Marshmallows Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Darwen for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2002, with 63 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 Blackburn with Darwen
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Blackburn with Darwen 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
BB3 3JBWhat 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, 29 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children flourish in this friendly and supportive nursery. They have strong attachments with staff, who know each child very well. Parents appreciate the homely environment. They say they feel confident to leave their children, knowing that they get lots of attention from their key person. Children are happy and confidently talk to staff and visitors about what they are learning to do. Babies are busy explorers, using the ample space to develop physical skills, such as crawling and walking. They enjoy looking at books and joining in with action songs.
Toddlers develop their imagination as they play with staff. Pre-school children are highly engaged in activities. They build with purpose using bricks to create a house with a party inside. Children excitedly explore the outdoor setting, looking for minibeasts and birds. After children returned from long periods of isolation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff recognised that children were less confident to make choices. They offer them choice about what they want to do to encourage decisionmaking. Children's confidence to express themselves has increased and they show that they know how to find the resources they want.
Staff have high expectations for behaviour. All children listen to staff and respond quickly to instructions. This helps to keep children safe. For example, staff remind children how to climb the A-frame or to hold the banister as they move downstairs.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- identify individual training needs to enable all staff to develop a well-balanced subject knowledge over time.
- 29 March 2022Good
- 26 August 2016Good
- 18 December 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Marshmallows 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.