Daisy Chain Children's Nursery

Birds’ nests, melting dinosaur eggs and herbs gathered for potions give Daisy Chain Children's Nursery in Wigston a recognisable character: children’s interests become the starting point for practical exploration. These were examples from August 2022, when play connected conversation, experimentation and imagination rather than keeping them in separate activities.

At its 4 August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, finding that children made substantial progress, behaved exceptionally well and were well prepared for their next stage of education. That is a dated judgement, with concrete examples behind it.

The nursery has 95 places in total and its address is 84 Station Road, Wigston, LE18 2DJ. Children attending in August 2022 were aged 0 to 4; that age range belongs to the inspection visit. Current opening hours are 7.45am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, across the year.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care. In parent terms, this brings learning and everyday care together: play, conversation and growing independence all have a place in the nursery day.

In August 2022, children followed bird eggs hatching online, made nests and discussed ospreys. Staff helped connect this interest with earlier learning about dinosaurs, and children watched ice melt around their dinosaur eggs. The useful detail is the connection between activities: an interest in one subject became a way to revisit another, rather than ending when the first activity finished.

Children also made erupting volcanoes with dough they had prepared themselves. These examples brought making and observation into the same experience, giving children something concrete to discuss. Adults joined their play and used their knowledge of individual children to extend what they were doing.

Language ran through these activities. When children could not recall the name of a vegetable growing outside, they worked with their friends to remember it. Conversation was part of solving a real problem, with children contributing to one another’s thinking rather than relying entirely on an adult for the answer.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supplied materials for play in August 2022, including herbs that children collected and turned into potions. Tomato plants gave them a practical reason to cooperate: children carried a heavy watering can together to water them. Outdoor space supported both imaginative activity and shared tasks.

Ride-on toys became the centre of a washing activity, while muddy puddles prompted jumping and discussion about why water disappeared in sunshine. Staff used what was happening outside to introduce scientific ideas. For parents, these examples show how ordinary resources could become opportunities to investigate, rather than simply equipment to use.

In August 2022, expectations about behaviour appeared in everyday routines as well as organised activities. Younger children used cutlery at meals, while older children helped friends, took turns in conversation and cooperated on practical problems. Independence and consideration were practised in small, repeated situations.

Children also moved on comfortably when an activity ended. Adults supported their understanding of emotions alongside their learning, and children took an active role in choosing and developing their play. This account concerns the nursery day in August 2022, rather than a promise about an individual child’s experience now.

At the August 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to respond to concerns about children or colleagues, recruitment checks and ongoing supervision supporting suitability, and risk assessments informing supervision of children. Support also extended to helping parents keep children safe online at home.

School preparation in August 2022 included building children’s vocabulary and confidence in conversation. The practical emphasis was on communication, cooperation and independence, skills children could use beyond nursery as well as during their time there.

Sessions and Attendance

Daisy Chain Children's Nursery is open throughout the year, Monday to Friday, from 7.45am until 5.45pm. This is the opening window. For families planning work around childcare, the start and finish times give the practical boundaries of the day.

Getting There

The address is 84 Station Road, Wigston, LE18 2DJ. Enquiries for the Wigston nursery can be made on 0116 257 0444, and there is also an email contact form.

• Attendance planning. The opening window is 7.45am to 5.45pm on weekdays across the year. At a visit, what booking pattern would fit your required days and hours?
• The date of the quality judgement. The Outstanding judgement dates to August 2022. Treat the examples of learning, behaviour and care here as an account of that period when weighing them alongside your present priorities.
• Outdoor exploration. Garden herbs, watering tomato plants and muddy puddles featured in August 2022. This account will interest families who value practical, sometimes messy play as part of learning.

Daisy Chain’s strongest evidence is the detail of its August 2022 nursery day: children connected birdlife with dinosaurs, used the garden for imaginative play and solved practical problems together. That gives substance to its Outstanding judgement.

It will interest families seeking childcare within weekday opening hours of 7.45am to 5.45pm, especially those drawn to learning through conversation, making and outdoor exploration. The inspection examples provide a clear picture of its practice at that time; the attendance decision starts with how the nursery’s opening window fits family life.