Little Mu'mins Day Care Nursery

A butterfly theme gives Little Mu'mins Day Care Nursery its room names, while Islamic beliefs shape everyday routines. At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. That judgement needs to be read alongside the March 2026 regulatory action concerning behaviour support and arrangements for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has 51 places in total. Its Leicester address is 89 Rolleston Street, LE5 3SD. Babies, toddlers and preschool children have separate named rooms, with exploration giving way to greater independence and preparation for school as children grow.

Faith is part of the day rather than an occasional activity. Children learn daily Duas, prayers for everyday tasks, alongside Islamic beliefs and British values. For families seeking that religious context, this is a central part of the choice.

Full days, morning and afternoon half days, and flexible hours are offered during school terms. The range accommodates different working patterns, but the term-time calendar matters as much as the daily opening window.

Rooms and Ages

The Caterpillar Room serves babies and children aged zero to two, emphasising exploration through play and growing confidence; The Cocoon Room, for ages two to three, develops independence, routines and relationships; The Butterfly Room, for ages three to five, emphasises confidence across learning and preparation for school.

In June 2024, babies followed their own sleep patterns in a calm sleeping area. A skylight also became a starting point for learning: when young children reacted to the brightness, staff talked about sunlight and demonstrated shadows. These examples show how ordinary features of the building could become material for conversation and discovery.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and later learning such as literacy and mathematics. Here, observation and assessment inform the experiences staff plan. The Islamic ethos sits alongside that framework, giving everyday routines an additional religious context.

Books, phonics and mark making feature in literacy activities. Children begin making marks with their fingers and different materials before moving towards using pens and writing their names. Sand, soil and water provide different ways to practise. This gives early writing a practical starting point rather than making it solely a paper exercise.

For communication, circle time creates opportunities to listen to other children, while conversations with practitioners introduce vocabulary. Creative activities include painting, construction, singing and musical instruments. Role play uses familiar objects, including kitchen equipment and telephones, so children can build stories from situations they recognise.

In June 2024, children prepared an infusion using lemon and ginger, handling cutting tools with staff guidance and discussing what happened when water met the ingredients. Mathematical play included sorting, counting beyond 10 and comparing weights on scales. These were practical tasks with questions attached: children had something to handle, observe and explain.

Outdoor and Community Life

During June 2024, outings included neighbourhood shops, parks and different places of worship. Children also discussed Eid and showed Mehndi patterns on their hands. Religious learning therefore extended into conversations about the community around them, rather than staying within nursery routines alone.

Physical activities at that time included balancing, ball throwing and jumping. After a jumping game, children felt their heartbeats and talked about exercise. It connected movement with an immediate bodily experience, making the discussion about health concrete for young children.

In June 2024, key persons gave babies and younger children cuddles, while settling arrangements respected individual sleep routines. Care accommodated each baby's existing rhythm.

Daily communication at that time combined spoken handovers with written information about children's development. Families could attend stay-and-play sessions and parent workshops, including Big Cook Little Cook and a workshop about supporting children's independence. These gave families ways to take part and discuss learning beyond a brief exchange at collection.

However, on 25 March 2026, Ofsted found requirements were not being met and issued a welfare requirements notice requiring appropriate behaviour support and properly implemented SEND arrangements, with actions due by 20 April 2026. This is the latest published regulatory position, dated 1 April 2026; the action deadline is now past, and the nursery remained registered at that point.

Prescribed medication requires parental consent, labelling and dosage instructions. Parents are informed about accidents and sign an accident form.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; the morning half day runs from 8am to 1pm, and the afternoon half day from 1pm to 6pm. Flexible hours and emergency or ad hoc childcare are also offered.

Attendance follows normal school terms. Bank holidays and staff training days are closures, and dates can also change around the two Eid festivals. Families planning work throughout school holidays therefore need to account for the term-time model, even when choosing a full-day session.

The Register Interest form requests a preferred start date, days and hours. Submitting it puts a child on the waiting list and does not secure a place. Enquiries can also be made by telephone or email through the nursery office.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes provision for eligible two-year-olds, the Universal Entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, and the Extended Entitlement for qualifying three- and four-year-olds. The arrangements describe 15 or 30 weekly hours during term time, with FEEE sessions taken across three or five days. Additional private hours are charged separately, so funded attendance and paid childcare remain separate parts of the booking.

Snacks are included in day-care sessions, while breakfast, lunch and tea are charged separately; the meals follow a four-week menu rotation and are halal, with HMC approval. Funded-only sessions include fruit and milk, while children staying through lunchtime bring a healthy packed lunch or have a nursery meal for a separate charge.

Parents supply nappies and cream when needed, as well as spare clothes and indoor shoes. Suitable outdoor clothing is also required. Organised outings involving transport and entry costs carry an additional charge and require consent.

A registration charge applies when day care is booked alongside funded provision. Universal- and Extended-Entitlement-only bookings require a deposit, refunded after week eight of attendance but retained if the child does not attend. Day-care acceptance also requires a month's payment in advance, and ongoing payments are monthly in advance.

Notice terms differ by booking. Ending funded care requires half a term's written notice, while day care requires a clear calendar month's written notice from the last invoice date; payment in lieu applies where the required notice is not given. Changing attendance days or times also requires a clear calendar month's written notice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge structure set out in its terms and conditions.

• Behaviour and SEND support. The March 2026 notice required changes in both areas, with an April deadline. Before choosing the nursery, ask what was changed, how staff apply those arrangements and what subsequent regulatory correspondence says about the response.
• Term-time attendance. Full days and half days operate within the school-term calendar, with training-day closures and possible changes around Eid. Match the actual calendar to your working year, rather than relying on the 8am to 6pm opening hours alone.
• Funding and food. FEEE attendance is spread over three or five days, and lunchtime arrangements involve a packed lunch or a separately charged nursery meal. Establish the complete booking and charge structure before accepting a place.
• Your child's room. The Caterpillar, Cocoon and Butterfly rooms have different developmental emphases. During a visit, ask how a move between rooms is decided and how your child's key-person relationship is maintained through that change.

Little Mu'mins suits families seeking an Islamic setting with a defined progression from exploratory baby care to preschool independence, and a choice between full days, morning or afternoon half days and flexible hours. Its term-time calendar is a decisive practical consideration.

The March 2026 welfare requirements notice is a material consideration for families choosing the nursery. Behaviour support and SEND arrangements deserve close attention before a family commits. The religious ethos, room structure and attendance choices explain who might choose it; the later regulatory action explains what needs careful scrutiny.