Playcorner Nursery
Good★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Derby for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2014, with 40 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 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
DE23 8GDWhat 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, 23 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy, confident and curious in this welcoming nursery. Staff know each child well and use this knowledge to plan engaging activities that build on what children already know and can do. Staff skilfully adapt their teaching, providing clear explanations, modelling language and demonstrating new skills, ensuring all children are supported to make good progress. As a result, children develop confidence, social skills and positive attitudes towards learning across all areas of learning. Children understand the rules staff implement and they remind their friends during activities that 'sharing is caring', demonstrating kindness and cooperation. They behave well.
Staff promote a love of stories, rhymes and songs, reading expressively to capture children's interest. They carefully select books linked to current topics to broaden children's understanding. For example, after enjoying a story about a caterpillar, children enthusiastically explore the garden, looking for eggs on the leaves. They share their ideas, excitedly suggesting the butterflies must already be flying in the sky. Staff teach children to join in with repeated phrases from familiar stories, such as 'The Gingerbread Man', building their memory and confidence. Songs and rhymes are woven into daily routines, helping children to develop listening skills, rhythm and language. Staff provide daily opportunities for children to build strength, coordination and control, indoors and outdoors. In the garden, children confidently balance along planks and tyres, carefully negotiating the uneven surfaces. This develops their core stability, balance and spatial awareness. Children are well prepared for their next stage in learning, including their move to school.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help children develop responsibility for their environment and care for shared resources n provide parents with clear guidance on healthy eating to ensure children bring nutritious food, supporting their well-being and understanding of healthy lifestyles.
- 23 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 19 July 2019Good
- 6 July 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Playcorner 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.