Sheffield Hallam University Nursery

About this day nursery

Sheffield Hallam University Nursery, established in 1979, provides outstanding care for children aged 0-4 years. Open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm all year round, it offers a nurturing and inclusive environment where children thrive.

The nursery ensures children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive excellent support, with staff collaborating with external professionals and parents to facilitate access to the curriculum and optimal progress. Children who speak English as an additional language also benefit from staff learning about their home languages and cultures, helping them to quickly understand and use English.

The curriculum, described as coherent, sequenced and ambitious, is designed around children's individual interests and talents, fostering high-quality interactions and highly positive behaviour. Outdoor learning is a key feature, with activities such as a sandpit and mud kitchen used to integrate language and mathematics, supported by engaging staff in the large outdoor area.

The nursery enriches children's experiences with real-world activities, from hatching chicks and creating embroidery to visits from a mini zoo and intergenerational events with a local care home. Parents consistently commend the nursery for its strong communication and feel well-informed about their children's learning and development.

What it's like

Children thrive at this caring and nurturing nursery, thoroughly enjoying the activities and experiences on offer. The management team's coherent and sequenced curriculum, which recognises children's uniqueness, results in high-quality interactions that motivate children to learn and foster highly positive behaviour. The nursery's ethos of 'changing lives through relationships' supports children's interests and provides an inclusive, supportive, and safe environment.