Ladybirds Day Nursery

A garden reserved for the nursery, a Forest Walk Area for activities with natural materials, and space indoors for construction and imaginative play give Ladybirds Day Nursery a practical, play-centred character. Based in Brixton, Plymouth, it takes children aged 3 to 60 months. Outdoor exploration is part of the offer, alongside quieter places for books and games.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Ladybirds Good and found safeguarding effective, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), making good developmental progress. The important reservation concerned how consistently newer staff were helped to teach toddlers to handle drawing and writing tools.

For parents, the appeal is the combination of a room-based curriculum, an assigned key person and a settling process that allows time for a child to build relationships. Morning, afternoon and day bookings sit alongside term-time and full-time arrangements. The detail matters: food arrangements change with age and funding, while settling requires a substantial commitment from a parent or familiar carer.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room covers birth to 24 months, Toddler Room serves children aged 2 to 3 years, and Pre-School Room covers 3 to 4 years; the nursery's overall intake begins at 3 months. The curriculum is organised by room, so the expectations change as children develop rather than treating babies and preschool children as one learning group.

For babies, the emphasis includes joining songs, understanding straightforward instructions, exploring marks through sensory play and gaining confidence with movement and mealtime skills. Toddlers work on recognising feelings, using a visual sequence to understand routines and joining familiar books through actions and phrases. Preschool children practise retelling stories, expressing their needs, managing emotions and becoming more independent with dressing, toileting and handwashing. These are learning intentions, rather than entry requirements or promises that every child will reach the same point together.

Indoors, areas for construction, role play, water and messy activities sit alongside quiet book spaces. That gives the day room for both energetic exploration and less demanding play. The large garden is solely for the nursery's use, providing a separate setting for physical activity.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care: children develop through play, conversation, movement and planned activities across its areas of learning. Ladybirds combines activities led by adults with play that follows children's interests. Its room curricula turn that framework into practical intentions, from babies experimenting with sounds to older children using materials and tools independently.

In June 2024, babies used water-filled mats during tummy-time activities, while toddlers explored resources with magnifying glasses at the imagination station. Adults introduced vocabulary connected to looking closely and explained unfamiliar words. These examples show how physical development and language could be built into play, rather than separated into formal lessons.

The home activity collection includes Bug Hunt, Herb Kitchen Playdough and Letters with Buttons activity plans. Families are invited to try the ideas and share their attempts through Tapestry, the system used for children's developmental records. This creates a concrete connection between nursery activities and home, with parents able to contribute their own observations rather than simply receive updates.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest Walk Area is a space for activities using natural resources. It adds another setting for exploration alongside the nursery's garden.

In June 2024, outdoor activities included preschool children pressing herbs and petals into clay and asking questions about leaves. Staff connected those questions with plant growth and water. Other imaginative play involved children acting as police officers, using clipboards and pretend communication equipment. The combination made outdoor time about ideas and language as well as movement.

The daily routine also gives outdoor play a clear place: preschool outdoor activity features in the morning, with a later morning slot for babies and toddlers. Physical play returns later in the day. These are elements of the typical routine, rather than a guarantee that each day follows an identical timetable.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before a child starts. This practitioner handles the family's induction, works with parents on an individual care and learning plan, and acts as their main contact. Developmental information is shared regularly, helping home experiences and nursery observations inform the same picture of the child.

Settling is deliberately gradual. Parents and children have opportunities to spend time at the nursery during the fortnight before enrolment, and a parent, carer or close relative is expected to remain for much of the first week's sessions. Separation increases according to how the child copes, and the family may need to stay involved for longer. This is a significant practical requirement for anyone planning an immediate return to work.

Tapestry holds developmental material such as observations, photographs and examples of children's work, with contributions from staff and families. Where a child attends another setting, parental permission allows that provider to be added so that progress and next steps can be shared. The key person also carries out the developmental check at age two and discusses any concerns and agreed actions with parents.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has defined mechanisms: a SENDco role, individual educational plans, work with other professionals and a process of assessing needs, planning provision and reviewing it. Parents are involved throughout that process, including arrangements for transfer to another setting or school. This describes how support is organised; a child's individual needs still determine the plan.

