Sunshine Day Nursery, York

A garden room for the youngest children, a mud kitchen shared across ages and ground-floor space for older children give Sunshine Day Nursery, York a practical emphasis on movement and play. Its Huntington Road setting has capacity for 50 children, with care spanning three months to five years. The physical arrangements matter: quieter space and active play have separate places in the youngest children's day.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were making good progress. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of today's provision. Its strongest examples were ordinary experiences used well: dough became a starting point for measurement, songs encouraged recall, and outdoor water play gave children something to investigate together.

Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions serve different family routines, with a separately charged Breakfast club offering an earlier start.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby and toddler under 2’s Room combines quiet zones with a garden room for physical play, while its developmental pathway extends from three months after immunisations to steady walking, up to 30 months or the appropriate developmental stage for moving into Rising Toddlers. Movement between stages therefore takes development into account as well as age. Separate changing space and child-sized toilets also make room for the transition towards independent toileting.

Rising Toddlers, Pre-school and Out of School Rooms give children aged 30 months to five years access to the ground floor, with time in peer groups alongside shared exploration and separate toilet facilities. This arrangement allows older children to spend some time with their own age group while also using a broader shared environment.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, that connects play with learning to communicate, move, understand the world and manage relationships; it is the baseline for provision here.

In April 2022, children used dough to explore differences in length and size, while tactile books and sound-making bottles gave babies opportunities to investigate through touch and hearing. Adults sometimes left gaps in familiar songs for children to supply the missing words. These are useful examples of learning through participation: children could contribute what they knew rather than simply listen to an adult.

In April 2022, two improvements were identified: staff needed a clearer understanding of how learning should build within each room, and children needed more opportunities to choose and serve their own snacks and drinks. Those findings distinguish enjoyable activities from a consistently planned progression, and adult help from opportunities to practise independence.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor classroom is used throughout the year, and the mud kitchen forms part of outdoor routines across age groups. Stories, bikes and outdoor play extend the day beyond the indoor rooms. For families who value regular outdoor activity, this is a concrete part of the offer rather than an occasional outing.

In April 2022, children carried water from a water butt to a tray to make a waterfall, alongside climbing, crawling and balancing. Additional funding also supported bus journeys, a train museum visit and a visiting petting zoo as starting points for conversation. These were experiences documented at that time, with language development providing their purpose.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2022, familiar practitioners knew children well and helped them settle. Parents received updates about routines and development through an electronic app, alongside conversations with their child's key person at collection. The combination gave families both a written account of the day and a chance to discuss it directly.

Current care arrangements include discussion of children's physical, emotional and social development with parents and carers. Families are also entitled to information about their child's activities and care, with time set aside for discussion. That makes communication a defined part of the relationship, rather than something dependent on a hurried conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In April 2022, the special educational needs coordinator and manager arranged targeted support and pursued help from external agencies. Communication and language received particular attention. These mechanisms explain how support was organised at that point, alongside the dated assessment of progress above.

Disabled access and an accessible toilet are part of the premises. The staff team includes practitioners with a BA in early years and qualifications at Levels 2, 3 and 4; these describe the team's training, rather than a promise about an individual child's experience. Citation provides external assistance with health and safety and employment matters.

Food has its own preparation space: there is an on-site kitchen, and session prices include a hot lunch and a cold afternoon tea. In April 2022, meals were freshly cooked on the premises and staff took account of children's dietary needs and allergies when serving them.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 410 Huntington Road, York, YO31 9HU. Full-day attendance runs from 8am to 6pm, mornings from 8am to 1pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The morning and afternoon patterns offer a shorter booking choice alongside the full day.

Breakfast club starts at 7.30am and carries a separate charge, with at least 24 hours' notice required. Extra hours are also charged separately. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas.

Applications can be made using the application form, and enquiries can be sent through the contact form, by email or by telephone. A non-refundable booking fee accompanies the registration form after the chosen sessions have been checked. Payment is monthly in advance by standing order; withdrawal requires four weeks' notice, while a change to regular sessions requires two weeks' notice.

Getting There

The nursery stands opposite Sessions Factory on Huntington Road and is served by the no.5 (Orange Line) bus route. That gives families a named public transport option to weigh alongside their daily childcare journey.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds, alongside privately paid childcare. Hot lunch and cold afternoon tea are included in session prices; Breakfast club and additional hours have separate charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page explains payment and notice terms.

The non-refundable booking fee makes the choice of attendance pattern a financial decision as well as a practical one. Advance monthly payment and the notice periods also deserve attention when family working arrangements are likely to change.

• Learning progression and independence. The April 2022 improvement points concerned the sequence of learning within rooms and children's participation at snack time. On a visit, ask how practitioners now plan the next steps in learning and help children serve themselves.
• The youngest children's next stage. The baby and toddler pathway combines age with developmental readiness, extending up to 30 months. Ask how the move into Rising Toddlers is agreed and introduced for your child.
• Breakfast and changing routines. Breakfast club needs at least 24 hours' notice; regular-session changes need two weeks, and leaving needs four. These terms matter if work schedules change frequently.

Sunshine suits families seeking either full-day attendance or a shorter morning or afternoon pattern, with an earlier Breakfast club option. The garden room, shared mud kitchen and ground-floor provision give the offer tangible shape, while included lunch and afternoon tea simplify part of the daily routine.

The April 2022 Good judgement provides a useful assessment of quality at that date, with clear improvement points to discuss. Families choosing this nursery should weigh its practical room arrangements and attendance choices alongside how learning progression and everyday independence are handled now.