Kiddycare Little Willows

A sensory garden, vegetable plots and a large outdoor play area give Kiddycare Little Willows a clear outdoor character. Based in the grounds of Willowbrook Primary School in Leicester, it combines separate playrooms for different developmental stages with space for messy play outside. That makes the outdoor area part of the nursery experience, rather than simply somewhere to let off steam.

At its 30 October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children making good progress in communication and staff supporting children with additional needs while they awaited assessment. The important qualification was about interruptions: routines sometimes cut across concentrated play, limiting children's opportunity to develop an activity further.

There are 45 places in total, with a current age range of one month to five years. Full-time and part-time care sit alongside flexible funded sessions, giving families more than one attendance pattern to consider.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play offers opportunities to practise language, cooperation, physical skills and independence. Separate playrooms accommodate different developmental stages, while planned activities balance quieter experiences with busier play, both indoors and outside.

In October 2024, communication was woven into everyday exchanges. Pictures and Makaton signs, used alongside spoken language, helped children express themselves; staff responded to gestures by supplying the words a child needed. A request for a drink could become a small language lesson. This is a practical example of learning happening during ordinary care, rather than only in organised activities.

Other October 2024 examples show how simple materials carried several purposes. Ball games helped younger children practise cooperating with others. Water play with pipettes gave children experience of squeezing and controlling small tools, then demonstrating the action to friends. Play dough held children's attention as they constructed models. These activities linked social participation with the hand control needed for later tasks.

The limitation matters alongside those examples. In October 2024, some routines interrupted children who were absorbed in play. The improvement required was for staff to recognise more consistently when an activity should continue. Families who value extended, child-led exploration should give this point weight.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor space includes a sensory garden and vegetable plots, with room for messy activities. These give children different settings and materials to explore beyond their playrooms. The combination is useful for families who want outdoor experiences to form a substantial part of the day.

In October 2024, children also used ride-on toys to practise balance and coordination. Leaders were planning a forest school area to extend physical activity outdoors; that was a development intention at the time, rather than an established part of the offer.

Relationships were built through a flexible settling process in October 2024. Staff gathered information about children's lives at home before they started, then adjusted settling to the individual child. A key person provided a familiar adult relationship, giving families a clear connection between home and nursery.

Daily conversations and regular meetings kept parents informed at that time. Staff also drew on parental information when planning children's next learning steps. This made communication useful for the child's day, rather than simply a record of what had happened.

In October 2024, speech strategies were put into use for children awaiting assessment, and staff supported children's home languages. Those are concrete mechanisms for responding to individual needs. The emphasis was on providing help during the wait for additional services.

Nine childcare staff were employed in October 2024. Staff had supervision discussions that included training needs, with opportunities for training in special educational needs. These are dated details of the team and its development, rather than a statement about today's staffing levels.

Children bring lunch from home; afternoon tea and snacks are prepared at the nursery. In October 2024, children practised cutting fruit and pouring drinks, while staff encouraged them to explore unfamiliar fruit through its taste, texture and colour.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Willows opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 6pm, across the year, with bank holiday closures. Full-time care, part-time care and flexible funded childcare sessions provide different ways to attend; the opening window describes the nursery's operating hours.

Breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs also cater for children up to 11 years old, with a collection and return service for the breakfast and after-school provision. This adds a separate option for families arranging care for older children.

Getting There

The address is Willowbrook Primary School, Roborough Green, Leicester, LE5 2NA. A ramped entrance, doors accessible to wheelchair users and a hearing loop provide specific access adaptations.

Being based on school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school application. Nursery attendance and school admission are separate decisions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Flexible funded childcare sessions are offered alongside private care. Parents supply packed lunches, while snacks and afternoon tea are prepared on site; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Uninterrupted play. In October 2024, routines sometimes stopped children while they were absorbed in an activity. During a visit, ask how staff now decide when to postpone a transition and let play continue.
• Planning attendance and costs. Full-time, part-time and flexible funded care serve different routines. Ask how your intended attendance pattern works with funded hours, paid hours and consumable arrangements in the written quotation.
• Lunch from home. Parents provide a packed lunch, alongside nursery-prepared snacks and afternoon tea. This leaves families responsible for planning and packing the main meal.
• School-site expectations. Little Willows occupies Willowbrook Primary School's grounds. Treat the nursery choice and a future Reception application separately, since attendance does not guarantee a school place.

Kiddycare Little Willows suits families considering either full-time care or a part-time pattern, including those seeking flexible funded sessions. Its sensory garden, vegetable plots and large outdoor area are tangible reasons to consider it, while the October 2024 examples of language support and flexible settling give substance to the account of daily care.

The interruption of concentrated play is the point to examine closely. The nursery's appeal rests on its outdoor provision and individual support, with a practical commitment from parents to supply lunch and make a separate school application.