Stanhope House Day Nursery

A converted Victorian villa, a garden used throughout the seasons and daily supervised toothbrushing give Stanhope House Day Nursery a recognisable character. This Leicester setting combines outdoor play with practical habits children can carry home. Its Smile Early Years Award, an oral-health scheme supporting toothbrushing, reached Platinum certificate level in July 2026.

At its December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The important qualification concerns language: staff needed to strengthen early speaking skills and make better use of children's home languages when supporting those learning English. Those findings deserve attention alongside the garden and care routines.

Stanhope has capacity for 37 children, with a current age range beginning at 2 months and extending to 5 years. Part-time attendance and full days are offered across a 50-week year. The setting will appeal to families who value a smaller whole-nursery capacity, daily outdoor opportunities and learning that includes the ordinary business of eating, sharing and looking after yourself.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar room, Butterfly room, Ladybird room and Bumblebee room organise the nursery's indoor provision. The building has been adapted for different age groups, giving children spaces intended for their stage of development rather than one shared room for the entire age range.

The Victorian building sits within its own grounds, with a garden for outdoor play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children learn mainly through play, developing language, movement, social understanding, early literacy and number skills. This is the common foundation for early-years provision. Stanhope adds weekly child Yoga sessions for children aged 2yrs 6mths upwards, regular cooking and visits from the Book Bus, a local council initiative bringing books into nursery life.

Cooking activities produce things children can take home, creating a direct connection between their nursery day and family conversations. Music, movement and mime also feature. The programme gives children different ways to participate, whether through making something, moving their bodies or exploring a story.

In December 2024, younger children experimented with sticks and musical instruments outdoors, discovering how their actions changed the sounds. Older children counted objects with staff, who helped them revisit mistakes. These were concrete examples of learning through doing: natural materials prompted exploration, while counting became a shared task, with staff helping children revisit mistakes.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden combines grass with paving, permanent play equipment, bikes and ride-on toys. Children can make mud pies and use natural materials for building and exploration. Year-round use gives outdoor play a place in the routine, with opportunities for both active movement and slower investigation.

RSPB Big birdwatch participation in January 2026 added a specific purpose to watching wildlife: the annual survey involves counting birds to help monitor changes in their populations. It connects close observation with something beyond the nursery fence. This is a useful example of an activity with a clear reason behind it.

The annual Christmas Extravaganza brings families together and raises funds for toys and equipment. In December 2025, its visitors included Brookview Dental Clinic, the nursery's affiliated dental practice, alongside emergency services and other local groups. The annual Wear it Pink event supports Breast Cancer Now. These events make family participation part of the nursery calendar, rather than restricting contact to routine handovers.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for their individual needs and serving as the main parent contact. Other practitioners also discuss development and daily experiences with families. Staff work across rooms at the beginning and end of the day, helping children and parents become familiar with more than their immediate room team.

Parents can stay alongside a new child for as long as they feel is needed during settling. This allows the first separation to develop at the child's pace and gives parents time to share habits, preferences and concerns. It is a practical arrangement, especially for families whose baby has not previously spent time in group care.

Parent evenings include a detailed report and discussion of progress, as well as opportunities to see room activities. In December 2024, staff also shared ideas for continuing learning at home, including cooking healthy food together. The communication model therefore combines everyday conversation with a more deliberate look at development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support through targets agreed with parents and other professionals, but identified weaknesses in early speech support and language development for children learning English. Staff sometimes left incorrect pronunciation uncorrected and did not collect and use important words from children's home languages. For those families, the detail matters more than the overall grade.

In December 2024, objects helped some children understand the next part of their routine, and a quieter space supported children overwhelmed by playroom noise. Mealtimes also provided practice in independence: babies began using spoons with adult help, while older children managed their own cutlery. Care and learning met in small, repeated tasks.

Staff training covers safeguarding, first aid and special educational needs coordination. A biometric entry system and visitor sign-in arrangements support access control. These arrangements control access to the nursery.

The Smile Early Years Award supports daily supervised toothbrushing, with toothbrushes and toothpaste supplied through the scheme. Children practise the technique with staff, making oral care part of the day. School preparation includes liaison with local teachers and schools, supporting children as they prepare to move on.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 114 Regent Road, Leicester, LE1 7LT. Opening hours are 8.15am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year. Full days and part-time attendance are offered for between 1 and 5 days each week; half-day sessions also form part of the booking options.

A waiting list uses allocation criteria. Applications use the nursery's application form, and email is the preferred contact route. The attendance range is useful for families who need only part of the week as well as those arranging childcare across the working week, although the opening window still needs to fit their own commitments.

Getting There

A small rear car park, accessed from Princess Road East, is for collecting and dropping off children. Stanhope is close to Victoria Park and conveniently situated for Leicester University, De Montfort University, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the city centre.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded nursery education is offered for 3 and 4 year olds from the term after their third birthday, over 38 weeks; funding for 2 year olds depends on eligibility criteria. Private childcare is also offered, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Meals are prepared in the nursery kitchen, with a four-week menu cycle and vegetarian and non-vegetarian options each day. The nursery's dietary policy covers individual requirements, and drinks are water or milk.

• Speech and home languages. December 2024 findings identified missed opportunities to improve pronunciation and use children's home-language words. Families prioritising communication support should discuss the changes made and how practitioners would support their child.
• Attendance across the year. The nursery operates for 50 weeks, while the stated funded nursery education pattern covers 38 weeks. At a visit, discuss how the chosen full-day or part-time booking fits the annual calendar and funded attendance.
• Dietary requirements. Kitchen-prepared meals follow a four-week cycle, with dietary needs catered for. Allergy-affected families should confirm current preparation and handling arrangements for their child's requirements.
• The complete cost. Private childcare and funded education sit alongside each other. Ask for a written quotation covering childcare, meals and non-food consumables for the chosen arrangement.

Stanhope suits families considering full days or part-time care, including half-day sessions, who want outdoor play and practical daily routines to carry real weight. The enclosed garden, cooking activities and oral-health work give it a clear identity. A key person and parent-supported settling offer a straightforward basis for the relationship between home and nursery.

The December 2024 language concerns are the main reservation, especially for children developing early speech or learning English alongside another language. Balance those findings against the attendance options and the specific care arrangements that matter to your child. This is a nursery whose strongest case lies in its everyday habits, supported by opportunities to make, move and explore.