Humberstone Park Day Nursery

Air-conditioned playrooms, outdoor areas divided by age and care extending into the school holidays give Humberstone Park Day Nursery a clear practical character. This Uppingham Road setting combines early years rooms with an Out-of-School Club, offering continuity for families whose childcare needs extend beyond preschool.

At its 30 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and identified timely support for children needing additional help. That judgement also came with two specific improvement priorities: making group activities challenging for children of different abilities and strengthening the teaching of mathematics. Both matter when weighing the educational offer.

Early years care covers children up to five, with separate provision for older children. Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions are offered, alongside flexible sessions; the detailed attendance arrangements belong alongside the family's working week, rather than being treated as an opening-hours promise.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room serves children from eight weeks to 18 months, combining sensory experiences with familiar key-worker relationships and gentle routines. Sensory play, familiar key-worker relationships and gentle routines shape the youngest children's day.

From 18 months to three years, the Toddler Room emphasises language, exploration and creative play. The Pre-School Room, for three- to five-year-olds, adds activities preparing children for school through the EYFS framework: learning through play and everyday experiences across the areas of learning. These are different stages of the same early years education, with growing independence alongside communication and learning.

Older children have a separate attendance option. The Out-of-School Club covers ages five to 12 and provides care before and after school, as well as during holidays. Its purpose is social and active care for school-age children, rather than an extension of the preschool room.

Learning and Activities

In March 2023, practitioners planned around children's interests and used observations to decide what each child should work towards next. Pretend pirate adventures gave toddlers opportunities to develop imaginative play, with adults introducing language that children could use themselves. The useful detail is the adult contribution: play became an opportunity to extend conversation, rather than simply supplying toys.

The same visit showed independence being practised in ordinary routines. Babies washed their hands before snacks, older babies used cups without lids, and toddlers helped themselves to meals. These are small, concrete steps towards managing everyday tasks. They give parents a clearer picture of the nursery day than a broad promise about school readiness.

Ofsted's March 2023 inspection identified weaker mathematical teaching and insufficient challenge for more capable children in some group activities. During a park walk, children recited numbers while counting trees, but adults did not help them connect the spoken numbers to the objects. The distinction matters: saying a number sequence and understanding quantity are different learning tasks.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor play includes equipment suited to children's ages, spaces for sensory exploration and separate zones for different age groups. Every playroom has air conditioning. Together, these physical arrangements provide both indoor comfort and opportunities for movement outside.

In March 2023, park walks introduced children to wildlife and seasonal changes, while also practising safe behaviour around dogs and staying together. Creative activities included Easter-themed painting and learning about celebrations within the community. These examples show how familiar experiences became material for conversation, sharing and learning about other people.

Relationships and Communication

The Baby Room's key-worker relationships and routines give the youngest children a familiar point of contact. In March 2023, children who needed help settling received comfort from their key person. This is a useful distinction for parents: independence was encouraged, but a child needing reassurance still received individual attention.

During that same period, families received information about their child's day and development, alongside ideas for activities at home. Practitioners used observations to plan subsequent learning, connecting what children could already do with their next steps. The communication was therefore about development as well as daily events.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2023, targeted help involved parents and other professionals when a child's learning or development needed attention. Additional funding was directed towards the children it supported. These are concrete mechanisms behind the dated inspection judgement, rather than a general promise that every need can be met.

Current access arrangements include a bell and fob system, with CCTV across the rooms. These describe how entry and monitoring work; the safeguarding judgement remains the dated inspection finding. Fresh meals are cooked on the premises each day, with vegetarian, halal and allergen-specific menus offered, and meals are charged separately per session.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 301 Uppingham Road, Rowlatts Hill, Leicester, LE5 4DG. Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the setting operates throughout the year, including school holidays. This makes the holiday offer relevant to families needing continuity outside the school calendar.

Attendance options include full-day, morning and afternoon sessions, plus flexible sessions. The Out-of-School Club adds before-school, after-school and holiday care for older children. Additional time beyond a booked session is charged separately, so the attendance agreement needs to distinguish the chosen pattern from any extra hours.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0116 319 7972 or by email at info@hpdn.co.uk. Childcare arrangements are governed by a separate written agreement; submitting an enquiry or visit form does not create a childcare contract.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is accepted from nine months for eligible children, with 15- and 30-hour offers and funding covering 38 weeks annually. Year-round opening and funded weeks are separate practical facts: operating during holidays does not turn the entitlement into additional funded weeks.

Meals carry a separate session charge, including breakfast, lunch and tea. Private extra hours are also charged. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen attendance pattern, keeping the funded entitlement, additional hours and food charges separate when comparing the overall arrangement.

• Mathematics and group activities. The March 2023 priorities concerned purposeful number teaching and challenge for children at different stages. On a visit, ask how current activities address both points, including what happens when a child is ready for more demanding work.
• Year-round care and funded weeks. The nursery opens during school holidays, while funding covers 38 weeks annually. Ask how the proposed session pattern allocates funded and private hours, and what the written quotation includes for meals and non-food consumables.
• Dietary arrangements. Allergen-specific menus sit alongside vegetarian and halal options. Families managing an allergy should confirm current food preparation and handling arrangements before agreeing care.

Humberstone Park suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with flexible sessions and school-holiday care broadening its practical appeal. Separate age-based rooms, air-conditioned playrooms and daily outdoor activity give the offer substance.

The March 2023 judgement provides a positive inspection position, but its educational priorities deserve attention alongside the care arrangements. The strongest fit is for parents who value everyday independence and continuity across the year, and who want to examine how mathematical learning and challenge in group activities now work in practice.