Dallow Stars

An indoor sports hall, access to astro-turf and The Daily Mile give Dallow Stars a clear emphasis on movement. The Daily Mile involves children walking, jogging or running outdoors with friends for 15 minutes, choosing their own pace. For a pre-school based in The Dallow Centre in Luton, these are useful opportunities to make physical activity part of the day.

At its 25 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Dallow Stars Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is dated; the strongest practical reasons to consider the setting today are its activity programmes, community-centre facilities and term-time attendance options. There are 24 places in total, a whole-setting capacity rather than a measure of the size of any group.

Funded provision includes offers for two-, three- and four-year-olds, subject to the relevant entitlement conditions. Afternoon and full-time patterns sit alongside flexible additional hours.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: children learn through exploration and play, alongside structured activities that develop language, early mathematics, creativity and independence. Dallow Stars combines adult-led learning with free play. The practical implication is a day with opportunities both to follow an activity and to make choices.

Purposeful Physical Play adds an explicit emphasis on developing physical skills. The Daily Mile gives that emphasis a concrete form through outdoor movement at each child's own pace. These programmes make the activity offer more specific than a general promise of outdoor play; neither should be read as a substitute for the early-years framework.

In May 2022, children exercised their hands through dough, drawing and painting, and practised using scissors with adult help. Chalk work also involved reaching and stretching. These examples connected movement with the physical skills needed for later writing, rather than treating physical development solely as energetic garden play.

Imaginative play had substance at that visit too. Children invented family stories using dinosaurs, with adults joining in to extend the action, and used bricks and a gravel pit for construction play. Vocabulary work included naming sea creatures, while counting and size language brought mathematics into conversation. The learning was embedded in things children were already doing.

There were limits to the teaching in May 2022. Some group activities did not hold children's attention sufficiently, and older or more able children sometimes needed greater challenge during play. These are meaningful points for parents whose child already sustains an activity or needs ideas extended beyond the first task.

Outdoor and Community Life

Dedicated rooms and shared spaces provide the indoor setting, with natural light and access to an indoor sports hall. Outside, the pre-school has a natural-play area and access to astro-turf intended to support play throughout the year. The combination gives movement more than one setting, rather than relying on a single outdoor surface.

In May 2022, garden activities included scooters, tricycles and balancing on beams. Children returned to balancing after falling off, giving them opportunities to practise coordination and persistence. These are examples from that visit, separate from the current facilities and named programmes.

The Dallow Centre also supplies a community connection: families can be directed towards local services and activities. For parents, that makes the setting's location useful beyond the childcare session itself.

Relationships and Communication

Relationships with parents and a key person form part of the care approach. A nursery homework programme involves families in children's learning, extending that relationship beyond attendance. It gives parents a defined way to participate, rather than leaving involvement as a general invitation.

In May 2022, staff gathered information about children and their home lives when they started. Parents received photographs and developmental reports, and staff worked with families on difficulties involving sleep or toilet use. That combination connected information about learning with practical care concerns at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support, with staff recognising emerging needs and involving specialist professionals. This is a dated finding about a concrete support mechanism, rather than a general promise about every child's future experience.

During May 2022, songs accompanied by gestures helped children understand instructions, including children learning English as an additional language. Staff also used information about home circumstances to shape experiences, such as opportunities for physical activity where children lacked access to a garden.

Family Food First is a programme connecting education settings with healthier habits for children and families; Dallow Stars participates in it. Nutrition is therefore addressed as part of everyday learning and family involvement, alongside its physical-activity programmes.

Sessions and Attendance

Dallow Stars opens Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 3.15pm, during term time, operating for 38 weeks each year. This is a term-time pre-school timetable, so families needing care during school holidays must plan around that calendar.

An afternoon Part Time session runs from noon to 3pm, while the Full Time pattern runs from 8.30am to 3pm. A morning Part Time option is also offered, with its timing addressed below. Flexible Hours and additional paid hours are available, with no minimum number of additional hours. The opening window and the full-time session end at different times, so they should be treated as separate arrangements.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01582 235550 or through the contact form. The address is The Dallow Centre, 234 Dallow Road, Luton, LU1 1TB. A car park supports collection and drop-off.

Funding and Paid Extras

The funding offer includes 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds and 15 hours for three-year-olds, beginning in the term after their third birthday; 30 funded hours are offered for eligible families. Attendance is term-time. Additional private hours provide a separate paid option alongside the funded entitlement.

Breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks are charged separately, including alongside funded attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the attendance and charge structure.

The three-year-old Full Time offer carries a no-deposit term. This belongs to that particular offer and should not be treated as a blanket term for every booking. Late collection can incur an additional charge, and extra time arranged in advance depends on space.

• Morning timing conflict. The Part Time morning entry gives 8.30am to 11.30pm, which conflicts with the 3.15pm closing time. Confirm the intended morning finish before choosing that pattern.
• Challenge and attention. The May 2022 improvement points concerned concentration in group activities and extending the most able children during play. On a visit, ask how staff now adapt activities for a child who needs greater challenge or finds group time difficult.
• Term-time costs. The 38-week calendar and separately charged food affect the practical value of a funded booking. Ask for a written quotation covering your chosen pattern, food and any non-food consumables.

Dallow Stars suits families seeking afternoon sessions, a full-time term-time pattern or flexible additional hours, with physical activity as a clear part of the offer. The sports hall, astro-turf access and paced outdoor movement give that emphasis practical substance.

The May 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific improvement points about attention and challenge. For parents, the decision rests on whether this term-time timetable and activity-led offer fit their child, with the morning finish resolved before booking.