Toddlers' University Ilkeston

A converted church, a garden with all-weather surfacing and a separate cot room give Toddlers' University Ilkeston a practical character: space for movement outside and a dedicated place for babies to sleep. On Park Road in Larklands, it cares for children from 3 months to 5 years and has capacity for 66 children in total.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 2 July 2025 inspection. The detail matters more than the label: children practised balancing, borrowed books and learned to manage everyday tasks, while staff needed to make behaviour expectations clearer and learning more consistently challenging. Families should weigh both sides of that picture.

Full-time, part-time and wraparound care provide different attendance options. The building also separates the youngest children's ground-floor rooms from preschool upstairs, making the move between stages a change of surroundings as well as activities.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room takes children from 3 months until around 2 years, with books, construction materials, creative play and activities for handling smaller objects. Its ground-floor position places the youngest children on the same level as the toddler provision and kitchen.

For 2-year-olds, the Toddler Room emphasises the prime areas of development while introducing the other areas through stories, songs, puzzles, imaginative play and messy activities. An adjoining bathroom has low toilets, sinks and potties, supporting the transition towards using the toilet independently.

The Pre-School Room is upstairs, where children over 3 work across the learning areas in preparation for Reception. Low toilets and sinks are beside the room, keeping everyday self-care close to the older children's activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the framework for the nursery day: children develop language, relationships and physical skills alongside early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding their surroundings. This is the shared early-years foundation, rather than an extra programme. Small key worker groups provide the nursery's organisational approach to delivering it, linking children's activities with familiar staff.

In July 2025, books about insects introduced children to the butterfly life cycle, while stories were shared in comfortable reading spaces and books could be borrowed for home. Counting and discussion about the size of brick towers brought mathematics into play. These are useful examples of learning attached to something children are already doing, rather than confined to a separate lesson.

The same month's observations exposed uneven challenge. Some babies lost interest in the activities around them, and confident preschool talkers were not consistently prompted to develop their thinking. Staff also needed to carry through the intended learning in activities for older children. For parents, the important distinction is between having an activity ready and adjusting it to what an individual child can do next.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fenced garden runs beside the building, with trees along the boundary next to the footpath. All-weather surfacing supports outdoor play, and equipment is changed daily to give children different opportunities to practise physical skills.

In July 2025, younger children tried balance beams with a supporting hand when needed; older children crossed them independently and waited for their turn. Movement games encouraged children to change how they used their bodies. The outdoor space therefore supported coordination and shared play together, rather than simply providing a break from indoor activities.

Relationships and Communication

Key worker groups give children a familiar staff connection within the nursery's learning arrangements. During July 2025, parents received information about development and ideas for continuing learning at home. That makes the connection between nursery experiences and family routines a useful part of the care picture at that date.

Room changes are gradual for babies. Staff assess the child's readiness, begin visits to the Toddler Room and extend those visits as the child becomes comfortable. Moving up is therefore linked to the individual child, rather than treated as a single abrupt switch.

Staff support was also visible in July 2025: new starters received induction and mentoring, and training helped practitioners refresh their understanding when moving between age groups. This matters in a setting where babies and preschool children need different activities and different kinds of adult help.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified beneficial work with specialist teachers and health professionals for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Those are dated findings about the support in practice, rather than assurances inferred from the nursery's description of its care.

Babies have a separate cot room, with sleep mats also provided. Keeping a designated sleeping space alongside the baby provision gives rest an identifiable place in the day's arrangements.

Everyday independence featured in July 2025 too: younger children poured milk and served snacks, while older children found their outdoor hats and helped friends find theirs. These small responsibilities gave children opportunities to practise doing things for themselves with adult guidance.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Care runs throughout the year, with closures on public holidays and for one week during the Christmas holidays.

Full-time and part-time care sit alongside wraparound provision, including before-school, after-school and holiday clubs. For the school clubs, the arrangements include meals, activities and school collection or drop-off. Families combining nursery care with an older child's school day have a different option from those booking nursery attendance alone.

Getting There

The address is Park Road, Larklands, Ilkeston, DE7 5DR. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0115 944 4294 or by email to ilkeston@toddlersuni.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered, with 15 or 30 hours identified for eligible children. The branch also describes funded education for 3- and 4-year-olds and eligible 2-year-olds; entitlement conditions matter when planning attendance.

An in-house cook makes meals on the premises each day, and dietary requirements are catered for. Current prices should form part of the nursery's written quotation, so families can assess the cost of their particular attendance pattern.

• Challenge across ages. In July 2025, some babies disengaged and confident preschool children needed more demanding learning. During a visit, ask how practitioners adapt an activity when a child loses interest or has already mastered it.
• Consistent behaviour messages. July 2025 observations identified differing responses to unwanted behaviour, leaving some children unclear about expectations. Ask how the same expectations are communicated across rooms and staff.
• The funded attendance package. Funded hours and several care patterns are offered. Request a written quotation explaining how your chosen hours fit together and who pays for meals and consumables.

Toddlers' University Ilkeston suits families seeking full-time or part-time nursery attendance, with wraparound clubs adding another practical option. The separate cot room, gradual baby-to-toddler transition and usable outdoor space are concrete reasons to consider it.

The July 2025 picture combines worthwhile everyday learning with clear work to do on behaviour consistency, individual challenge and the delivery of older children's activities. A decision should turn on how those points are handled alongside the room arrangements and attendance pattern that fit your child.