Handkerchief Day Nursery

High Street, Kegworth, Derby DE74 2DA
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9.4 49 Reviews
  • Handkerchief Day Nursery, Derby
Handkerchief Day Nursery Kegworth is renowned for its extensive outdoor learning environment, which forms a central part of the nursery experience. Highly experienced Forest School leaders deliver daily Forest School sessions, supporting children as they explore the natural world through hands-on activities. Under close supervision, children are encouraged to use real tools, chop wood, cook over a fire pit, and enjoy experiences such as making hot chocolate, while the discovery cabin provides year-round outdoor learning opportunities in all weather conditions.

Both indoors and outdoors, children are encouraged to explore a wide range of open-ended resources designed to inspire creativity, curiosity, and a sense of awe and wonder each day.

The dedicated and knowledgeable staff team nurtures children’s natural inquisitiveness, supporting learning through exploration and play while building strong relationships with each key child.

Mealtimes are a sensory experience, with the comforting smell of freshly baked bread and the chef’s much-loved lemon drizzle cake filling the nursery. Children are provided with healthy, delicious meals made using locally sourced ingredients, supporting both wellbeing and an appreciation for good food.
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Funding & Fees

F/D £56.50
AM/PM £31.50

Contact Handkerchief Day Nursery to get a personalised quote.

Contact Handkerchief Day Nursery to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Julie Stamps (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 30

Total Places for Children

  • 110

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

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

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Parking

  • Onsite parking available.

Handkerchief Day Nursery Reviews (49)

9.4

Handkerchief Day Nursery has a Review Score of 9.4 (9.397) out of 10, based on 14 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Handkerchief Day Nursery has 49 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
  • 49
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Reviewer Connection to Handkerchief Day Nursery
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Total of 49, showing 21-40
Review from Jan (Mother of Child) published on 5 June 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I couldn't sleep the night before my daughter started at Handkerchief because I was just so excited for her to start there. Luckily my excitement has continued as she has such a lovely time at every session. The staff, the surroundings, the energy, the other pupils just everything is brilliant and what
you want from your child's nursery.
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Review from Julie (Mother of Child) published on 5 June 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff at Handkerchiefs are amazing and so lovely with the children. My little girl started at seven months in the baby room and is now in the Tweenie room so have met staff in both rooms. My girl settled very quickly in both rooms and it’s reassuring I can leave her and she will have a lovely day.
It’s great that everything is included and the meals are nice and healthy too.
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Review from Erin D (Mother of Child) published on 5 June 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has LOVED going to Handkerchief’s from the very first day she started.
The staff in the Tweenies room are lovely and they think up extremely creative activities for the children to do which I could never replicate at home.
Would recommend to anyone.
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Review from Catherine O (Mother of Child) published on 28 May 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
From the moment we visited Handkerchief Day Nursery we knew it was the one.
Our son is very happy here and developing well. The staff are fantastic and the facilities are outstanding!
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Review from Lee H (Father of Child) published on 1 February 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
You will not find another nursery where the word excellent can be applied to every aspect of it. From the office team, through to the nursery facilities and all the nursery staff right down to its very ethos Handkerchief shines out above all others.


We looked at 9 separate nurseries before we decided

on Handkerchief Nursery and I cannot convey succinctly enough just how pleased and impressed we have been. They make you feel like you are part of one big family, where nothing is too much trouble and your parenting is their parenting, and this can be seen in just how happy our little boy is with them.


The facilities and approach the nursery has is without doubt leading the way in modern childcare, providing brilliant enrichment, enhancing our little one's development and encouraging him to explore, interact and grow. The Nursery Manager, Office Manager and ALL the team in the baby room are to be commended on a truly brilliant job.


This nursery should be your only choice.

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Review from Ayaka M (Mother of Child) published on 19 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son loves going to nursery because all staff are lovely and friendly. No plastic toys is another good point. There is a huge garden right next to the baby room and babies can feel nature all the time.
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Review from Chris T (Father of Child) published on 19 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been attending this nursery now for 4 months, at the start she would not settle when dropping her off but now loves attending and waves us off. This is down to the baby team being patient and helping her settle in. They are all very helpful and clearly caring of the children they have
in their care. We receive detailed events of her day which always seem jam packed with fun and learning activities along with random emails with pictures during the day of what she is up to.