Behaviour support starts with an adult responding calmly, acknowledging feelings and helping children work through a disagreement. When difficulties persist, staff and parents look for triggers and agree support. The ABC method records what happened before a behaviour, the behaviour itself and what followed, providing a structured way to understand patterns before deciding on an intervention.

In June 2024, preschool children had a designated place to relax, with books and props to help discuss feelings; the worry monster gave them a way to express anxieties through drawings. The typical routine includes quiet time or sleep after lunch, so rest has a place alongside activity.

All staff hold current first-aid certificates, and a designated safeguarding officer role leads the nursery's child-protection arrangements. Medication procedures require parental consent and records of administration; where a child's medical needs require specialist knowledge, relevant staff receive individual training. For children with long-term medical conditions who may require ongoing medication, the policy provides for a healthcare plan agreed with parents, including emergency arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

Ladybirds is on Steer Point Road, Brixton, Plymouth, Devon, PL8 2AH, and opens on weekdays from 7.30am to 6pm. Telephone and email provide the enquiry routes. Bank holidays and weekends are closure days, and parents are notified about Christmas closure.

For under-threes, morning bookings run from 8am to 1pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Short Day runs from 8am to 3.30pm, while Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm; Early Starts cover 7.30am to 8am. The All Week Offer uses the 8am to 6pm pattern from Monday to Friday. At least one session each week is required.

Full-time and term-time-only non-funded arrangements have different holiday terms. Ending a place or reducing hours requires four weeks' notice, or payment for that notice period. Extra sessions and swaps can be requested, subject to space, and administration charges apply under the terms. Families whose working days change frequently should weigh those arrangements alongside the basic session choices.

Before-school care runs from 7.30am to 8.50am for children aged eight and under, with after-school options ending at 4.30pm or 6pm. Big bugs holiday club serves school-aged children up to eight, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns. These sit alongside the nursery's early-years provision.

Funding and Paid Extras

Ladybirds accepts Early Years Entitlement Funding and 2-Year-old funding, and offers private childcare and additional paid hours. Funding follows the nursery's term dates, which can differ from those of other settings. The fees and terms page explains the charge structure; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Food for children under 12 months, including formula prepared at home, comes from parents; once children are over 12 months and can manage finger or lumpy foods, private under-three fees include food, whereas preschool breakfast and snacks are provided but lunch and tea are charged unless parents supply them, and funded-hours cooked lunches carry a separate charge with a packed-lunch alternative; the preschool and two-to-three-year-old cooked-lunch entries carry a six-hour minimum-session condition. Meals are cooked on site, and the nursery's policy excludes nuts from its menu and asks families bringing food to avoid ingredients containing nuts.

A non-refundable registration charge applies before starting, with funded children and big bugs excluded from that charge. Invoices are issued monthly and payment is due by the 15th. The waiting list is ordered by enquiry date, with the policy also allowing consideration of age, siblings, time waiting and the setting's ability to meet the family's needs.

• Time for settling. A familiar adult is expected to stay for much of the first week's sessions, potentially longer. Arrange a show-around by telephone or email and discuss how that gradual separation would fit your work commitments.
• Support with early drawing. In June 2024, coaching newer staff to teach consistent handling of mark-making tools was the improvement priority. Ask how that coaching now works in Toddler Room.
• Food changes with age and funding. Baby food comes from home, and preschool and funded meal charges differ from private under-three arrangements. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food-handling practice before starting.
• Booking flexibility has terms. One weekly session is the minimum, swaps can incur administration charges, and reducing hours needs four weeks' notice. Compare the contract with any likely changes to your working pattern.

Ladybirds suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as short-day and full-day childcare, with term-time arrangements also part of the offer. Its strongest practical attractions are the dedicated garden, natural-resource activities and a room-based progression from early communication to preschool independence.

The June 2024 Good judgement provides the quality benchmark, while the specific improvement priority keeps the assessment balanced. Parents who can accommodate gradual settling and want to contribute to their child's developmental record have clear ways to take part. The decision rests as much on that partnership and the age-dependent food arrangements as on the opening hours.