East Leake Village Day Nursery

A canopy-covered garden, a mud kitchen and a raised vegetable bed give East Leake Village Day Nursery a practical, outdoors-minded character. Inside, Yellow Room, Green Room and Blue Room separate the youngest children from toddlers and preschool children, with spaces for sleep, messy play and growing independence. This is a purpose-built nursery in the centre of East Leake, with air conditioning throughout and 75 places in total.

At its 29 May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and asked staff to strengthen how the toddler-room curriculum supports behaviour. That last point matters alongside the positive judgement: families choosing toddler care should give everyday routines as much attention as the activities themselves.

Children are accepted from two months old through the preschool years. Morning and afternoon sessions provide different attendance options, while the weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm.

Rooms and Ages

Yellow Room combines floor, tabletop and messy play with direct access to covered outdoor space; younger babies and more mobile toddlers have room to explore at their own stage, while a quiet sleeping area sits away from the main play space. Separate areas for changing nappies and preparing feeds help distinguish care tasks from play. For a family choosing baby care, the useful detail is that sleep and movement both have a place in the room's layout.

For children aged two to three, Green Room pairs a large hard-floor area for sensory and creative activities with a quiet book corner, sleep mats after lunch and access to a canopy-covered outdoor area. Its group activities emphasise communication and cooperation. The balance is practical: a child can take part in shared play, then withdraw to a calmer space or rest when needed.

Blue Room is the preschool space, where cooking, letter and number activities, music and movement support confidence and independence within separate areas for mark making, maths, books, role play and construction. Outdoor activity includes tending the vegetable bed and practising ball skills.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, physical and emotional development alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. Adult-led activities and children's own choices both feature in the daily routine. Circle time invites discussion; other periods make room for painting, construction, water play, dressing up and cooking.

In May 2024, weekly baking gave babies opportunities to investigate ingredients by touch, while preschool children visited local shops to buy ingredients. Children also made pretend rockets using boxes and bottles as part of their interest in space. These examples show how ordinary materials and everyday errands became starting points for sensory exploration, imaginative play and understanding food preparation.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden brings together grass, a paved area beneath a canopy, bikes and ride-on cars, water and sand play, the mud kitchen and the raised vegetable bed. Those are different kinds of outdoor activity: movement, pretend cooking, growing and hands-on investigation. Covered space gives outdoor play a place in the routine when the weather changes.

Green Room and Blue Room go outdoors at least twice a day, with more outdoor time during summer. Both also make frequent visits to the library and playground. These outings extend the children's experience beyond the nursery's own rooms and garden, while retaining familiar destinations that can be revisited.

Relationships and Communication

Home routines shape care in Yellow Room when children first join. The nursery aims to continue those established patterns, and its on-site food preparation can accommodate stages of weaning. For babies, continuity around feeding and rest is a concrete part of the offer, rather than simply a promise of individual attention.

In May 2024, settling included an invitation for parents to accompany their child during at least the first session, so children could observe relaxed conversations between parents and staff. Parents also received information about care routines and learning during the day. This dated picture of settling is useful because it shows what the initial separation involved, rather than leaving settling as an unexplained label.

Baby’s Days is the nursery's digital diary and communication system: parents can view their child's diary, contribute observations and photographs, leave notes and give permissions. Policies are accessible through the same system, and parents' evenings provide time to speak with the child's key person. Green Room also assigns each child a key worker. Together, these arrangements give families both an ongoing written record and opportunities for conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff developed their understanding of support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including work with sounds to help speaking skills. This is evidence about practice at that inspection, rather than a blanket assurance about every child's experience.

In May 2024, children learning English alongside another language used personalised photo booklets with recordings supplied by their families in English and their home language. Familiar people and objects provided a starting point for communication. Staff also discussed feelings and the changes involved in moving to school, helping children understand what would happen next.

Rest has a physical place in the current room arrangements: Yellow Room has a quieter sleeping area, while Green Room offers mats after lunch for children who need sleep. Blue Room works with local schools on continuity when children move on. That transition work concerns preparation and care, rather than a published admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 20 Gotham Road, East Leake, Loughborough, LE12 6JG. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 1pm and include breakfast, a mid-morning snack and lunch; afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm and include a snack and tea.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for statutory bank holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year.

An Out of School Club provides wraparound care from 7.30am, with transport to school in the nursery car, collection afterwards and tea. Its attendance options for children up to eight years old include mornings, afternoons, short days and full days as required. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01509 852666 or by email to thevillagedaynursery@outlook.com.

Getting There

Two free parking areas serve the nursery, one opposite the building and another behind it. This gives families a parking option on either side of the premises.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including Government free entitlement sessions for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday. Funded attendance can use sessions during the nursery's opening hours to suit individual needs.

Meals are cooked on the premises, with fresh deliveries from local traders each week and menus organised across four weeks. Individual dietary requirements are catered for, and food for babies can be adapted to their stage of weaning.

• Toddler routines. The May 2024 improvement point concerned how the curriculum supported behaviour when routines changed. During a visit, ask staff to explain how they now help Green Room children respond to changes and instructions.
• Baby-room grouping. Yellow Room accommodates younger babies and more mobile toddlers, with shared play space and a quieter sleep area. Ask how children are grouped on the days you are considering and how rest is protected during busier play.
• The complete attendance cost. Morning and afternoon sessions include different meals, and funded sessions form part of the offer. Request a written quotation for your proposed pattern covering additional hours, food and non-food consumables.
• Dietary needs. Food is prepared on site and individual dietary requirements are accommodated. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements before booking.

East Leake Village Day Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance, with separate spaces for babies, toddlers and preschool children and a useful mix of covered outdoor play, growing, cooking and local outings. Baby’s Days adds a practical route for sharing daily information, while the room layouts make rest and independent activity tangible parts of the offer.

The Good judgement from May 2024 provides a positive inspection position, alongside the toddler-room behaviour concern. For parents, the strongest decision rests on how the chosen room manages their child's daily rhythm, alongside the session pattern and its complete cost.