Melton Mowbray Day Nursery, Leicestershire

Wellbeing is supported in different ways throughout the nursery day. Our on-site chef prepares fresh, nutritious meals each day, while plenty of time outdoors and regular Forest School sessions give children opportunities to move, explore and spend time in the fresh air.

Supporting families is an important part of nursery life too. Our family area includes a clothes swap, a breakfast bar for busy mornings and a comfortable place to sit down with a member of the team for a conversation or advice.

Through the GrandirUK App, families receive regular updates, photos and learning moments from their child’s week, helping them stay connected with nursery life. Regular parents’ evenings also provide dedicated time to talk about children’s progress and development.

Sing and Sign and Boogie Mites are regular parts of the week at Melton Mowbray, alongside our Make and Bake and Sow and Grow programmes. These hands-on experiences give children different opportunities to explore music, movement, food and growing through play.

Regular outings extend these experiences into the local community, with trips to the park and market, nature walks and opportunities to feed the ducks. These outings give children different ways to explore their surroundings and become more familiar with the community around them.

Melton Mowbray Day Nursery has four bright, well-resourced playrooms, each designed around a different age and stage of development.

• Robins Room: Our baby room, with separate areas for physical play, feeding and sleep.
  
  

• Squirrels Room: For older babies and younger toddlers, with free-flow access to their own garden.

   

• Daffodils Room: A warm, cosy space for older toddlers, with direct access to the garden.

• Preschool Room: Upstairs, with loose parts play, an indoor sandpit, a cosy den and an emotions station.

Our nursery has been refurbished with resources thoughtfully chosen to support children’s learning and development. In the preschool room, the emotions station gives children opportunities to recognise, name and talk about different emotions.

Outdoor space

Each age group has access to its own garden with resources suited to their age and stage, while our large shared garden provides even more space to play and explore. This is also where our regular Forest School sessions take place, giving children hands-on opportunities to explore and learn outdoors.

Our yard is home to Sow and Grow, where children can plant, grow and care for plants while discovering how the natural world changes through the seasons.

The nursery’s original outdoor stables have also been given a new purpose. Used throughout the year, they now house an art studio and a large sand play area, creating distinctive spaces for creativity, exploration and hands-on play.

Continuity is an important part of our approach to care. Many members of our team have been with the nursery for years, giving children opportunities to build familiar, consistent relationships as they settle into nursery life.

Each child has a key person who gets to know their individual routines, interests and needs. This understanding helps us provide personal, responsive care throughout the day, while children continue to enjoy experiences and activities alongside the wider group.

Our early years curriculum draws on elements of the Hygge and Curiosity Approach, with learning through play at its heart. Regular Forest School sessions extend these experiences outdoors, giving children opportunities to explore, investigate and learn from the natural environment.

As children approach school age, our preschool programme supports growing communication, independence and emotional wellbeing, alongside the early skills and positive approach to learning that help prepare them for school.

Children’s interests can take learning in all sorts of directions. Through in-the-moment planning, our team notice what captures each child’s curiosity and build on it as it happens, providing experiences and resources that help them explore their ideas further.

Elements of the Hygge and Curiosity Approaches shape the environment around them, while regular Forest School sessions take learning outdoors. Here, children have opportunities to explore in different weather, make choices, try new things and develop their growing independence through hands-on experiences.

For families with more than one child, having siblings at the same nursery means one drop-off and pick-up, while each child can enjoy spaces and experiences suited to their own age and stage.

Each age group has access to its own garden, while our large shared garden gives brothers and sisters opportunities to see each other and share parts of their nursery day outdoors.

Sibling places are subject to availability, but where we have space in the appropriate rooms, we will always look at the options for welcoming brothers and sisters together.

Led by Nursery Manager Ashley, who brings more than 16 years of experience in the childcare sector, our team bring a range of Early Years knowledge and experience to the nursery.

The team includes a Level 3 SENCo practitioner, alongside colleagues completing apprenticeships and developing their Early Years careers. Every child also has a key person who takes time to get to know them and their family, building a familiar and consistent relationship throughout their nursery experience.