Little Rascals Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Melton Mowbray for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2014, with 56 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Funded 30 hours from 9 months to 4 years & Funded 15 hours for 3 to 4 years Old.
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
LE13 0TDWhat 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, 3 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children make good progress in this warm and engaging nursery. They enjoy a broad range of thoughtful experiences that support their development and foster a love of learning. In the baby room, staff sing songs while babies watch bubbles floating, encouraging early language by repeating simple words, such as pop and blow. Staff support physical development by encouraging babies to crawl, climb and stand. Outdoors, staff skilfully extend children's language and vocabulary through sensory activities. Children are challenged to find herbs in the garden to add to play dough that they have made with staff, this leads to rich conversations where staff ask, 'What does it smell like?' Children responding by saying 'my fingers smell of toothpaste', after picking peppermint. Staff encourage children to use descriptive language to describe textures, such as how a sunflower feels 'sticky'.
Staff promote a love for reading throughout the age groups. Through exciting and expressive storytelling, staff capture children's attention and encourage them to contribute ideas and recall key vocabulary. Staff extend children's learning through songs, using simple sign language and sensory experiences. This promotes strong language development. Knowledgeable and caring staff support children to become confident, engaged and well prepared for their next stage of learning. During thoughtful discussions about emotions, staff model calming techniques, such as deep breathing and counting to 10. This helps children learn to recognise and regulate different feelings. During calm yet social mealtimes, staff support older children to develop independence skills by encouraging them to serve themselves, pour drinks and use cutlery. Children are guided to help their peers and are encouraged to try new foods as staff consistently praise helpful and positive behaviour.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to share children's next steps with their immediate team so all practitioners working with the children can consistently support learning, even when the key person is absent.
- 3 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 3 January 2020Good
- 3 June 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Rascals Day Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- 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.