Shama Women's Centre

Language, independence and support for the whole family give Shama Women's Centre its character. Childcare sits within a Leicester women's centre whose on-site provision helps mothers with preschool children access its services. The connection matters: support for a child can sit alongside help for the parent, rather than stopping at the nursery door.

At its 25 February 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard in achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance, with safeguarding standards met. These are area judgements, rather than an overall grade.

There are 20 places in total. In February 2026, children attending were aged two to four, and communication and everyday independence shaped the nursery's work, including for children who attended for a relatively brief period.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, its practical meaning includes learning through play, conversation and everyday tasks. In February 2026, staff adapted activities to children's interests and what they were ready to learn next. Assessment helped staff match learning opportunities to children's developmental needs and interests.

Songs and books supported language development. Action songs brought movement together with rhyme, giving children learning English opportunities to practise through participation. Visual prompts and familiar routines helped them understand what would happen next. For a child still building confidence in spoken English, that makes the day's sequence easier to follow.

Mathematics also ran through play in February 2026. Staff introduced counting, differences in quantity and comparison words while children handled small objects, sand and water. Outdoors, children held containers for one another during water play, combining physical coordination with cooperation and helping a friend. Learning had a concrete purpose.

Outdoor and Community Life

In February 2026, outings took children into nearby shops and a park, with frequent exploration of the community beyond the setting. Road safety formed part of those experiences. Familiar local places became opportunities to understand the surrounding world, alongside fresh air and movement.

Inside the daily routine, a tambourine signalled a change of activity in February 2026. Children responded by putting things away and listening for what came next. That small physical cue is a useful example of how staff made transitions understandable: the familiar sound helped children prepare for a change of activity.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2026, key persons offered reassurance when children wanted an adult close by. Staff helped children put feelings into words through stories, pictures and conversation. An emotion mirror gave children pictures to choose from when expressing how they felt, making emotional communication possible before they could explain everything verbally.

Cooperation was practised in ordinary tasks. In February 2026, children helped prepare for lunch and assisted friends with food containers. Dressing, toileting and handwashing also gave them chances to do things for themselves. These were small, repeated steps towards managing their own needs, rather than independence being treated as a separate activity.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English received effective individual support, with children making substantial progress from their starting points. The mechanisms behind that finding are useful for parents to understand.

In February 2026, staff worked with families and external agencies on targeted support, used translators to explain arrangements to parents, and reviewed progress through termly assessments. Reports helped parents and professionals understand the next steps. Additional funding supported resources or individual adult help, according to the child's needs.

Health routines included toothbrushing after lunch in February 2026, alongside teaching about hand hygiene and food choices. Families were invited to healthy eating workshops, connecting what children learnt with habits at home.

The wider centre also played a practical role in February 2026. Nursery staff could refer families for English learning, wellbeing support and healthy eating workshops. This gives the childcare a clear family context: difficulties affecting attendance or learning could be addressed alongside the child's day.

Shama Women's Centre is at 39-45 Sparkenhoe Street, Leicester, LE2 0TD. General enquiries can be sent to info@shamawomenscentre.co.uk.

In February 2026, childcare opening hours were 9.30am to 12.30pm, Monday to Friday. That morning window is an important practical detail for families planning work or study around childcare. The centre's on-site childcare also enables women with preschool children to use its support services.

• A morning timetable. Childcare operated from 9.30am to 12.30pm on weekdays in February 2026. At a visit, what attendance arrangement, funded entitlement and written charge breakdown would apply to your child, including food and consumables?
• Support that follows the child. February 2026 practice included translators, termly assessments and work with external agencies. For families using several professionals, the useful point is how those contributions connect with the child's next learning steps.
• The next development priority. The February 2026 next steps called for leaders to sustain high standards and deepen their impact for disadvantaged children, children with SEND, those connected with children's social care and others facing barriers. Families should weigh the positive findings alongside that continuing priority for children needing additional support.

Shama Women's Centre suits families who value language development, practical independence and childcare connected to wider support for parents. Its February 2026 day provides concrete reasons: songs supported English learning, everyday tasks built self-care, and local outings linked learning with the community.

The morning opening window is central to its practical fit. For parents accessing the centre's services, the on-site childcare connection has a clear purpose; for families considering it for their child's early learning, the dated findings on individual support and communication are the strongest reasons to consider it.