The Island Little Herons Childcare
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ryde 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2022. Open since 2011, 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 Isle of Wight
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Isle of Wight 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
PO33 4PTWhat 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, 29 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are motivated and enthusiastic learners. They learn new things every day and take part in activities that have been planned specifically to match their interests and needs. Children form strong bonds with staff and peers. They confidently share ideas and value each other's contributions to help solve problems. For example, children work together to remove sand from the diagonally placed tubing as they notice that it slowed down their cars going through. They use water in small amounts at first but discover that a higher volume is needed to remove most of the sand. They celebrate their successful teamwork by giving each other a 'high five'. This allows children to think critically and experience success jointly.
The outdoor learning environment provides children with a multitude of exciting opportunities to explore. They experience physical activities that strengthen their small and large muscles. For example, children develop their hand control and cutting skills by slicing small cucumbers. They clamber up the climbing frame and whizz down the slide with good body control. Older children use their imaginations to build structures with wooden planks, such as a see-saw or a skateboard.
Younger children weave in and out of trees, carefully manoeuvring their bodies to avoid the leaves and branches. This helps promote children's good health and wellbeing.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- make consistent use of opportunities to deepen and extend children's knowledge and understanding and take their learning to an even higher level n provide children with opportunities to celebrate and share with others, their home languages and cultural experiences, to make them feel even more valued and unique.
- 29 June 2022Good
- 16 February 2015Outstanding
- 1 December 2011Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Island Little Herons Childcare
- 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.