Children 1st Syston Nursery School

It’s lovely to see their progress and learning on the EyLog which is regularly updated.

Staff are friendly and approachable and our daughter has always willingly been handed over, sometimes too willingly.

All of the staff are amazing and have really helped my little girl with her speech, toilet training and have boosted her confidence massively. She loves going to nursery, she always comes home speaking about the members of staff in her room. They do a variety of different activities, they also have a lovely garden! My daughter also used to be a bit of a fussy eater, with the help of nursery she now eats mostly everything! I couldn’t fault this nursery one bit, I will be sad when she has to leave for school!

My daughter is always coming home talking about the staff member and has a great relationship with them all.

I cannot thank the girls enough for the way they look after my little boy and cannot express how good they all are. They always make time to speak with parents giving reassurance and guidance when needed. Such a happy and friendly bunch. Thank you Children 1st @ Syston.

The facilities they have put in since doing the refurb are outstanding. I couldn’t think of anything else they would need. It looks AMAZING!

The renovations they have been doing are fantastic and my son especially loves the construction part.

I can only say good things about the care that my daughter receives. My daughter started at a very early age. She is happy to attend and always happy when I collect her. She has been super cared for by the staff in the baby room. Communication is always thorough upon collection and it always feels personal when discussing the child.

I appreciate that changes are being made within the nursery and these are being done for the better to improve the facilities. The staff do their utmost to utilize the resources that they have and make the best out of a situation.

I am very confident in allowing the girls to care for my little precious during the day and to have total piece of mind on her care is important. All I can say is good things about the girls who care for my daughter.

I can only thank the staff in the baby room for looking after my little lady and being a part of her learning journey in her early years.

I feel that some staff are exceptional, whilst others, quite frankly are pretty poor. My son flourishes with those who make the effort, make him secure, greet him on arrival and meets his needs. Fortunately, those staff appear to be in the majority. Some staff seem indifferent and barely seem to move from their seats.

I can only say positive things about the nursery since Children 1st @ Syston have taken over. I can see that the impacted it has had on the place is amazing and the new manager is lovely as well as the existing staff team. The only negative that springs to mind is I wish they would reconsider the time they serve the tea. I personally think 3 pm is an unrealistic time to have your tea especially when some children don't wake from their nap until 2.30-3pm. Children at home probably wouldn't eat so early on a normal day and for the parents that work late, they would need to rush when they get home to feed them again before bedtime. I think 4 til 4.30pm would be better.

Overall happy, but think the security needs looking into. My mum went to collect my daughter once and nobody even challenged her as to who she was, she was just let in and walked straight into her room. Quite a lot of times nobody in office and people coming and going and letting people in and out. Not sure what the answer could be though? Certainly feels like things have changed in the last few months.

Currently, we are disappointed with the service we are receiving.

Since October the outdoor has appeared shabby and has broken toys strewn around. We chose this nursery for the outdoor provision and have seen nothing engaging set up within the garden. I feel that the provision for outdoor play should be high quality whatever the season, regardless of future plans.

Safety aside currently this is not an 'outstanding' environment for our daughter to play nor is it value for money.

We are equally concerned at the turnover of staff. We do not feel this has been managed well. Staff members have changed daily and some left with no explanation to ourselves or more importantly the children. This has a big impact on our daughter who struggles with loss. All this aside, we are very happy with the care and attention from the staff in her room. They are attentive, provide clear information and are dedicated and committed to making her time happy. We have no concerns over her day to day care.

Overall, my boys are happy at Gables and so I would not move them for that reason.

Acknowledge improvements have been made still a way to go.

Staff are excellent and very friendly. The standard of food is very high and my son loves to choose a snack from the snack box every day on his way home! The children are encouraged to develop their skills and interests and I have been very impressed by the things my son has picked up whilst at nursery, such as learning the alphabet, counting and various songs. My son also has special needs and I have found the staff to be very supportive of the extra care required. The only thing I would love to see improved is the car park as it can get extremely busy at certain times of the day, meaning that you get stuck or can’t find a space, which can be quite stressful. Perhaps the pick up/collection times could be staggered to relieve this issue? Also, the car park lines are unclear so perhaps these could be repainted as often cars park over the lines, wasting space meaning that not as many cars can fit in as would be possible.

Meal choices could be healthier, usually one good meal a day, however, breakfast is always the same (cereal and toast, nothing warm or cooked, where is the fruit?) and I don't rate lemon curd sandwiches as very nutritious. I always get told my child ate several helpings, yet he always comes home eating a big dinner.

The staff all know his needs and talk to you about his day every time we collect.

Some positive changes seen since the takeover. However, information re changes proposed/ undertaken not been communicated well. Would be nice to know future plans for room changes, equipment changes, menu changes etc.

Brilliant nursery with lots of activities to help children develop and progress with their developmental milestones.

My daughter had been attending Gables since July 2017 and she has come along so much with her speech and development. The staff are great with her and she has formed some lovely bonds with both staff and other children. The nursery overall is clean, well looked after and generally lovely and pleasent. In the summer they have picnics in the garden, party's and even bouncy castles, makes me a little envious to have to go work and miss out on the fun. I looked at other nurseries in the area before choosing Gables and none of them made me think my daughter would enjoy growing up there until she starts school. I highly recommend This nursery to anybody looking for childcare in the area.