Best Start Nurseries, St Mary's Montessori Day Nursery

A converted church hall, a log cabin for babies and shopping trips to Lutterworth market give St Mary's a character of its own. Children can grow produce in the garden and help select ingredients for their meals on outings. These are concrete ways to connect nursery play with everyday life.

At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail matters: children practised independence, developed language through stories and explored physical skills, while activities and toddler boundaries needed more consistent handling.

On Coventry Road in Lutterworth, the nursery has 60 places in total and accepts children from 2 to 60 months. Its accommodation separates babies, toddlers and preschool children, with an additional room that all children can use. The baby garden gives the youngest children their own outdoor space rather than making the main garden their only option.

Rooms and Ages

Fledgelings accommodates babies in a log cabin with Scandinavian styling and space intended for rest and naps; Kingfishers gives toddlers quieter areas alongside music and imaginative play. Starlings is the preschool room, positioned downstairs with straightforward access to the garden and an emphasis on children's interests within a Montessori approach. The Awe and Wonder room is shared by all children, using materials from nature to encourage creative expression and language.

The rooms serve different stages rather than offering identical surroundings. For babies, the cabin and separate garden are the clearest physical features. For older children, garden access, music and role play broaden the settings in which they can explore their interests.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing together everyday play, communication and growing independence. Alongside it, St Mary's follows a Montessori ethos and uses the group-wide Awe and Wonder Based Learning approach to encourage curiosity. The shared Awe and Wonder room gives that language a concrete expression through natural materials and opportunities to talk and create.

In February 2024, babies practised walking and climbing low steps with adults supporting their hands. Toddlers copied dough-rolling movements to exercise their hands, while preschool children searched their surroundings for shapes they recognised. Learning took familiar objects and movements as its starting point.

Story sessions also invited toddlers to complete sentences and remember what came next. That made listening an active part of the activity. However, planned learning did not always follow through: an activity intended to explore melting ice did not fully achieve that purpose, and toddler and preschool activities needed closer alignment with their intended learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large garden includes a separate area for babies, and growing fruit and vegetables brings nature into the nursery day. This gives children something to investigate and care for, alongside space for outdoor exploration.

Regular outings to Lutterworth market involve children choosing produce for their meals. Visits also take in parks, cafes and the local library. The market trips are especially useful detail for parents: children participate in an ordinary community task, rather than simply being taken somewhere to watch.

Independence was built into care routines in February 2024. Babies used a step to reach the sink and practised washing their hands; preschool children served lunch and poured drinks. These small responsibilities connected self-care with the nursery day, giving children opportunities to attempt tasks themselves.

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding arrangements effective. By February 2024, the baby accommodation had been divided into areas for younger and older children to help reduce hazards for babies who were not yet moving independently.

Communication with families included discussions about care and learning, together with ideas to use at home. In February 2024, staff recommended books to support the move from nappies to the toilet. Parents also supplied family photographs and pictures of special occasions, which staff used to discuss children's experiences, cultures and traditions.

Room leaders had undertaken training in recognising and supporting additional needs by February 2024. This is a dated account of staff development, rather than a description of an individual child's support plan. For families, the practical value lies in how adults recognise a need and translate it into daily care and learning.

An on-site chef is part of the current provision. Children also contribute to food choices through their market outings, linking meals with their experience beyond the nursery.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Old Church Hall, Coventry Road, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4SH. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. That opening window is useful for working parents planning the edges of their day.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by calling 01455 554034. A tour can be booked using the form with St Mary's selected; it includes opportunities to meet staff, explore the facilities and discuss the nursery.

Getting There

Car parking is available on site. The converted church hall and separate cabin are useful points of orientation when considering the layout, especially for families comparing the baby provision with the older children's rooms.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2024, the nursery offered funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. This describes the offer at that inspection date. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Activity follow-through. In February 2024, toddler and preschool activities sometimes missed their intended learning. On a tour, ask how staff now connect an activity with what the children are meant to discover.
• Toddler boundaries. In February 2024, adults did not consistently reinforce the indoor walking rule. Ask how the Kingfishers team keeps everyday expectations clear and consistent.
• The baby layout. Fledgelings occupies a log cabin and babies have a separate garden. A tour can explore how rest, active play and outdoor time work together for your child's stage.
• Attendance and funding. The nursery opens across the year and offered funded early education in February 2024. Ask which booking patterns and funded arrangements would apply to your child, including the treatment of meals and consumables.

St Mary's suits families who value practical independence, a separate setting for babies and regular experiences in the local community. The cabin, baby garden and market outings give that fit substance. Its February 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific work needed on planned activities and consistent toddler boundaries. Those are useful points to explore alongside the rooms and daily routines.