Partou Progress House Day Nursery & Pre-school

Open cups, face flannels and babies learning to feed themselves give Progress House its clearest character: everyday independence starts early here. Alongside an outdoor space equipped for play in different weather, small-group outings around Market Harborough take children’s experiences beyond the nursery. The emphasis is practical, with familiar routines giving children opportunities to do more for themselves.

Ofsted rated Partou Progress House Day Nursery & Pre-school Good at its 4 November 2024 inspection. The nursery has 56 places in total and accepts children from 3 to 60 months. Its Northampton Road address puts it on the edge of Market Harborough, with an on-site car park for families travelling by car.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings sit alongside an early drop-off session, giving families several ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, play, conversation and everyday routines give children opportunities to practise language, movement and independence. Alongside that framework, Partou’s group-wide child-led approach emphasises children’s choices, confidence and curiosity. At Progress House, activities are tailored to individual interests and needs, making those interests a starting point for the day.

Books brought this approach to life in November 2024. Older children listened to an animated witch story, with a wooden spoon becoming a pretend broomstick; younger children shared books with staff and investigated textured pages. Storytelling involved listening, watching and joining in. It gave children different ways to engage with a book, according to their stage of development.

Group singing and conversations during play also featured in November 2024. Staff talked through what children were doing, giving words to their experiences. There was an important limitation: adults sometimes missed opportunities to extend younger children’s emerging speech. Individual learning targets also needed greater precision, so staff could be clearer about what to teach each child next. For families, the distinction matters: engaging activities and precisely targeted teaching are separate parts of a child’s experience.

Outdoor and Community Life

An equipped outdoor space supports play across different weather conditions. Small-group outings explore Market Harborough, giving children experiences of the local area and social situations beyond their usual surroundings. These are useful complements to activities inside the nursery, with opportunities to encounter a wider world.

In November 2024, children had daily opportunities to practise running, jumping and balancing. Mirrors supported another kind of exploration: staff talked with children about differences in hair, eyes and skin, using familiar friends and relatives to make respect for others concrete. Physical activity and conversations about people were woven into ordinary experiences.

Relationships and Communication

Independence is taught through manageable tasks. Babies receive encouragement to feed themselves, toddlers practise using open cups and washing their faces, and older children develop confidence in doing things for themselves. These routines let children attempt real tasks with help close by, rather than having every task completed for them.

The team has worked together over a long period, offering familiar faces as children grow. Regular conversations with parents and online journals provide updates about development. That combination gives families both an ongoing written account and opportunities to talk through what their child is doing.

In November 2024, staff got to know children’s families as well as the children themselves, and settling arrangements helped children become comfortable in the nursery. Parents’ evenings and app updates connected learning at home and nursery. For a child starting care away from home, that exchange gives adults a shared understanding of routines, interests and needs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported, with timely identification of learning gaps, targeted help and collaboration with other professionals contributing to good progress. The practical mechanism matters: support involved both work inside the nursery and help for families at home.

A chef cooks meals on the premises each day, with a seasonal menu and provision for dietary needs. In November 2024, staff considered children’s allergies and food preferences when organising their care.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-day care runs from 8am to 6pm. Morning sessions are 8am to 1pm, while afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm; an early drop-off booking covers 7.30am to 8am. The opening window is 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, so the early start is a separate booking from the standard full day.

Care operates across the year, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Charges nevertheless apply over 52 weeks, including bank holidays. Families comparing attendance options should distinguish the days they can use from the period over which charges apply.

Getting There

The address is Progress House, 96 Northampton Road, Market Harborough, LE16 9HF. An on-site car park supports drop-offs and collections; enquiries can be made directly to the nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through Leicestershire Local Authority for eligible families. Funding typically covers 15 or 30 hours weekly across 38 term weeks, with a maximum of 10 funded hours a day. For children attending year-round, entitlement is stretched across 51 weeks, providing 11.17 or 22.35 funded hours each week respectively. The weekly funded allocation therefore differs from the term-time entitlement.

Care, food and consumables are separate parts of the charge structure. Meals, snacks and drinks are charged separately, as are consumables including sun cream, wipes and nappies; these food and consumables charges also apply during funded sessions. Funding pays for care rather than those additional items, so a funded arrangement can still involve a bill.

Joining involves either a non-refundable registration charge or a deposit to reserve a place, subject to eligibility under the terms and conditions. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Early language and individual targets. November 2024 improvement points concerned more precise learning targets and timely conversations with younger children. During a visit, ask how staff now identify the next skill for your child and build it into play.
• Funded hours and extras. Year-round funding is stretched across 51 weeks, while food and consumables remain separately chargeable. Compare the full written quotation with the attendance pattern you intend to use.
• Closures and billing. Bank holidays and the Christmas-to-New-Year closure sit within a 52-week charging arrangement. This matters when budgeting for care and planning cover during closures.

Progress House suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with an early drop-off option for those needing it. Practical independence, locally based outings and regular parent communication give the offer substance. The November 2024 teaching priorities deserve attention, especially for younger children developing speech; the separate food and consumables charges also matter when comparing funded arrangements.