Grasshopper Club
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Derby for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 16:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2025. Open since 2007, with 40 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 Leicestershire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Leicestershire 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
DE74 2LNWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 7 February 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and secure at this welcoming pre-school. They show they feel safe and secure in the caring and nurturing environment that staff create. Staff understand the importance of supporting children to make firm attachments to adults involved in their care. They use settling-in sessions to build relationships with parents and ensure they have the information they need to provide continuity in children's care. Staff support children to try new learning experiences and engage them in the interesting activities they have planned. Children enjoy a range of progressive learning opportunities that support them to make progress towards what they need to learn next.
Children confidently explore the outdoor environment, developing their physical skills. Older children learn to take risks safely when they use the tyre swings. They practise their coordination and balance as they ride on scooters. Staff stay close at hand, supervising children and offering a steadying hand to help them gain their balance when needed. Children enjoy hunting for bugs, and staff help them to name the bugs they have found. Staff talk to children about putting the bugs safely back on the plants.
Children behave well and create positive relationships with others. Young children learn to share toy animals as they role play in the veterinary clinic. Older children develop friendships with each other as they play games together.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support all staff to have a clear understanding of the curriculum intent so that they are consistently focused on what they want children to learn n strengthen how staff engage with children to promote children's deeper thinking and help them learn how to solve problems for themselves n develop links with parents, sharing more information about children's next steps and ideas of how parents can extend children's learning at home.
- 7 February 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 14 March 2019Good
- 5 February 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Grasshopper Club
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.