Sure Start Children's Centre
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Whitehaven for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2000, with 20 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 Cumberland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cumberland 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
CA28 7PAWhat 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, 11 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The pre-school provides a welcoming environment in which children make good progress in all aspects of their learning. Children arrive happy and are well supported by friendly staff to separate from their parents and carers. They form close attachments with staff, who provide warm and nurturing care. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Children confidently welcome new visitors, ask thoughtful questions and show a genuine interest in finding out more about them.
Staff are good role models and have high expectations for children. They set good standards regarding children's behaviour. Staff support children to form friendships and gently encourage them to engage in positive behaviours, such as sharing and being kind to their friends. Children behave well and demonstrate a sense of belonging at this pre-school.
Leaders plan a balanced curriculum that is tailored to children's individual needs and helps children to build on their learning. Staff have good knowledge of what children already know and what they want them to learn next. Overall, the curriculum is implemented well. This helps all children to make good progress from their starting points in development.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure that staff use all opportunities to introduce new vocabulary to fully extend children's language skills n monitor teaching even more closely to identify further areas where staff can develop their practice and extend their teaching n review the deployment of staff to consistently provide purposeful interactions for children to build on their existing skills and knowledge.
- 11 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 September 2019Good
- 15 December 2014Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sure Start Children's Centre
- 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.