Shining Stars Nursery

Fruit kebabs, vegetable growing and conversations about butterflies give Shining Stars Nursery a practical, language-rich character in its July 2023 account of daily life. At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The strongest detail is everyday learning made tangible: handling food, discussing feelings and recognising names.

Based in Thornton Heath, the nursery has 24 places in total and accepts children from birth to five years. Its current opening pattern is term-time care.

In July 2023, learning followed the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care: activities covered communication, early mathematics, physical skills and preparation for school. Children identified their names through self-registration, giving a familiar daily task an early reading purpose.

What's in the Box? was used to encourage conversation, alongside stories and group discussion. A role-play office area gave children a reason to practise making marks, while older children explored letter sounds through songs. Younger children chose books for adults to read and worked out how to complete peg puzzles. These were concrete routes into language, writing and problem-solving.

The July 2023 examples also show different starting points within early mathematics. Older children could count and recognise numbers from one to 10; younger children explored solutions through puzzles. The distinction matters: number recognition and practical problem-solving both belonged in the day, rather than every child being expected to tackle the same task. Conversation reached beyond naming objects, too. Older children explained the connection between butterflies and cocoons, using language to describe a change in the natural world. Alongside choosing books and identifying their own names, this gave children several everyday reasons to speak, listen and make sense of print.

Outdoor learning also had substance in July 2023. Children searched for small creatures on visits to nearby parks and the common, took autumn walks and grew vegetables in the garden, including sweetcorn and cauliflower. Preparing fruit kebabs combined careful hand movements with discussion of taste, plant growth and food choices. In that July 2023 activity, children tasted grapes and melons and discussed sweetness and sourness. Threading fruit onto skewers required concentration as well as hand control. The garden work brought a related subject outdoors: green beans joined cauliflower and sweetcorn, giving children experience of growing food as well as preparing it.

In July 2023, key people used their knowledge of individual children's interests and development to plan activities. Parents received updates through conversations and meetings, connecting nursery experiences with learning at home. Staff also gathered words from families' home languages and used those languages with children learning English.

Visual prompts helped children express feelings such as tiredness or excitement in July 2023. Daily health routines included toothbrushing following lunch and handwashing ahead of food preparation. Staff training covered communication, children's mental health and sign language, while road-safety walks gave children practical experience of keeping themselves safe.

Consideration for other children was visible in the July 2023 account, too. Adults modelled thoughtful behaviour, and children apologised independently when they accidentally knocked over another child's toys. This is a useful concrete example of the social learning that sits alongside early reading and mathematics: recognising that an action affects someone else, then responding to it.

During the same inspection period, safeguarding knowledge was refreshed through training, quizzes and staff conversations. Risk assessments covered both the nursery and outings, while staff understood how to report child-protection concerns. These details give substance to the dated safeguarding judgement, covering staff knowledge and planning for activities beyond the premises.

The address is 18 Ingram Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 8EB. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. This daytime window needs to fit alongside parents' working hours and school-holiday arrangements.

In July 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four.

• Group activities. In July 2023, younger children's wish to pursue their own interests sometimes interrupted older children's learning. Improving the organisation of larger groups was the required next step. How are activities now organised across the nursery's age range?
• Term-time timetable. The 9am to 3pm opening window suits a school-day routine. Families needing care through holidays or beyond those hours will need a wider childcare plan.

Shining Stars Nursery suits families seeking term-time daytime care, with July 2023 examples that connect early learning to practical tasks, conversation and outdoor exploration. The dated Good judgement gives a clear quality reference. Organisation of mixed-age group activities is the specific point to explore before choosing it.