Bright Stars Day Nursery

A carpeted crawling area for babies and a preschool garden built around climbing, bikes and messy play give Bright Stars Day Nursery a clear physical character. This Leatherhead setting takes children from 3 months to 5 years and has 50 places in total. Its rooms each have their own outdoor space, keeping garden play part of the day across the age groups.

At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, finding positive relationships with key people, effective support for communication and effective safeguarding arrangements, while identifying weaknesses in how leaders evaluated staff practice. Subsequent safeguarding action is material to that dated judgement and is discussed below.

Full days, morning and afternoon half days, and a term-time funded pattern give families several ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room has a carpeted space for crawling and play, alongside a garden surfaced with Astroturf. These are practical features for children still exploring largely at floor level. Toddler play spaces are divided into activity areas, while the preschool garden combines an obstacle course and climbing frame with a mud kitchen, bike space and areas for literacy and maths.

Every room has a garden of its own, used at least twice daily across different weather conditions. Waterproof trousers and jackets are supplied for toddlers and preschool children. Outdoor play is therefore a planned part of attendance, with clothing provided to support it.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: children learn through purposeful play, combining their own choices with activities led by adults. At Bright Stars, daily sensory experiences include paint, cornflour and shaving foam. Clothes need to tolerate mess. These materials give children opportunities to explore textures and experiment rather than simply watch an adult demonstrate.

In May 2023, children developed their ideas by moving coloured water between the water tray and mud kitchen. Physical learning included babies using a garden slide, toddlers manipulating dough and older children cutting plant materials for pretend potions. The examples show how movement and hand control could develop through play rather than isolated exercises.

During May 2023, staff also repeated babies' emerging words and introduced counting into everyday activities. Toddlers explored how a potato could be divided into smaller pieces, while older children counted during their play. These observations connect early language and number work to things children were already doing.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions begin two weeks before a child's start date and last two to three hours. Parents remain for the first session to complete forms and support their child; on a subsequent session, they can leave if comfortable and telephone during the separation. The gradual sequence gives families a defined introduction rather than making the first booked day the first separation.

In May 2023, children sought comfort and assistance from their key person, and staff responded promptly when babies needed help. Adults also supported turn-taking and intervened when children became frustrated. That is a dated picture of how relationships worked in daily play, rather than a promise about every child's settling experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for special educational needs involves observation and assessment, parental contributions to individual support plans, and regular sharing of progress. Staff seek parental permission before taking further steps and gather information about other agencies involved with a child. This gives parents a defined role in planning support and keeping communication consistent.

Ofsted's February 2025 outcome confirmed that safeguarding and welfare actions had been met following a welfare requirements notice concerning safeguarding procedures, leaders' knowledge and staff supervision; this followed safeguarding and supervision action in May 2024, also subsequently met. The repeated safeguarding and supervision issues make current care oversight a material consideration for families.

In May 2023, children practised everyday independence through pouring drinks, using cutlery and managing toileting, with reminders to drink and wash their hands. Care routines were also opportunities to learn practical skills.

Sessions and Attendance

Bright Stars operates on weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. The address is Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 7SA, on a business park. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

The daily booking runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Half-day options are 8am to 1pm and 1pm to 6pm, and full-time attendance is Monday to Friday. A funded-hours-only term-time pattern runs from 9am to 3pm across five days.

FEET funding for eligible two-year-olds has its own attendance options: an all-day Monday with a Friday half day, or shorter afternoon attendance across five days. The detailed pattern includes an 8am to 6pm day, an 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm half day, and a 1pm to 4pm afternoon option. These are funding-specific arrangements, so their terms matter alongside the broader session choice.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, working-parent entitlement and FEET funding for eligible two-year-olds. Both stretched funding and term-time delivery are offered. The stretched working-parent arrangement sets a maximum of 22 funded hours weekly for eligible families, using three days and one half session to claim that maximum; eligibility conditions also govern funding for younger children.

For funded-hours-only attendance, lunch, snacks, nappies, wipes and sun cream sit within a separate charge. The general terms instead require parents to supply nappies and wipes for children who need them. These arrangements need to be distinguished when comparing a funded booking with private childcare.

An outside caterer supplies meals on a two-week menu rotation, including lunch and tea. Allergy information is collected at enrolment, passed to the caterer before attendance begins and displayed in the child's room under the nursery's policy.

Payments are made monthly in advance, and sickness or holiday absence remains chargeable. A deposit is credited against the first payment when the child starts, but is non-refundable if the accepted place is not taken; one month's notice is required to end attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees page setting out the charging structure.

• Repeated safeguarding action. Safeguarding and supervision issues led to action in May 2024, subsequently recorded as met, and a welfare requirements notice whose February 2025 outcome confirmed that the actions were met. At a visit, ask how supervision and responses to concerns about staff now work in practice.
• Funding terms need reconciling. The pricing arrangements and general terms give different daily funded-hour limits and different positions on supplying nappies and wipes. Obtain one written agreement covering the chosen attendance pattern, funded allocation and consumables before accepting a place.
• Baby care in practice. The carpeted baby area and separate garden are useful concrete features. During a visit, ask how sleep and key-person cover fit around the babies' individual routines.
• Monitoring teaching. In May 2023, leaders' evaluations sometimes missed aspects of practice needing development, affecting curriculum delivery. Ask how staff feedback now identifies improvements as well as strengths.

Bright Stars suits families considering full-day attendance, morning or afternoon half days, or a term-time funded pattern. Separate gardens, daily sensory play and a staged settling process give that practical choice substance. The preschool outdoor equipment also makes movement and experimentation tangible parts of the offer.

The decision needs equal attention to care oversight and contractual detail. Repeated safeguarding action was recorded as met, but remains relevant to the choice; funding limits and consumables terms need a single clear agreement. This is a nursery to assess through its everyday routines as carefully as its session timetable.