Sunshine Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Desborough for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 1992, with 25 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 Northamptonshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Northamptonshire 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
NN14 2UBWhat 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, 15 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
As children arrive, they are greeted warmly by staff. Children are encouraged to bring in comforters to help them settle and feel secure in staff's care. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children say they like playing with toy bricks, explaining how they build their tower 'higher and higher'.
Children show that they enjoy playing outdoors. They are supported by staff to develop their balance and coordination. For example, when children walk across wooden planks, staff hold their hands for support and to promote their safety.
Children follow staff's suggestions in their play to challenge their physical skills. For example, children laugh when they hold a hoop at the end of a slide for other children to slide through. Staff help them to understand how to stand safely and wait patiently until it is their turn on the slide. This support helps to promote positive behaviour and children's safety when they use larger apparatus. Children learn about shapes when they play alongside staff with magnetic toys. They are supported to understand what they build, such as a cube. Children are encouraged to have a positive attitude to trying new things. For example, when staff ask children to crush leaves in their hands, they encourage them to keep trying.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's knowledge of how they can support all children who speak
EAL with their language development and sense of belonging n help staff to support all children to remain focused and interested during group times.
- 15 November 2023Good
- 13 March 2018Good
- 13 November 2017Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sunshine Pre-School
- 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.