Mel's Totstop Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Scunthorpe for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2023. Open since 2010, with 41 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 North Lincolnshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Lincolnshire 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
DN16 3QTWhat 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, 10 July 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are supported to learn clear rules and boundaries. Staff reinforce these golden rules with children, including 'listening ears' and 'kind hands'. This instils children with respect and positive attitudes to learning. For example, staff remind children to listen and wait for their turn when someone else is speaking. Children are also encouraged to think about the reasons for these rules, helping them to understand and abide by them. Children explain they must always tell an adult where they are going so that, in an emergency, someone always knows where they are. They understand that this helps to keep them safe from harm.
All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive good support from staff. This is because staff help children to learn key skills and knowledge to support their future learning. Children take part in planned circle-time activities, where they learn to sit and listen. Younger children develop their communication skills during singing activities. Children take turns choosing puppets and props out of a box, and staff encourage them to sing an associated nursery rhyme. This also helps the young children to remain focused and engaged.
In pre-school, older children are challenged as staff encourage them to identify the day of the week and season. They also develop their counting skills as they count the number of children present.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- clarify how children will continue to be engaged in purposeful play when staff are completing routine tasks n support all staff to help children to work through any problems they encounter in their play, so that they are encouraged to find and explore their own solutions.
- 10 July 2023Good
- 30 September 2022Needs improvement
- 11 September 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Mel's Totstop 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.