The Light Academy

Warm relationships sit alongside substantial weaknesses in teaching and care at The Light Academy, a Leicester nursery with capacity for 16 children. At its December 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged all assessed areas to need attention, while safeguarding standards were met. That distinction matters: safeguarding compliance did not mean that education, mealtime supervision or leadership met the expected standard.

The nursery is at 25 Edgehill Road, Leicester, LE4 9EA. Children attending in December 2025 were aged two to four; that is an inspection-time age range rather than a statement of current admissions.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing play, communication and practical independence into their day. In December 2025, children practised counting with pretend eggs, explored size-related language and sang during group activities. These gave them concrete ways to connect words and numbers with play.

Older children engaged with disco dough, an activity involving poking and stretching dough. Younger children and those with SEND sometimes moved away from it. Participation was uneven.

Physical experiences included climbing a slide, using brushes and shaping gingerbread with rollers and cutters. Children also played outdoors in a park, with opportunities for movement and balance. These are examples from December 2025, rather than a current activity timetable.

At the December 2025 inspection, Ofsted found affectionate staff relationships and responsive personal care, but also insufficient adaptation of teaching, restricted progress for some children including those with SEND, inconsistent supervision while eating, gaps in access to additional funding and no suitable deputy to cover the manager's absence. These concerns reached beyond individual activities to the organisation of care and education.

In December 2025, support for SEND included plans developed with parents, monitoring and approaches to outside agencies. However, activities did not consistently put that planning into practice. A cooking task required everyone to participate, yet its teaching did not accommodate different children's needs.

Parents had regular conversations about development and ways to support learning at home. A book-sharing scheme encouraged shared reading. Personal care included responding to hunger and tiredness and respecting privacy during nappy changes.

Healthy lunches and snacks involved an on-site cook in December 2025, with food tailored to individual needs. Staff distraction and positioning during meals nevertheless left gaps in supervision.

The Light Academy's address is 25 Edgehill Road, Leicester, LE4 9EA. It has 16 places in total.

In December 2025, opening hours were 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Opening hours describe the operating window, rather than the attendance patterns families could book.

The December 2025 actions required safer eating practice, suitable deputy cover, an age-appropriate curriculum and information enabling parents to help children benefit fully from their early education. These are the latest published requirements, not a claim about whether subsequent work has been completed.

• Mealtime supervision. December 2025 findings identified lapses while children ate. Ask how staff now position themselves and maintain attention throughout meals.
• Teaching that reaches each child. Younger children and those with SEND did not consistently benefit from activities in December 2025. A visit should explore how the same task is adapted for different needs.
• Leadership and funding. Deputy cover and access to additional funding needed action in December 2025. Ask what arrangements now address both requirements.

For families considering a small nursery, the 16-place capacity and December 2025 examples of shared reading, practical play and close relationships provide useful points to explore. The substantial concerns about teaching, eating supervision and leadership carry greater weight in this decision. This setting suits families prepared to examine how those specific requirements have been addressed before choosing it.