Shimmering Stars Nursery

A weekly nursing-home visit gives Shimmering Stars Nursery a character that extends beyond its playrooms. Children spend time talking and taking part in activities with residents, while free access to the outdoor area keeps play connected to the world outside. Based at South Craven Children's Centre in Glusburn, this nursery welcomes children aged two to four and has 26 places in total.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and identified accurate developmental assessments followed by prompt support for children who needed it. The practical strengths are concrete: a single-level building, accessible toilets, two named rooms and a SENCo who works with families and other professionals. These matter more than broad promises about inclusion.

Attendance can combine morning or afternoon sessions with full or extended days. That gives families several ways to fit nursery around work and their child's readiness, although the differing hours and minimum-booking wording deserve attention before a commitment.

Rooms and Ages

Super Nova room combines school preparation with child-directed play: children choose and put away toys, serve snacks, organise their belongings and explore numbers and mark making.

Stella Nova room emphasises coordination and fine motor development through building, books and a home corner, alongside opportunities for children to pour drinks and manage their snack utensils. Construction gives children something to work on together; the home corner provides another setting for imaginative play. Across the nursery, the younger room serves two- to three-year-olds, with a separate preschool room for older children.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS framework connects play with children's development in language, movement, relationships, early literacy and number skills. Shimmering Stars builds children's interests into that work, with emotional language also part of the curriculum. Helping a child name a feeling belongs alongside helping them recognise a number or tell a story.

In June 2025, learning was organised into separate strands for younger and older children, so activities could build on what children already knew. A butterfly kit let children observe development before releasing the butterflies. An interest in outdoor shadows led to chalk outlines and discussion of size, shape and body parts. These examples show how a planned activity and a child's unexpected discovery can both become learning opportunities.

Hands-on exploration carried the same idea further. In June 2025, children compared the smells of herbs in the mud kitchen, experimented with the tracks made by painted vehicle wheels and followed a recipe to make crustless quiche.

There is a clear improvement point alongside those examples. The June 2025 inspection asked staff to become more consistent at spotting opportunities to take learning further when children were ready. For parents, the distinction is between providing an engaging task and knowing when to introduce a more demanding question or next step.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can use the outdoor area freely, and the grounds include secure outdoor space. That makes outdoor play part of the nursery day rather than an occasional addition. The weekly nursing-home visit brings a different kind of experience: conversation and shared activities with people outside the children's immediate age group.

Books also connect home and nursery. In June 2025, children could borrow from a book box near the entrance, select books in the rooms and join group storytelling. The same month's observations included children handling the nursery's pet tortoise gently. Caring for an animal gave kindness a tangible expression, alongside the social contact offered by community visits.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2025, the key-person arrangement helped children form close relationships with staff and settle into nursery. Children used named pegs on emotion boards to show how they felt, changing their position during the day if their feelings changed. A calm sensory space gave them somewhere to pause when they needed help managing those feelings. Together, these practices made emotional support visible and usable by children themselves.

A communication app had been introduced by June 2025 to connect parents more closely with children's learning and development. Questionnaires also gave families a route to contribute feedback. These are different jobs: one keeps home informed about the child, while the other lets parents influence how the nursery develops.

The settling policy is a significant practical detail. Parents do not accompany children into the nursery building to help them settle, though they can contact staff with concerns. Families who favour a gradual introduction with a parent present should consider how that approach fits their child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A single-level layout and disabled-accessible toilets provide concrete access features. The SENCo coordinates support with the child's key worker, parents and professionals; this can involve individual help, small-group work or targets agreed with external specialists. Where necessary, the nursery helps families apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan. The value lies in having a defined route from identifying a need to organising support around it.

The staff structure includes a safeguarding lead role and a SENCo role, and the team information includes paediatric first-aid training. These are arrangements and responsibilities, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement. Families must give allergy details before their child starts and update staff when information changes; prescribed medication must be in the child's name, with proof supplied before administration.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's address is South Craven Children's Centre, Colne Road, Glusburn, Keighley, BD20 8PJ. The all-year attendance offer includes an opening window of 7.30am to 5.30pm, with bank-holiday closures and a week closed at Christmas.

The fee schedule offers an extended day from 7.30am to 5.30pm, a full day from 8am to 5pm, mornings from 8am to 12.30pm and afternoons from 12.30pm to 5pm. The minimum attendance is two days, which can be split into half-day sessions, with two mornings or afternoons given as examples.

A separate session arrangement names Breakfast Club, 8am to 9am, Main Session, 9am to 3pm, and After Session, 3pm to 4pm. The relationship between that arrangement and the longer-day offer is a decision point below. Enquiries can be made through the admission enquiry form, by telephone on 07523009392 or by email at hello@shimmeringstarsnursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both private childcare and funded places are offered. The funded options cover 15 hours and 30 hours, with combinations of full days and half days. Some combinations leave entitlement hours unused; others require payment for hours beyond the funded allocation. Early and late extensions also carry charges for funded children.

For fee-paying children, meals and snacks are included in the price; funded children are charged separately for them, and children may bring their own lunch. Parents supply nappies and wipes when needed, together with named spare clothing.

Invoices are issued in advance, with payment due by the twentieth of the month, and the nursery accepts cashless payments. Families can choose two holiday weeks each year when fees are waived and their place retained. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the attendance and charging structure.

Moving towards school was supported in June 2025 through teacher visits, storytelling at a nearby school and opportunities to try future school uniforms. These activities help make the next setting familiar; they are preparation rather than an admissions advantage.

• Hours and booking commitment. The all-year, 7.30am-to-5.30pm offer differs from the contact timetable's 8am-to-4pm window, while the minimum-attendance wording combines two days with examples of two short sessions. Ask which timetable and minimum apply to your proposed booking.
• Settling with a parent. Parents cannot accompany children into the building to settle them. Discuss how the key person will support your child's first sessions if a parent-supported introduction matters to you.
• Funded attendance costs. Meals, snacks and early or late extensions are charged separately for funded children, and some attendance combinations exceed the funded allocation. Review the written quotation against your chosen days, including current arrangements for any allergies.

Shimmering Stars suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those considering full or extended days. Its strongest character comes from practical independence, outdoor access and weekly contact with nursing-home residents. The June 2025 findings add useful detail about emotional support and hands-on learning, alongside a clear need to extend learning more consistently. Families comfortable with the settling policy have much to weigh positively, provided the timetable and funded extras fit their plans.