Little Explorers Nursery
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ilkeston for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £52.00 a day for under 3 Years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2011, with 54 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
52 weeks a year, price list dated 2019/2020.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 3 Yearsbirth to 3y | £52.00 | £34.00Afternoon £35.00Morning, 4.5 hrs | £12.00 | £238.00Full Week (52 week provision) | |
| Over 3 Years3y to 5y | £30.00Holiday Club £50.00Holiday Club | £33.00Afternoon £34.00Morning, 4.5 hrs | £12.00 | £223.00Full Week (52 week provision) |
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £12.00 a day Full day using 10 hours fundingincludes meals and snacks
- £27.00 a day Full day using 6 hours of funding per dayincludes meals and wrap around care
- £30.00 a day Full day using FFE 5-hour session
Funded hours
15 hours a week for up to 38 weeks a year and is a universal entitlement. In addition, working families who meet the eligibility criteria can also claim an additional 15 hours of funded childcare a week.
Worth knowing. Limited funded spaces available, these are allocated on a first come first serve basis.
What childcare usually costs in Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
DE7 6DNWhat 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, 18 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and anticipate the day ahead with great enthusiasm. They know the daily routines well, and on arrival, they immediately put on their wetsuits and wellies. Children are keen to enjoy the outdoor environment. Staff encourage a democratic decision about where to visit each day. Children develop an understanding of fairness as they place their vote against the picture of the forest, farm, outdoor classroom, walled garden or 'roly-poly hill'. Staff remind children about rules to ensure they remain safe, such as holding up their hands so they can be counted quickly when in the forest. Children participate in counting their friends, which helps to develop their understanding of numbers in a practical context.
Children benefit from an exciting and stimulating learning environment and show deep levels of engagement and eagerness to learn. The highly qualified manager and staff team share a common understanding of how children learn best. They consistently provide a highly successful, challenging curriculum that builds on what children know and can do and creates resilient learners.
Children play wonderfully together and develop an excellent awareness of their immediate community. For example, they participate in a service for Remembrance
- 18 November 2022Outstanding
- 25 November 2016Outstanding
- 4 September 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Explorers Nursery
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £52.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.