Carlton Day Nursery
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Derby for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 1994, with 96 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Derby
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derby from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
DE22 1GQWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 29 April 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 27 August 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 1 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily enter this inviting nursery where they are warmly greeted by attentive staff. Staff provide a wide range of exciting learning opportunities that interest and engage children. Babies show delight as they engage in messy play, making patterns as they push cars through paint, stamping their feet in puddles and using tools to scoop up sand. These activities help to support children's strength and coordination skills.
Children learn to behave well and show kindness and respect for one another. For example, when some children seem unsure if they should go outside to play, other children go over to take their hand and reassure them. Children are supported to develop their independence skills and show high levels of confidence. Older children carefully serve their own meals at lunchtime. Staff help children to recognise their own needs. For example, children learn to get a drink when they are thirsty and use a tissue to wipe their nose.
Staff are receptive to children's interests. They foster children's love of books by sitting alongside younger children, encouraging them to turn the pages and talking to them about what is happening in the story. This helps to support children's language and communication skills. Older children show excitement as they recall favourite stories they have listened to. They use a range of vocabulary to describe the features of a character, such as 'orange eyes' and 'large claws'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff in recognising and promoting children's mathematical language and understanding during activities n help staff to recognise and offer assistance when older children need support at mealtimes.
- 1 February 2024Good
- 9 August 2023Inadequate
- 19 June 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Carlton Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.