Handkerchief Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Kegworth for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2025. Open since 2007, with 110 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 2DAWhat 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.
- 9 March 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 23 April 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 25 January 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 8 June 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 8 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. Even the youngest children show excitement as they get ready to play in the exciting outdoor environment. Staff provide supervision and support as pre-school children use their muscles to climb trees and rope ladders safely. Babies access activities which have been thoughtfully placed at different levels to encourage them to gain confidence when on their feet. As a result, babies pull themselves up and independently access sand and water play. Staff and toddlers work together to create an obstacle course. Toddlers develop their balance, taking turns to jump in and out of hula hoops carefully. Staff suggest more hoops would make the obstacle course longer.
Toddlers eagerly search the play area, gathering more hoops for their friends to use.
Pre-school children readily work with staff to make play dough. Staff talk to children about the ingredients they are using to make the dough smell. For example, children learn that the flower they are using is named 'buddleia'. Children follow instructions, carefully using spoons to lift out flour from a packet and cups to measure out and pour water and oil into large bowls. Staff encourage children to work with friends and help each other mix the ingredients together with wooden spoons. This helps children learn to cooperate with others and helps develop the muscles they need for early writing.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the deployment of staff to provide consistent and purposeful interactions for children, which build on their existing skills and knowledge n help staff to understand and implement consistent behaviour management strategies, which build on children's understanding of behaviour expectations.
- 8 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 December 2024Inadequate
- 29 August 2019Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Handkerchief 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.