Handprints Day Nursery & Preschool

Tyres, wooden planks and dinosaur books give a concrete picture of learning at Handprints: in March 2022, children built balancing challenges together and shared what they knew about dinosaurs. Practical play and conversation worked side by side.

Handprints Day Nursery & Preschool has capacity for 50 children, from birth to 60 months, at 10 Station Road, Earl Shilton, LE9 7GA. At its 15 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall. That dated judgement provides the quality context for the experiences below.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing learning and everyday care together. In March 2022, numbers were woven into practical activities: toddlers counted scoops while filling plant pots, while preschool children compared the sizes of toy dinosaurs. Mathematical language had a purpose within their play.

Physical learning was equally concrete that March. Babies reached for balloons, toddlers controlled brushes to paint circles, and preschool children tested their balance on an obstacle course made from tyres and wooden planks. Children helped friends who found balancing difficult. Scissor demonstrations and encouragement to keep trying added another route to practising coordination and perseverance.

Books also supported shared interests in March 2022. Adults read with children and taught careful handling, while preschool children exchanged dinosaur knowledge. Stories offered both close adult contact and opportunities to talk with friends.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff working with parents and other professionals to arrange early help for children with SEND or English as an additional language. Sign language accompanied speech to make instructions easier to understand.

In March 2022, planning drew on parents' information and observations of children's interests. Staff used these to decide what children should learn next, including preparation for moving to school. Preschool children also practised independence by serving food and pouring drinks.

Daily outdoor play and freshly cooked meals featured that March, but adults did not consistently explain how exercise, food and hygiene supported health. Toddler snack routines also needed attention: children preparing to go outside disturbed those still eating. These were practical weaknesses in the organisation and explanation of everyday care.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas. The address is 10 Station Road, Earl Shilton, LE9 7GA.

In March 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

• Toddler routines. March 2022 snack arrangements interrupted children who were still eating. On a visit, ask how eating and preparation for outdoor play are organised now.
• Learning about health. In March 2022, healthy experiences were stronger than the explanations accompanying them. Ask how staff now connect meals, handwashing and exercise with children's understanding of health.
• Attendance and funding. The weekday opening window and Christmas closure matter for work arrangements. Ask which booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements fit your family's timetable.

Handprints suits families seeking weekday care across the year, with a March 2022 account of practical learning, shared stories and growing independence. Its clearest strengths in that account were concrete activities that encouraged children to try, talk and cooperate. For parents of toddlers, the organisation of everyday routines deserves particular attention.