Our daughter loves attending and, knowing this, we enjoy sending her there.

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Review from Charles H (Father of Child) published on 19 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
The disruption of the extension/building work did cause some initial issues. However, now this is complete, I feel it is an excellent area for the children to be.


I really like the varied activities the team seem to do with the children, from pumpkin carving to tasting of lemons etc and feel this

will only get better as my child becomes older.


I would love more photos to be sent, but understand this is not always possible and do appreciate the ones which are sent.


The flexibility of the care staff (ie feeding early when an early pick up is required), is great and the team are very supportive and welcoming.

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Review from Teresa (Mother of Child) published on 19 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I would definitely recommend this nursery to my family and friends as it provides a safe, fun and great learning environment for my daughter to grow. The staff are excellent and have been great with both of my daughters.
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Review from Tracy M (Mother of Child) published on 19 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Outstanding nursery - I cannot fault it.


Our son was 6 months old when he joined this nursery and he is currently 8 months old. In those 2 months, he has developed and grown so much!


The staff in baby room are amazing, nothing is ever too much trouble. They spend time at both drop off and pick

up to ask what has been happening with our son during the days he isn't there and what he's been up to during the hours he's with them.


I love the app they use to give updates on progress - especially the adorable photos.


We travel for up to an hour each way to drop and pick up our son from this nursery and we definitely wouldn't do that if it wasn't so great.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this nursery to anyone who asks.

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Review from Joanna H (Mother of Child) published on 12 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The ladies in the baby room are great. They have helped both my son and us to settle in, providing updates/pictures during the day and good feedback when I pick him up. I feel that they genuinely care about providing a safe, nurturing environment for the babies to develop within.
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Review from Jane P (Mother of Child) published on 11 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery provides lovely facilities in a friendly and welcoming environment. The children have a range of activities every day and I really like the fact they get them outside as much as possible. The nursery has an excellent forest school and my daughter often comes home with her all in one waterproof
muddy, which I always think is a good sign of fun!
The staff are very friendly and helpful and my daughter has always loved it there.
The food is cooked on site and there are an excellent menu and range of food.
The nursery also provides all nappies, wipes, cream, sun cream and pain relief which is great not having to worry about taking these things in and them running out.
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Review from Tim W (Father of Child) published on 11 January 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Would 100% recommend Handkerchief Day Nursery! Our little girl has been going since she was 11 months old and loves every min. All the staff are a joy to deal with.
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Review from Gemma S (Mother of Child) published on 21 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Since starting in the baby room 8 months ago, my daughter has come along in leaps and bounds. She settled in fantastically, the staff were really helpful and friendly, and I really felt like she would be treated like one of their family. Now in the Tweenie room, she is still doing really well and gets
the same great level of care. They communicate well with me about any issues and have taken on board everything I’ve asked them to regarding my daughter. The nursery has great facilities, and I particularly like their emphasis on outdoor play and am looking forward to when my daughter has access to the Forest School.
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Review from Amanda F (Mother of Child) published on 21 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been at Handkerchief Nursery from 9 months old, she is now 4 years old. Since day one, my daughter has continued to hit her milestones with the support and aid of Handkerchief, she has developed so well and even at times where extra care was required to achieve her milestones, plans
were put in place by the nursery and implemented.
My daughter loves it here, and I don't say that lightly, all staff are consistent in their behaviours and values, even as they move through to different classes as they get older. This nursery and the staff have become her extended family, feeling safe, protected and aided tremendously in her learning and most importantly now getting her ready for school next year!
I cannot recommend this nursery and the staff highly enough and I will be very sad when my daughter has to move on, they have been an integral part of her life at the beginning and I cannot thank them enough for adding such high value to her.
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Review from Rebecca B (Mother of Child) published on 21 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter attended here from 19 months to 4 years old. She loved the staff and despite severe separation anxiety as a baby/toddler settled quickly and enjoyed going and seeing the staff and her friends 3 days a week. The transition was made especially easy by the staff.
My 19-month-old son now attends
even though it is now out of my way to take him there due to school drop off and my commute to work. But I couldn’t imagine sending him anywhere else and am very happy with the care he receives. He is especially fond of his key worker who is very caring towards him and makes me feel happy leaving him there.
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Review from Fiona W (Mother of Child) published on 21 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff are all really friendly and caring and often come up with creative ideas for the children. The outdoor space is great and my eldest child loves forest school! There hasn't been much consistency with management over the last few months but the deputy manager and room seniors are good. Although
there is not much they can do, they could do with a little more space in the preschool rooms and cloakroom space.
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Review from Heidi (Mother of Child) published on 21 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter really does enjoy her time with the Handkerchief Day Nursery, so much so that today she didn’t want to leave when I collected her! I particularly enjoy the time they spend outdoors and the creative activities the children get involved with. Her older sister often remarks how she would have
liked to have gone to Handkerchief Day Nursery and also enjoys finding out all about what her sister has been up to when we collect her!
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Review from Emma H (Mother of Child) published on 20 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
After moving to Handkerchief Day Nursery my daughter settled in really quickly which was mostly due to the amazing staff. They are all so friendly and have great relationships with the children, my daughter runs in and hugs the staff when she arrives. There is also great communication with the parents,
I love getting emails with photos of what my daughter is doing while I'm at work.
The facilities the nursery have are fantastic, the children have a huge outside space with lots of natural areas to explore, including visiting the chickens!
My daughter loves the food and snacks and often ends up having two portions!
I would definitely recommend Handkerchief Day Nursery to anyone!
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Review from Lauren H (Mother of Child) published on 14 December 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our journey with Handkerchief first started 2.5 years ago when my daughter was 10 months old, she is now nearly 3 years old and still absolutely loves going to nursery. Our son started around 6 months ago and he too loves going to nursery. My daughter has made some strong relationships with the staff
and with fellow children. From the moment she started I was impressed with not only the variety of activities on offer, but also the amount they did with the children.


