrated package.
• Individual dietary needs. Menus accommodate dietary requirements and meals are prepared onsite. Families managing an allergy should confirm current preparation and mealtime arrangements for their child before joining.

Children 1st Derby Road suits families seeking either shorter morning or afternoon attendance, or a longer Business Day or Nursery day. Its baby suite, cookery and Rainbows Hospice link give the offer substance beyond a timetable.

The February 2022 Good judgement provides a positive, dated assessment, with a clear teaching improvement point to weigh alongside it. For parents, the decision rests on the fit between their child's care needs, the chosen session pattern and the full cost after funding and extras.