Sunshine Day Nursery

Raindrops, Rainbows and daily Makaton give Sunshine Day Nursery at Northern General Hospital a recognisable early-years character: sensory play for younger children, a separate toddler outdoor area and communication support woven into preschool life. The hospital setting is a practical part of its identity. This is the Herries Road nursery in Sheffield, S5 7AU.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in questioning and outdoor learning. Those priorities matter alongside the positive judgement: families should weigh how adults extend conversation and how consistently children learn outside, rather than relying on the grade alone.

The nursery has 118 places in total, with a current age range of 42 to 60 months. Its room arrangements also describe provision for babies and toddlers. Full days, morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside extended opening hours.

Rooms and Ages

Raindrops 1 and Raindrops 2 cover approximately four to 24 months, combining sensory equipment, creative and construction areas, role play and cosy spaces with activities at children's level.

Rainbows Room serves children between two and three years, with natural materials in a sensory area and its own continuous outdoor play area separate from the larger play spaces. Children make choices between outdoor play and crafts, practising independence.

Pre-School 1 and Pre-School 2 cater approximately from three years until the term before the fifth birthday, combining construction, small-world play, puzzles and creative activities with a large outdoor area. Transitions take account of individual needs across these stages.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the shared framework for learning and care: children develop communication, physical skills, relationships and wider understanding through play and everyday experiences. Staff revisit planning every two weeks around individual interests and next steps, using observations from home and nursery.

Makaton is used daily in preschool to help children with communication difficulties communicate with other children. Preparing snacks and serving meals and drinks with adult support also gives children practice in managing everyday tasks.

In January 2023, an experiment with soap, milk and food colouring prompted discussion about handwashing and hygiene; dolls and role play extended learning around a child's interest in babies. However, questioning did not consistently extend language, and adults sometimes allowed too little time for children to think and answer. Concrete activities needed better conversation alongside them.

Outdoor and Community Life

Rainbows has a separate outdoor area and preschool a larger play space. In January 2023, outdoor learning received less planning attention than indoor activities and depended on the weather; broader activities were needed across children's development.

The separate Holiday Club at Northern General caters for children aged four to 11, with capacity for 24 per day. Its activities include cooking, sewing and outdoor play, with Weston Park Museum and Heeley City Farm among example destinations. These outings belong to the club's offer for older children.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person who follows their development and builds relationships with the family. In January 2023, settling incorporated home routines, varied with family needs and involved a key worker allocated before starting.

The group-wide Parenta Electronic System gives parents a Parent Portal for activities, food, drinks, toileting and reports, and lets them send home observations to the key person. Two yearly open evenings, alternative meeting times and Microsoft Teams discussions provide options around work; email updates and newsletters have paper alternatives.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff understood how to support children with SEND and worked with outside agencies to support families. Current arrangements include a SENDCo at each site, discussion with parents when developmental concerns arise and meetings with the local education authority where necessary. One-to-one care for children with an Education Health Care plan is conditional on local authority instruction.

Both sites have designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles, with a daily coordinator assigned to cover their absence. These are arrangements for responsibility and reporting; the dated safeguarding judgement above remains the assessment of effectiveness.

Menus are developed with the Trust catering department and include a vegetarian option. The dietary policy provides for preparation under specific conditions to prevent cross-contamination where a child has a particular dietary need.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 6.45am to 6.30pm Monday to Thursday and 6.45am to 6pm on Friday. The nursery operates all year, excluding bank holidays and up to two inset days. That year-round pattern supports care during ordinary school holidays, subject to those closures.

Core bookings include full days from 8am to 5pm or 8am to 4pm, a morning session from 8am to 1pm and an afternoon session from 1pm to 5pm. Extended hours cover 6.45am to 8am and the period after 5pm until closing. The minimum core booking is 1.5 days each week, spread across at least two days, so a single weekly full day does not meet that rule.

The Flexible Days Contract is specifically for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals shift workers and requires at least three paid sessions per week. It changes the days attended, rather than the hours within a day. Families need to distinguish that contract from freely changing collection times: booked arrival and departure times must be observed.

Late collection attracts a separate charge. A place may be suspended until those charges are paid, and the contract may be terminated if late collections exceed five in a rolling 12-month period. Ordinary sickness and annual-leave absences remain chargeable, as do contracted days falling on bank holidays. These conditions affect the cost of the attendance pattern beyond the session itself.

Getting There

The address is Herries Road, Sheffield, S5 7AU, at Northern General Hospital. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by calling the Northern General nursery on 0114 2266066.

Funding and Paid Extras

The fees and funding page sets out 30 Hours Funded Early Learning (FEL) and 15 Hours Universal Funding for eligible children. Its funding model stretches entitlement across 52 weeks, prioritising core hours before remaining entitlement can cover extended hours, up to a maximum of 10 funded hours per day. Funded hours cannot be used for ad-hoc bookings, and eligibility and the necessary paperwork remain conditions of the arrangement.

Paid full days include lunch and snacks; the morning session includes lunch and a morning snack, while the afternoon session includes its snack. Lunch is charged separately on days when funded hours are claimed. Families unable or unwilling to pay that funded-day meal charge are asked to raise it early so that an agreed resolution can be sought.

Additional private childcare hours are charged separately from funded entitlement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Childcare Vouchers and Tax-Free Childcare payments are accepted.

• Younger-room eligibility. The current age range is 42 to 60 months, while Raindrops and Rainbows describe younger children. Before joining, ask which ages the Northern General nursery currently accepts and which room would accommodate your child.
• Outdoor learning and conversation. January 2023 identified weather-dependent outdoor time and questioning that did not consistently extend language. During a visit, ask how outdoor activities are planned and how practitioners give children time to formulate answers.
• Funding calculations and term-time sessions. Funding arrangements differ between a 52-week stretch, a 38-week shared-provider arrangement and a 47.5-week stretch. Term-time FEL / EFE sessions are also offered from 8.45am to 11.45am and 1pm to 4pm, with separately charged lunchtime wraparound for children attending both sessions. Request a written attendance and funding calculation establishing which schedule and session pattern apply to your contract, including paid hours and funded-day lunch.
• Shift-work limits. The Flexible Days Contract is restricted to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals shift workers, has a three-session weekly minimum and varies days rather than daily hours. Compare those conditions with your rota and the earlier Friday closing time.

Sunshine suits families considering full days or morning and afternoon sessions, with extended hours and a conditional shift-worker contract adding options. Daily preschool Makaton and the separate toddler outdoor area give its offer character.

The January 2023 Good judgement sits alongside concerns about language teaching and outdoor learning. Younger-room eligibility and funding calculations also need resolving before a commitment.