Once Upon A Time Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Rotherham 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 February 2025. Open since 2015, with 89 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 Rotherham
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Rotherham 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
S66 7BNWhat 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, 27 February 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
All children are happy and busy in this very friendly and well-run nursery. They make good progress overall in all aspects of their learning through the carefully planned and engaging curriculum. Babies and children build systematically on their earlier learning as they progress through nursery. For example, staff support babies to become familiar with different sensory experiences as they handle soil in their planting activities or squeeze their home-made play dough. Older children build on their physical manipulation skills, such as by creating intricate collage designs or using different brushes, pens and crayons in their animal pictures.
Children are safe and secure. They learn to increasingly recognise and control their own risks as they play. For example, children know how to safely manage the large and exciting climbing, crawling and sliding structures in the well-developed outdoor areas. Staff have high expectations for all aspects of children's play and behaviour.
Children follow instructions well and learn to use 'kind words' and 'little voices' as they play. Staff build close relationships with children and their parents through regular communication, which contributes to children's growing confidence and independence.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus staff's professional development on ensuring teaching and learning are closely matched to children's abilities and experiences and evaluate the impact on their progress.
- 27 February 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 May 2019Good
- 31 March 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Once Upon A Time 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.