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Sunnyhill Day Nursery

Ofsted: Strong standard·
5.0(3 parent reviews) ·Sure Start, Homelands House, DERBY, DE23 8DN · Derby
Number of places
92 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Derby

About this day nursery

Sunnyhill Day Nursery, established in 2023, is a childcare setting for children aged 0–4 years in Derby. The nursery focuses on supporting children within a community that experiences high levels of deprivation and has many children who speak English as an additional language.

Open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00, the nursery offers an all-year provision with a total capacity of 92 children. The setting prides itself on its nurturing and inclusive environment, where children are supported to flourish, benefitting from strong adult attachments and a welcoming atmosphere.

Leaders have developed a comprehensive curriculum with a strong emphasis on communication and language, physical development, and personal, social, and emotional development. The nursery effectively supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) through early identification of needs, close collaboration with external professionals, and targeted one-to-one support.

Bilingual staff ensure that children who speak English as an additional language and their families are well-supported, with home languages celebrated and integrated into the settling-in process. Daily outdoor learning opportunities are central to the curriculum, promoting physical development and purposeful play.

What it's like

Children flourish in this nurturing and inclusive nursery. They are happy and content and separate confidently from their parents because staff establish strong, secure attachments. Staff care for children with warmth, dignity and respect and maintain consistently high standards of hygiene and safeguarding. They respond promptly to children's needs.

Nurturing environmentInclusive settingStrong attachmentsTargeted SEND supportBilingual supportDaily outdoor learning

Pricing & funding

Charges are structured around a variety of session lengths, including morning, afternoon, school-day, and full-day bookings, alongside hourly options. Fees include snacks and meals based on the time spent at the nursery. Monthly invoices are calculated over a 51-week year.

Funding accepted

15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare

Good to know

  • Non-refundable £25.00 registration fee is charged where additional services are purchased.
  • Fees are billed monthly in advance, calculated by multiplying the weekly fee by 51 and dividing by 12.
  • Payments are due in full on the 1st of each month via direct debit, Tax-Free Childcare, vouchers, or the Famly app.
  • Consumables are charged at £3 for full day sessions and £1.50 for half day sessions.
  • Meals are charged at £10 for full day sessions and £5 for half day sessions.

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

Term time / All Year

All_year

Established

2023

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Strong standard

Last inspected Feb 2026

Headline: Strong standard

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
—
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementStrong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesStrong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingStrong standard
Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
InclusionStrong standard
Leadership and governanceStrong standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Sunnyhill Day Nursery

Last inspected 18 February 2026 · Ali Lancaster

What it's like to attend

Children flourish in this nurturing and inclusive nursery. They are happy and content and separate confidently from their parents because staff establish strong, secure attachments. Staff care for children with warmth, dignity and respect and maintain consistently high standards of hygiene and safeguarding. They respond promptly to children's needs.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders prioritise the key foundations of children's development, including communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development.
  • Leaders create a warm, safe and welcoming environment where children thrive, with clear routines and well-organised spaces.
  • Leaders place children's welfare and wellbeing at the centre of their work, implementing robust safeguarding policies.
  • Leaders design a broad and ambitious curriculum that reflects the setting's context, serving a community with high levels of deprivation and many children who speak English as an additional language.
  • Leaders have high expectations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and identify any developmental gaps and/or needs early.
  • The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
  • Leaders maintain a precise understanding of the quality of teaching and children’s learning and refine teaching through coaching, supervision, and targeted training.
  • Staff deliver a rich, well-sequenced curriculum that prioritises communication and language, physical development, independence, and self-regulation.

Areas to develop

  • 1Leaders should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate alongside their peers. Leaders have high expectations for children with SEND, identifying developmental gaps early and working closely with external professionals to adapt teaching and routines to meet individual needs. Children with SEND receive highly targeted support, and additional funding is used effectively to reduce barriers and improve access to learning.

Outdoor space

Staff provide daily opportunities for outdoor learning and purposeful play where children can run, climb, balance, and practice large movements. Leaders prioritise physical development within the curriculum, embedding it through daily outdoor learning and routines that develop children's strength, coordination, independence, and self-regulation.

EAL / language support

A high proportion of children speak English as an additional language. Bilingual staff support children and families, using home-language words during settling-in, translating important information, and modelling clear English. Home languages are respected and celebrated, leading to strong progress in acquiring English.

Parent Reviews of Sunnyhill Day Nursery

5.0
(3)
Gohar Nayab
4 months ago

I would give them 10 stars if I had the option! Being a first time working-mom, I was so clueless which nursery would be good, but believe me, I am sooooo happy I chose this place!!!! My daughter was a late settler- she took a while to settle but once she did, it has become her second home! She has been coming for approx 2 years now- no complaints! They have a million activities for kids to do, they take care of their dietary needs, safety, and nap times! Even the admin team is really helpful. I am so grateful to the everyone at Sunny Hill day Nursery! Big shoutout to Rehnama,Enuice, Shumaila, the one guy with short hair> ( Sorry if I forgot someone's name >.

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Kiran Mann
a year ago

Amazing nursery!! Staff are amazing!! Well done to who all work there!! My son is so happy here!!!

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Fiz “Fizneo” Allarakha
a month ago

I love this nursery, truly love this nursery. We’ve been here fast approaching 1 year and my toddler who is normally so shy, loves going here. She knows it’s a safe space and tells me about her day excitedly whenever I pick her up. The manager, Lisa, clearly has high standards and clearly cares a lot about parents and the kids - she goes above and beyond to create a calm space, to ensure every parent feels at ease leaving their precious child with the team. The nursery is safe and the activities are very varied with every toddler/baby in mind. I feel like I know every single staff member as they’re always full of smiles and so lovely to chat to. Nikolas, thank you for being a key reason for my toddler settling in - she really does love you, she knows you’re very special. Natalia, you are just a ray of sunshine always smiling and always makes us all happy, I love seeing you at nursery every time. Shannon, there isn’t a day my toddler doesn’t come home and tell me a story about her time with you. Lily, you are always so kind and caring towards my toddler and she adores you, she loves her time with you. All the new girlies in toddlers, Shazia and Issy you always fill me in on my toddlers day and make my little one feel safe. Even the team in babies and preschool have always had a kind smile and welcoming nature. We’ve never had any problems at all, however if we want to ask for something to make our toddler feel more comfortable at the nursery, I feel every staff takes on board what we say and they are all ears. Why? Because they care. I am so grateful I found this nursery. You will be too!

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Sunnyhill Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

18 February 2026

Strong standard

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more