Little Stars Day Nursery

Cake-making that leads to shopping for ingredients gives a useful flavour of Little Stars Day Nursery: children's interests become practical learning. In February 2025, children helped shape outings, performed songs and dances for visitors, and explored family life through photographs and displays.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its February 2025 inspection. Based in Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, it has capacity for 52 children aged one month to five years. The practical experiences are its strongest thread, with a clear development point around staff training.

In February 2025, babies practised climbing and sliding on low equipment in a spacious room. Children's activities included balance work, while outdoor play and regular visits to local parks added opportunities to move. These were concrete ways to practise physical skills.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, the February 2025 activities brought learning into play: number games gave children practice with mathematical ideas, while conversations, stories and rhymes exercised language. Singing and dancing also gave children opportunities to express themselves.

Family photographs and family-tree displays prompted discussion about different households and heritage. Children could connect those conversations to their own lives, rather than encounter inclusion only as an abstract idea.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, children with SEND and health needs well supported, and children making good progress from their starting points. Monitoring helped identify learning gaps, with other professionals involved where needed.

In February 2025, staff encouraged babies taking their first steps, and children formed close relationships with practitioners. Parents received updates about learning goals and activities to try at home; experiences shared by families also became material for nursery conversations. This connected learning across home and nursery.

Preparation for school included support with toilet training and independence. Mealtimes provided opportunities for conversation, and children practised managing everyday risks, such as using the stair handrail. Flexible working arrangements supported staff wellbeing, although observations of practice did not consistently lead to targeted training.

The address is 58 Woodplumpton Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, PR2 2LQ. Opening hours are 6.45am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing at weekends, on bank holidays and for one week over Christmas.

In February 2025, the nursery offered government-funded childcare and education places.

• Staff development. The February 2025 improvement priority was to make training more effective across the team. On a visit, ask how observations of staff practice now shape that training.
• Working-day fit. The 5.30pm closing time is a concrete consideration for families planning collection after work. What attendance pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your week?

Little Stars suits families who value practical learning linked to children's interests, alongside opportunities to build independence before school. Its February 2025 activities connected cooking, shopping, conversation and movement in useful ways. The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position; the staff-development priority remains the point to explore when assessing how teaching is supported.