Children 1st Hathern Nursery School

A garden shop, insect discoveries and growing independence give Children 1st Hathern Nursery School a recognisable character. In April 2026, children took turns at the outdoor shop till, explored insects and practised doing more for themselves, from using a spoon to choosing their own food portions. These are useful foundations for nursery life: communicating, sharing and becoming comfortable with everyday tasks.

At its 15 April 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion, welfare and wellbeing, and behaviour and routines at Strong standard; achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance met Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. The balance matters. Care and relationships were stronger than the organisation of some learning activities, which needed further attention.

The nursery has 98 places in total and accepts children aged 2 to 60 months. Its Hathern setting combines spaces furnished with natural resources, an on-site car park and a connection with sister nursery Children 1st Shepshed. Attendance choices extend from morning and afternoon sessions to several daytime patterns.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the framework for children's early learning and care, bringing communication, physical development and learning through play into the nursery day. In April 2026, stories provided opportunities to remember events and try out vocabulary, while drawing ladybirds and comparing their spots brought counting and mathematical language into an activity children could see and discuss.

Outdoor exploration supplied further material for learning that month. Children examined insects and changes in their development, and staff introduced vocabulary connected with what they were observing. The garden shop gave children a reason to negotiate turns and interact with one another. Babies practised sitting independently, while older children climbed outdoors. These examples show how learning could emerge from movement, pretend play and children's interests rather than only from organised group tasks.

Hathern also includes Forest School, an approach involving learning outdoors through exploration, among its additional activities. Cookery sessions involve handling ingredients and developing practical skills, with opportunities to explore how ingredients grow. This gives families something concrete to weigh alongside the core framework: outdoor exploration and food preparation both add practical experiences to the day.

The April 2026 learning concerns deserve equal weight. Some baking groups left children waiting rather than taking an active part, reducing their opportunities to practise the intended skills. Staff also sometimes explained what was happening without first exploring children's own understanding. Better organisation and more probing conversations were the next steps: an interesting activity needs children to participate and think, not simply watch.

Outdoor and Community Life

Natural resources furnish the indoor spaces, giving children materials to investigate and use in their play. The connection with Children 1st Shepshed supports shared learning between the sister nurseries; it is a nursery relationship, with no school admissions implication.

In April 2026, outdoor activity continued through the day, including babies moving over slopes and older children taking part in energetic play. Children also practised caring for living things as they watched insects develop. For parents, the useful combination is physical activity and close observation: the garden supported both movement and quieter investigation.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2026, babies sought comfort from familiar staff and shared favourite stories with them. Practitioners adjusted everyday routines for children's developmental stages, including opportunities to feed themselves and manage personal care. Independence was built through ordinary moments, with adult support alongside it.

Communication with parents extended into daily care that month. Staff provided updates during the day and worked with families on toilet learning, sharing ideas that could be used at home. This gave parents practical information to act on and helped children encounter consistent responses between home and nursery. Leaders also gathered information from families when planning support and deciding how funding should be used.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that tailored support, work with other professionals and the special educational needs coordinator helped children with additional needs, while predictable routines supported their emotional wellbeing. Those mechanisms are more useful to a parent than a broad promise of inclusion: support was planned around individual needs, reviewed and adjusted.

Stories about feelings were used in April 2026 to help children identify and discuss emotions, with the ideas revisited outdoors. Staff encouraged turn-taking and reminded children of shared expectations. For a child learning to express frustration or wait for a turn, this connected emotional language with situations arising during play.

Meals are prepared by an on-site chef, using local ingredients where possible; menus accommodate dietary requirements. Food preparation therefore takes place within the nursery, alongside opportunities for children to explore ingredients themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 126 Loughborough Road, Hathern, Loughborough, LE12 5JB. Five booking patterns give families several ways to fit attendance around their day:

• Business Days run from 8am to 6pm.
• Nursery days run from 8am to 5pm.
• School days run from 9am to 3pm.
• Mornings run from 8am to 1pm.
• Afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm.

School days is the name of a shorter daytime pattern, rather than a statement that attendance is term-time only. The nursery operates across the year, with Christmas week and two staff training days as closures. Its funding arrangement spans 51 weeks. Families can make an enquiry using the nursery's branch form or telephone 01509 842968.

Getting There

An on-site car park supports families travelling by car. That is a practical benefit when coordinating nursery attendance with work or other family commitments.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged nine months and above can access the 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer. Entitlements are stretched across the nursery's 51 operating weeks, providing up to 11.18 or 22.35 funded hours weekly respectively, with up to 10 funded hours in a day. Funding can be applied during Nursery or Business day sessions, with remaining entitlement used towards other regular sessions.

Private fees include meals and snacks, formula and milk, plus nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream. Funded sessions carry separate food and health and hygiene charges, together with an activities charge for children over two; additional unfunded hours are charged at the relevant session rate. This distinction matters when comparing the cost of the same attendance pattern with and without funding.

A non-refundable registration charge applies, and the deposit is credited against the first invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The Hathern fees and funding information explains the charge structure alongside its attendance choices.

• Participation in group learning. April 2026 baking activities sometimes involved too much waiting, and staff questioning needed development. During a visit, ask how group activities now keep each child involved and extend their thinking.
• Starting with a baby. Familiar staff provided comfort and supported independence in April 2026. Ask how settling sessions, sleep arrangements and the youngest children's daily group size would work for your baby.
• Funding and extras. Food and consumables are charged separately during funded sessions, with an activities charge for children over two. Discuss the alternatives to the integrated offering and obtain a written quotation for your chosen pattern before joining.

Children 1st Hathern suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance as well as shorter daytime or Business Day care across the year. Natural resources, outdoor learning and practical food activities give the offer substance. The April 2026 picture combines stronger care and inclusion with teaching that still needed more active participation and deeper conversations. For parents, that makes the organisation of group learning a useful point to explore alongside the nursery's considerable choice of sessions.