Smarties Private Day Nursery
Good★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Mansfield 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2022. Open since 2007, with 30 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 Nottinghamshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Nottinghamshire 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
NG18 4AAWhat 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, 28 February 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate secure attachments with staff. They leave parents at the door confidently and settle quickly. Children show positive attitudes to learning and join in with planned activities eagerly. For example, babies display a love of song time. They are keen to sit with staff and take turns to pull out items from the song bag. Babies remember which song links to their item. They join in with the actions to the song energetically. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour.
Children use good manners. They say 'please' and 'thank you' readily during daily routines. Children are developing the skills they need in preparation for school.
They are confident to do things for themselves. For example, they make choices about their play, take off their own shoes and wash their own hands.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- differentiate planned activities and interactions further to ensure that the individual developmental needs of all children are met n ensure that children are recognised as individuals and referred to by their name.
- 28 February 2022Good
- 26 February 2016Outstanding
- 28 November 2011Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smarties Private 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.