Smisby Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ashby-De-La-Zouch 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 March 2025. Open since 2004, with 50 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
What childcare usually costs in Derbyshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Derbyshire 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
LE65 2TYWhat 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, 24 March 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are supported with their well-being effectively. For example, when babies are upset, they receive cuddles and comfort from staff to help them settle. When children move rooms in the nursery, staff show them photos of staff and toys in the next room before they move on. This helps them to become familiar with the environment and the adults who will care for them. Children are supported to have a sense of belonging in the nursery. For instance, staff display photos of children and their families. Older children are keen to look at these and talk to staff and their peers about children and family members they know, recalling from memory.
This contributes to children's communication skills.
Children listen and follow staff's instructions well. For example, younger children put leftover food into a bin and wipe their hands and faces after snack time. When staff shake a tambourine, older children stop what they are doing, put their hands in the air and wait for staff's instructions. Children are supported to tidy away toys to help them learn how to care for the environment. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by staff. Additional funding that some children receive is used effectively to provide one-to-one support from staff to implement targeted plans to meet their individual needs. This includes providing children with pictures of different feelings and visual timetables to support their understanding of routines and managing their emotions.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the organisation of group times to help older children fully benefit from the learning offered n support staff to provide children with privacy when changing clothing and during toileting.
- 24 March 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 30 May 2019Good
- 20 July 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Smisby 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.