Markfield Day Nursery

Pooh's corner and Eeyore's loft give Markfield Day Nursery its room names; woodland play gives its older inspection account much of its character. At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, with children exploring independently, talking with staff and learning through practical play. The strongest examples were concrete: balancing on rope bridges, hunting for numbers outdoors and practising everyday tasks.

There are 68 places in total, with a current age range of 2 to 60 months. Children are organised by age across five named rooms. Families can choose full-day care or a term-time booking pattern, while different collection points allow attendance to finish earlier in the day.

The practical distinction is between privately paid hours and funded sessions. Food and changing supplies are included in private nursery fees; funded attendance has separate charges and a different arrangement for families choosing not to pay the consumables charge. That deserves close attention before committing.

Rooms and Ages

Pooh's corner and Piglet's den are among the five rooms. The others are Tigger's place, Eeyore's loft and Rabbit's house. Age determines the room children join, giving the nursery an organisation based on children's stages rather than one mixed group spanning the whole age range.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, its practical meaning is learning through play and everyday interaction: language during conversation, mathematical ideas through comparing quantities, and physical development through handling materials and moving outdoors.

In October 2022, younger children explored toy animals while staff introduced their names and sounds. Older children used conversation to develop vocabulary, with adults adding words and questions. These examples show how an ordinary activity can carry a learning purpose rather than relying on a separate lesson.

Books also prompted comparisons, while discussions about quantities introduced mathematical language. Play dough and cutters gave younger children practice using their hands. The activities worked at different scales: small movements indoors, larger physical challenges outside.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2022, the outdoor experiences included bicycles, other wheeled toys and woodland play. Children climbed trees and crossed rope bridges, bringing balance and coordination into their play. Numbers hidden among trees and bushes connected the outdoor space with mathematical exploration.

Current arrangements include occasional walks and visits beyond the premises, with parental consent. These are part of the nursery's attendance arrangements rather than a promise of a fixed weekly trip. Families weighing the funded charging options should also account for the restrictions on outings attached to attendance without the consumables payment.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is adjusted to each child, usually involving two sessions. A parent stays until the child is comfortable being left, while staff gather information and consent. This makes the settling period a chance to establish both the child's familiarity with the nursery and the information staff need to care for them.

Nursery in a Box combines an online learning journey with invoices, registration and booking administration. Parents therefore have a named route for following learning and managing attendance. Access to the digital learning journey is excluded under the funded arrangement without the consumables payment.

In October 2022, children sought comfort from staff and shared their preferences during play. Everyday independence also featured: younger children practised wiping their noses, while older children put on outdoor clothing themselves. These are useful examples of care supporting children to attempt manageable tasks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and that preparation for subsequent learning included children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. These are dated judgements, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's experience today.

Current collection arrangements restrict handover to authorised people, and staff can withhold release if they are unsure that someone has permission. Parents must report allergies or intolerances. Staff administer antibiotics and medicines only after more than 48 hours of treatment at home and with written parental authorisation.

An in-house cook prepares meals, with lunches rotating through 17 choices, including fish bake, roast dinners and cheese and potato pie. The nursery's policy aims to keep it nut-free with parents' help; families managing an allergy should confirm the current arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 220 Leicester Road, Markfield, Leicestershire, LE67 9RF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Start choices are 7.30am, 8am and 8.30am; collection choices are 1pm, 3pm, 5pm and 5.30pm.

Booking patterns cover either 51 weeks or 38 weeks during term time. The nursery closes for bank holidays and has closure weeks in late August and at Christmas. Nursery closures and bank holidays are not charged, while booked sessions missed through sickness or a holiday are charged in full. This distinction matters when comparing the cost of attendance across the year.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01530 249789 or by email to admin@markfielddaynursery.com. Ending the contract or reducing a booking requires 30 days' written notice. A non-refundable registration charge varies with the number of sessions booked; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes support for eligible two-year-olds and the 15-hour and eligible 30-hour arrangements for three- and four-year-olds, starting in the term after their third birthday. The funded pattern is term-time attendance over 38 weeks, with three sessions per week described for eligible children. Additional private childcare hours are charged separately.

For private nursery attendance, meals, drinks and snacks are included, alongside nappies, wipes, nappy cream, baby milk and pull-ups. Funded sessions carry a separate consumables charge, and meals are charged separately.

The arrangement without the consumables payment applies to Monday and Friday afternoons and requires parents to supply snacks, drinks, nappies, wipes, pull-ups and sun cream. Food must meet the nursery's dietary rules. Parent-supplied lunch boxes require ice packs because storage is not temperature-controlled; food will not be prepared or heated. That arrangement also excludes digital learning journeys, outings, celebrations and birthday extras, so its implications extend beyond what families pack.

• Funded attendance choices. Paying the consumables charge and choosing the arrangement without it lead to different food responsibilities and participation. Ask for a written explanation of the arrangement that would apply to your child's booking.
• Starting age. The nursery's current age range begins at 2 months, while its full-day offer refers to children from 9 months. Which starting age and room would apply to your child?
• Online safety. In October 2022, the improvement priority was helping children understand internet risks beyond nursery. Ask how age-appropriate online safety is addressed now.
• Missed sessions and notice. Sickness and family holidays do not remove booked-session charges, and reductions require 30 days' written notice. Build these terms into your attendance budget.

Markfield suits families choosing between full-day attendance and a term-time pattern, with earlier collection options adding practical flexibility. Its October 2022 account gives substance to the nursery day through woodland challenges, conversation and everyday independence. Nursery in a Box provides a clear communication and administration route for attendance that includes it. The main decision is how the funded charging arrangement affects food, supplies and participation, alongside whether the nursery's age-based rooms fit your child's starting point.