Lamb Setts Montessori Nursery, Sheffield

A playground road system, gardens overlooking the Moss Valley countryside and a Montessori classroom with child-sized furniture give Lamb Setts a clear identity. This Mosborough nursery combines practical outdoor play with opportunities for children to choose their own activities. The physical setting matters: there is space for movement, imaginative games and quieter work with learning materials.

Lamb Setts Montessori Nursery, Sheffield has capacity for 60 children, with an age range from three months to five years. At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, found safeguarding effective and described good progress overall, with strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Those findings give parents a useful quality benchmark, alongside a specific teaching improvement discussed below.

The youngest children have a unit capped at 12, while older children use creative, language and Montessori classrooms. Morning and afternoon bookings sit alongside term-time and full-year attendance. That combination gives families several ways to use the nursery rather than a single attendance pattern.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Unit serves children from three months to two years and accommodates a maximum of 12 across the unit. It has baby/sleep, toddler play, dining and craft spaces, a milk kitchen and nappy-changing facilities; activities and routines reflect individual development and care needs.

The Pre-School Unit and School Unit at Lamb Setts complete the room structure. The latter has creative, language and Montessori classrooms, with child-sized furniture and accessible learning materials supporting children's own activity choices.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning framework: children develop communication, physical skills and social understanding alongside literacy, mathematics, creativity and knowledge of the world. Montessori sits alongside that framework, adding self-chosen activities and freedom to move between tasks within the prepared classroom. Children can work individually or in small groups, giving them opportunities to make decisions about their learning.

In July 2024, books connected learning with children's interests and earlier experiences, and older children discussed authors, illustrators and what might happen next in a story. A Gruffalo trail took a story into the nursery grounds. That is a useful example of the connection between indoor learning and outdoor activity: a book became something children could explore through movement and imagination.

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted asked staff to develop richer conversations because they sometimes chose overly simple words or missed opportunities to introduce new vocabulary in response to children. The improvement was specific. Friendly conversation was already part of the day, but extending what children said needed greater consistency.

Outdoor and Community Life

The tarmac playground combines a painted road layout, garage, parking area and zebra crossing with hopscotch and a number snake, linking wheeled play with imagination and early mathematics. A mud kitchen and planting spaces add hands-on exploration.

Two grassed areas have slides, climbing frames and a seven-seater aeroplane; a patio overlooks open fields and a large tree provides shade. Children have separate settings for riding, climbing and pretend play.

Outdoor activity continues in different weather, with rain suits and wellingtons provided. In July 2024, children used a fairy garden for imaginative play and a muddy construction area with toy vehicles; balancing on tyres and wooden planks also formed part of their physical activity. These examples show how the grounds supported both collaboration and movement at that time.

Relationships and Communication

Care planning starts with the youngest children. Parents are encouraged to complete an individual care plan so staff can tailor care to their baby's needs and routine, and settling arrangements are adapted to the child. The Baby Unit also allows parents to telephone about how their child is settling. This gives families a practical way to share what works at home and maintain contact during the adjustment to nursery.

In July 2024, babies developed close relationships with staff and explored sensory activities such as coloured rice and sticky materials. Parents valued the attention of their children's key persons and the information they received about development. For a family choosing baby care, those relationship details are as relevant as the equipment: settling involves a familiar adult as well as a suitable room.

The Sheffield service includes development records and reports, parent information evenings and Saturday Morning Workshops for Parents and Children. These combine shared family activities with opportunities to discuss progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In July 2024, staff identified developmental gaps and planned with parents, local authority advisers and speech therapists. Support also extended to changes of room and the move towards school. These are concrete mechanisms to discuss when a child needs additional help: recognising a need, involving the family and bringing in relevant professionals.

Independence also appeared in ordinary parts of the day. In July 2024, children practised taking turns over nursery rhymes, made decisions during activities and were encouraged to keep trying. The account of care therefore includes social habits as well as comfort and supervision.

Food is prepared on the premises by nursery staff, with hot lunches rotating over three weeks and a light tea for afternoon children. Mealtimes include opportunities for children to help with snack preparation, pour drinks and serve themselves where appropriate to their age, making food part of the practical learning day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 26-28 Chapel Street, Mosborough, Sheffield S20 5BT. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact message route, and a Sheffield nursery application form is provided.

Standard morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm and include snack and hot lunch; afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm and include snack and light tea. The branch session schedule gives opening hours of 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. A difference in the stated opening time is addressed below.

Funded attendance has further patterns: an 8.45am start with a 1pm or 3.30pm finish, and afternoons from 1pm to either 3.30pm or 6pm. Normal sessions, wraparound care and top-ups can also be booked. Extra sessions may be requested at short notice and are added to the next invoice, a useful arrangement for families whose needs sometimes change.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, eligibility-based 15 hours for two-year-olds and up to 30 hours for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Funding is delivered during term time and is not stretched over holidays. Families can choose term-time or full-year attendance, with private additional sessions charged separately and funded hours deducted from full-year invoices.

The distinction matters for food. Standard fees include snacks, hot lunch and light tea without an extra charge, but funded children staying over lunchtime bring a healthy packed lunch. Nappies, wipes and creams are included without an additional charge; in the Baby Unit, specialised dietary or hygiene items must come from parents or carers.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Billing is monthly in advance, calculated across the year, and fees are not reduced for sickness or holidays. A non-refundable registration charge is required to join the waiting list, and ending a place requires one month's written notice. These terms matter alongside the session choice when assessing the total commitment.

• Language development. The July 2024 improvement concerned extending conversations and vocabulary. On a visit, ask how staff now build on children's answers during play and stories.
• The baby unit. Its maximum is 12 children, with several spaces serving sleep, play and meals. Ask how those spaces and your child's care plan work together during a typical day.
• Funded attendance and lunch. Funding runs in term time, and funded children staying at lunchtime bring a packed lunch. This suits a different household routine from a standard morning booking with hot lunch included.
• Early starts. The Sheffield session schedule gives an 8am opening, while the Sheffield description gives 7.45am. Families relying on the earlier start should confirm the applicable arrangement before booking.

Lamb Setts suits families seeking Montessori learning with substantial outdoor space, whether they want morning sessions, afternoon sessions or funded attendance within term time. The baby-unit cap and individual care plans give parents of younger children concrete points to assess; older children have a prepared classroom and grounds that connect stories, movement and imaginative play.

The July 2024 Good judgement comes with a specific vocabulary improvement. Funding and meal arrangements also deserve attention before committing.