Shining Stars Nursery, Appleby

Family books, visits to health professionals and adaptations for babies give Shining Stars Nursery, Appleby a recognisable character. In February 2026, these everyday experiences connected children’s family lives with their learning and the surrounding community.

At its 3 February 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership to meet the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. The nursery has 60 places in total and caters for babies through preschool age.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences help children build communication, physical and personal skills. In February 2026, stories and songs were chosen to support planned learning, while conversations about materials introduced vocabulary and mathematical ideas.

Practical adaptations helped children take part. During that month, staff used double-handed scissors to help children learn to cut, and positioned children with communication difficulties where they could see the adult’s face during stories. Outdoors, children practised balancing and jumping while learning to give others time to tackle obstacles.

Learning also reached beyond the nursery. In February 2026, outings to dentists and opticians informed health topics, including pretend optician play afterwards. Walks into town introduced local events and community life. These experiences gave children something concrete to draw on in their conversations and play.

In February 2026, babies’ home feeding and sleeping patterns shaped settling arrangements, and room layouts had been adjusted to give younger babies a calmer space. Family books gave children a familiar starting point for talking about the people important to them.

At the February 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND progressed from their starting points, but individual interventions needed greater precision and parent guidance needed more consistency, including advice about feeding and weaning. These are meaningful qualifications for families needing closely tailored support.

During February 2026, a sensory space helped some children manage their emotions, and lowered chalk boards made resources accessible to less-mobile children. Staff also worked with other professionals and local schools on support and transitions. Hot lunches resembling school meals helped children prepare for that part of school life.

The address is The Gate, Bongate, Appleby, CA16 6LH. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. That calendar matters for families arranging care around work and holiday commitments.

• Individual support. In February 2026, some interventions were too general to address specific learning needs promptly. Discuss how your child’s targets would shape daily activities and how progress would be reviewed.
• Feeding and weaning. February 2026 guidance to parents was not consistently clear. During a visit, explore how staff would agree changing feeding routines with your family.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window runs from 8am to 6pm. Which booking pattern, funded-hours arrangement and written quotation would apply to your family, including meals and consumables?

Shining Stars suits families who value learning linked to everyday life, familiar family connections and practical preparation for school. Its February 2026 experiences offered concrete examples of that approach. The important reservations concern the precision of individual learning support and consistency of advice to parents, rather than the breadth of activities.