Little Poppies Pre School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Derby for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:00 to 16:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 2008, with 35 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All 3 and 4 year olds entitled to 15 hours of government funding or 30 hours if eligible. Families eligible for 2 year funding are welcome.
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
DE3 9GBWhat 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, 24 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and arrive full of excitement. Staff greet the children with enthusiasm and encourage them to take off their coats and wellington boots and put on their pumps. Children eagerly choose what they want to play with from a wide selection of activities. They sit comfortably in a cosy book area, looking at their favourite stories. Staff read a story about animals. They change the tone of their voice to create animal noises which help children to listen and concentrate.
Children have a positive attitude to their learning and stay for long periods of time at activities they enjoy. They use their small-muscle skills as they paint boxes using the paintbrushes with control. Staff extend children's learning as they encourage the children to learn how to use scissors. They demonstrate how to hold the scissors and cut along straight lines. The children enjoy this opportunity and say
'snip snip' as they cut. Children develop their physical skills. They safely climb up large steps and confidently jump off. They know to bend their knees as they jump and shout with delight, 'I've done it,' as they land on the ground.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review group activities to maximise the learning for all children n give children more time to work out how to solve problems for themselves.
- 24 March 2023Good
- 6 July 2017Good
- 13 January 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Poppies Pre School
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.