One of the biggest things for me when choosing a nursery was how much outdoor space was on offer and at Handkerchief, it's a lot! My daughter particularly loves forest school and the children are outside most days which to me is so important. The staff at Handkerchief are a credit to the business, they are always so loving and caring and when you are trusting these individuals to look after your children it's extremely important that they genuinely care and at Handkerchief they do.

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Current Review Score: 9.4 (9.397)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.4 (9.397) out of 10 for Handkerchief Day Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 14 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.5 out of 5 from 14 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.911 for Handkerchief Day Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (155 Excellents x 5) + (11 Goods x 4) + (2 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 168 Ratings = 4.911
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.486 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Handkerchief Day Nursery is based on 14 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 20 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews, 0.05 Points for the next five Positive Reviews, and finally 0.025 Points for the next ten Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.050, 7th = 0.050, 8th = 0.050, 9th = 0.050, 10th = 0.050, 11th = 0.025, 12th = 0.025, 13th = 0.025, 14th = 0.025, 15th = 0.025, 16th = 0.025, 17th = 0.025, 18th = 0.025, 19th = 0.025, 20th = 0.025) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 = 3.85
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 110 number of registered child places is 22. 14 Positive Reviews ÷ 22 = 0.636
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (3)

Meet the Team (1)

Julie

Julie Stamps

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2025

I have built a diverse and extensive career in the early years of education, including 16 years leading a preschool within a school setting. My experience also encompasses managing private day nurseries, leading individual rooms, and working as a nanny, giving me a well-rounded understanding of childcare across different environments. 


I hold a BA (Hons) in Education, alongside the NNEB qualification. I am committed to fostering a supportive and nurturing environment for everyone I work with, including children, practitioners, parents, and families. Guided by my Christian values, I take a compassionate and collaborative approach to my work. I adopt a holistic perspective on childcare and firmly believe that all children can thrive and achieve when provided with the right environment and support.


I joined Handkerchief in September 2025, and I love it here because there is so much support. Basically, I just love to make a difference to the lives of the people I encounter.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Handkerchief Day Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Handkerchief Day Nursery has an Enhanced Service - more info.