Little Badgers Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Whetstone for children from birth to 5, open 09:15 to 15:15, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2010, with 30 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
LE8 6LPWhat 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, 1 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and confident to start their day at this welcoming and friendly playgroup. They quickly immerse themselves in their chosen play. For example, they rush over to the home corner and begin making pretend drinks and food for their friends and staff. The staff are consistently kind and attentive, which helps to support children's emotional well-being and a sense of belonging.
Staff promote healthy lifestyles, ensuring that children spend quality time outdoors daily to help to develop their physical skills. Children learn about the importance of healthy eating and talk to staff about foods that are 'good' and 'bad' for them. They have good opportunities to develop their large and small muscles as they carefully move over wooden planks, and use pipettes to suck up water, building strength, balance and good coordination. Children are becoming increasingly independent in the playgroup. They pour their own drinks and use safety knives at snack time to cut up their fruit. Children are beginning to take responsibility for their environment. They talk about what packages can be recycled from their lunch box and what needs to go into the bin.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well by the caring staff team. The staff work closely with a range of external professionals to seek the help and support that children need. Staff know children well and develop targeted learning to be sure these children make the progress they are capable of.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to clearly identify what they intend for children to learn from the activities they provide n focus professional development on enhancing staff's knowledge of how to support children's learning even further.
- 1 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 26 September 2024Needs improvement
- 24 October 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Badgers Playgroup
- 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.