Little Stars Day Nursery

Books taken home to share, fruit explored through taste and touch, and play dough mixed by small hands give Little Stars its clearest character: practical learning with plenty to talk about. These were features of nursery life in December 2022. Ofsted rated the setting Good on 8 December 2022.

At The Corner House in Nottingham, Little Stars has capacity for 48 children, with an age range of 24 to 60 months. Its term-time opening pattern makes the school-holiday calendar an important consideration for working families.

In December 2022, learning combined indoor and outdoor activities. Making play dough gave toddlers opportunities to practise mixing and handling ingredients; cutters introduced differences in shape and size. Older children explored unfamiliar fruit and learnt words for its texture and flavour. These are useful examples of language and physical learning happening together.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the December 2022 activities covered its seven areas of learning through practical play, conversation and books. Staff introduced new vocabulary each week, while the home library let children borrow books to enjoy with their parents.

There was also a clear teaching point to address in December 2022: adults sometimes moved through questions too quickly, leaving children too little thinking time. A busy activity needs room for a child's own answer.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and positive support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Asking parents for familiar words in a child's home language and working with health visitors were concrete parts of that support.

In December 2022, staff learnt about children's interests and existing skills from parents when they started, then used termly assessments to plan activities. Quieter children received individual encouragement, and new starters were comforted as they settled. Everyday independence also featured: children practised putting on coats, pouring drinks and washing their hands.

Communication needed greater precision in December 2022. Parent meetings covered development, but some families were unclear about their child's next learning goals and how to help at home. That distinction matters: knowing which activities happened is different from understanding what a child is working towards.

The address is The Corner House, 18 Strelley Road, Nottingham, NG8 3AP. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with closure in school holidays.

In December 2022, session windows ran from 8.30am to 11.30am and from 11.45am to 3pm. Funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four at that time. These are dated attendance and funding details rather than a current booking offer.

• School-holiday cover. Term-time opening includes closure during school holidays. Families needing continuous childcare should weigh that calendar against their working arrangements.
• Thinking time and learning updates. The December 2022 improvement points concerned children's opportunities to answer questions and parents' understanding of next learning steps. During a visit, ask how both now work in practice.

Little Stars merits consideration for families seeking term-time childcare for toddlers and preschool children. Its December 2022 account gives substance to the Good judgement through practical activities, book borrowing and individual encouragement. The most useful scrutiny concerns the pace of adult questioning and how clearly learning goals are shared with families.