Knighton Day Nursery & Pre-School

Natural materials, a light-filled Conservatory and a garden used in all weathers give Knighton its character. This family-run nursery occupies a converted bungalow on Welford Road in Leicester, with play built around children's questions and the things they choose to investigate. Its Curiosity Approach accreditation gives that direction a name: an approach using exploratory play to develop communication, problem-solving and independent thought.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that teaching built on children's existing abilities, with activities adapted as their interests changed. The practical examples were memorable: paint experiments moved between surfaces and materials, while books helped extend a conversation about colour. Two improvements mattered alongside that praise: encouraging younger children to do more for themselves and giving staff clearer individual development targets.

Knighton has 40 places in total and accepts children from two months to five years. Full-day attendance runs from 7.30am to 6pm. The strongest fit is for families who value open-ended play, continuity through different developmental stages and an outdoor day that continues when the weather changes.

Rooms and Ages

The Conservatory houses the youngest babies, with air conditioning, daylight, natural objects and space for sensory exploration, crawling and pulling up. A key person follows each baby's routine from home, so the starting point is the child's familiar rhythm rather than an imposed timetable.

Movement into the Toddler room depends on confident walking; its loose parts and everyday objects support early language, movement and social development, with children encouraged to choose materials themselves. This makes the transition about readiness as well as age.

The Tweenie room follows at around two years, using natural materials and everyday resources for investigation, experimentation and trying new skills. There is a clear thread through these stages: adults support exploration while giving children room to test an idea themselves.

After their third birthday, children move into the Pre School room, where choosing activities, talking about discoveries and working with others are central to the day. Natural resources remain part of the environment, rather than giving way to a miniature classroom. Cooperation, persistence and knowing when to request help sit alongside children's own lines of enquiry.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the foundation for children's learning, development and care, with play giving them opportunities to build language, physical skills and relationships. Knighton's Curiosity Approach sits alongside that framework. Its stated emphases include communication, solving problems and thinking independently; authentic objects, reused materials and loose parts give children things to combine and investigate rather than a single prescribed use.

In July 2023, a painting activity shifted as younger children became interested in putting colour on their hands. Adults followed that interest, then extended the exploration into the garden with mud. The useful distinction is between following a child's idea and leaving the learning to chance: staff added materials and language as the activity developed.

Other July 2023 examples showed how practical play carried several purposes. Babies poured from teapots and explored wet teabags while adults introduced vocabulary. Older children experimented with paint-filled sponges and learned how to handle mallets safely. These were opportunities to connect words, movement and cause and effect through something children could actually do.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is used daily, including in unsettled weather. The nature kitchen gives children a shared project, making mixtures with plants and flowers they have grown. Working together in the nature kitchen gives children opportunities to practise negotiation, communication and sharing.

Growing vegetables, herbs and fruit brings another sequence to the day: planting, watering, waiting and eventually eating the produce. Children can connect the food they enjoy with the care needed to grow it. The adventure play area adds climbing and balancing challenges, allowing physical confidence to develop through trying something harder.

In July 2023, older children also assembled obstacle routes from boxes, crates and planks. Adults supported them as they attempted jumps. That example complements the current outdoor offer: challenge is part of the play, with adult support helping children approach it safely.

Relationships and Communication

For babies, the key person is both a familiar adult and the family's principal contact. The role includes maintaining the child's learning journey and building a relationship with parents as well as the baby. Following the home routine gives families a concrete point of continuity between the two settings.

In July 2023, babies received comfort and reassurance before returning to play, while staff helped parents with developmental changes through practical advice, including potty training.

Independence deserves closer attention. In July 2023, adults sometimes completed tasks such as putting on toddlers' shoes and drying their hands before giving them a chance to try. The improvement was specific, rather than a general criticism of relationships. It matters because those small daily tasks are where children practise doing things for themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to recognise and report concerns, supervising children appropriately and using clear procedures for visitors. That is a dated judgement, rather than an assurance about every aspect of today's practice.

Meals are cooked on site, with a daily vegetarian choice and adjustments for individual dietary needs; babies' food follows their stage of weaning, while families supply milk feeds. The Eat Better Start Better checklist guides meal and snack planning, giving the food provision a named planning structure rather than just a promise of healthy eating.

Staff development was the other July 2023 improvement point. Practice was observed and discussed, but individual training goals needed greater clarity. For families, the useful question is how that coaching now supports the everyday interactions described above, including language, exploration and children's independence.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 559 Welford Road, Leicester, LE2 6FN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks; the nursery closes for bank holidays and Christmas. The full-day booking covers 7.30am to 6pm, giving parents one continuous attendance period rather than a shorter session within the opening day.

Families can contact the nursery through its contact form, telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both Funded 15 hours and Funded 30 hours are offered through a stretched arrangement. Across 51 weeks, these become 11 and 22 hours per week respectively. This spreads the entitlement through the year, an important distinction for families whose childcare needs continue during school holidays.

Funded hours and paid extras need to be considered separately. Meals and consumables incur separate charges on funded provision, as do additional hours. Private full-day fees include meals and snacks, while parents provide babies' milk feeds. The food position therefore depends on both the attendance arrangement and the item being supplied.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees information explains the stretched entitlement and charge structure.

• Youngest starting age. The accepted range begins at two months, while the baby-room description starts at three months. If an earlier start matters, ask how care and settling would be arranged for your baby.
• Everyday independence. In July 2023, toddlers were not consistently given a chance to manage shoes and hand-drying themselves. During a visit, look at how adults now support these small tasks and ask how individual staff coaching reinforces that practice.
• Stretched funding. The funded arrangements run across 51 weeks, with meals, consumables and extra hours charged separately. A written quotation should distinguish those categories from the funded attendance itself.
• Dietary needs. Meals accommodate individual requirements, and families provide babies' milk feeds. Families managing allergies should confirm the current preparation and handling arrangements before agreeing the feeding plan.

Knighton suits families seeking full-day attendance with a play-led progression from baby care to preschool, especially those who value natural materials and daily garden time. The Conservatory, nature kitchen and growing activities give that approach practical substance. The stretched funded arrangement also deserves attention from families needing childcare through the year.

The July 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with concrete learning examples behind it. The balance is equally concrete: younger children's independence and individual staff coaching required more attention. Those are sensible points to explore alongside the rooms and outdoor offer, rather than reasons to overlook the nursery's character.