Clarence House Tattershall

A garden for each age group gives Clarence House Tattershall a clear practical character: children can move between their room and outdoor space, with a larger natural garden adding opportunities to climb and explore. This is a nursery with outdoor play built into its layout. It serves babies and children up to five at 27 Market Place, Tattershall.

At its 22 June 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, curriculum and teaching, behaviour and routines, and welfare and wellbeing at the expected standard, while inclusion and leadership needed attention; safeguarding standards were met. Those differences matter. The daily experiences have concrete strengths, but the use of additional funding and support for staff require close consideration.

Attendance choices include full days, flexible bookings and morning or afternoon sessions, alongside funded-only arrangements. That gives families several ways to use the nursery rather than a single attendance model.

Rooms and Ages

Separate rooms accommodate babies, toddlers and preschool children, and each age group has its own garden area. The larger natural garden provides another setting for exploration and climbing. For a child who enjoys moving between activities, that arrangement makes outdoor space part of the day rather than simply a destination for a group outing.

In June 2026, babies practised climbing with staff close by and used rocking equipment to develop movement and core strength. Older children assembled obstacle courses from wooden planks, then climbed and jumped along their constructions. These were practical activities with different levels of challenge: younger children worked on basic movement, while older children could experiment with what their bodies could manage.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play and everyday interaction. Alongside this, the nursery takes inspiration from the curiosity approach, giving children opportunities to explore their interests and develop independence. Its stated emphasis is on communication, physical development and children's personal, social and emotional development.

June 2026 examples show how ordinary materials became learning opportunities. Preschool children remembered ingredients for making dough, while flattening it by hand exercised the muscles they would later use for more precise tasks. Toddlers built towers from foam bricks as staff introduced counting; babies heard words about position while objects moved upwards and downwards. Learning was woven into the activity rather than reserved for a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Regular visits to local nature spots extend the outdoor offer beyond the gardens. These complement the nursery's natural outdoor space, giving children different surroundings to explore.

In June 2026, community walks included conversations about road safety and visits to see seasonal decorations on houses. Children also collected natural materials, including pine cones and sticks. These experiences connected movement, observation and discussion: the neighbourhood supplied things to notice, talk about and investigate.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2026, information from parents about children's existing skills informed their learning experiences, and staff shared updates about care routines and ways to support learning at home. Babies shared books with staff, while older children initiated games with friends. The examples give a useful picture of interaction across ages, from close adult contact to increasingly independent play.

Moves between rooms were introduced gradually, with children visiting at different points in the day so they could become familiar with routines and adults. School teachers were also invited to meet children before their move to school. Both arrangements gave children opportunities to encounter a change before it happened fully.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND made progress and staff worked with parents and professionals, but additional funding was not consistently directed towards individual needs, key staff lacked relevant funding information, and some staff missed coaching and supervision, affecting morale and children's experiences. Positive individual support and weaknesses in management therefore sit alongside each other here.

The nursery has SEN Lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead roles. In June 2026, support included pictures to explain routines, individual help with social interaction and explanations when the day's sequence changed. These are concrete mechanisms families can discuss in relation to their own child's needs, rather than relying on a general assurance about inclusion.

Meals are prepared daily, and children are encouraged to help with serving, setting the table and clearing afterwards. Food and snacks are included in paid sessions and supplied without a food charge during funded sessions, so the charge structure keeps meals within the attendance offer.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 27 Market Place, Tattershall, Lincoln, LN4 4LJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with a week-long Christmas closure.

Full-day bookings run from 8.30am to 5.30pm, and a full-week booking uses those hours across five days. Flexi Sessions have a three-hour minimum within the opening window; short days and half days are also offered. Breakfast is included when an Early Start session is booked.

Funded-only examples include mornings from 9am to noon, afternoons from 1pm to 4pm and term-time days from 9am to 3pm. Other example combinations accommodate stretched funding. Funded hours can be used on weekdays between 7.30am and 6pm, subject to a maximum of ten funded hours per day.

Breakfast, After School and Holiday Club provide separate care for children aged four to eleven. Enquiries and show-around appointments can be made through the nursery's enquiry route.

Getting There

A car park beside the Co-op offers two hours of free parking next to the nursery. That is a useful practical detail for families travelling by car, with the parking limit remaining relevant to longer visits.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 or 30 funded hours, either during term time or stretched across the year. The examples allocate 11 or 22 hours a week respectively when stretched over 51 weeks; extra attendance beyond the entitlement is paid separately.

Funded-only attendance carries no compulsory extras or top-up charges, and meals and snacks are free during funded sessions. Children attending only funded sessions are also exempt from the registration charge, administration charge and deposit.

For other bookings, a non-refundable registration charge and a refundable deposit apply. Obtain a current written quotation before agreeing a booking. Charges are calculated from the sessions booked in each month, and the Christmas closure week is excluded from billing.

• Additional funding. The June 2026 findings identified weaknesses in directing individual funding towards children's needs, with an action deadline of 22 September 2026. Families whose child receives additional support should ask how spending decisions now involve their child's key staff and address specific learning needs.
• Staff support. The June 2026 findings linked gaps in coaching and supervision to staff morale and children's experiences, with the same September deadline. A visit is an opportunity to discuss the supervision arrangements now in place.
• Flexible attendance. Flexi Sessions require at least three hours, while the full day runs from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Compare those patterns with the funded-only examples when discussing a booking.

Clarence House Tattershall suits families weighing full-day attendance against flexible bookings or shorter morning and afternoon sessions. Its age-group gardens, larger natural outdoor space and practical play offer a clear picture of how children can spend their day.

The June 2026 findings make the decision more measured than the outdoor offer alone might imply. Families should give particular weight to the handling of individual funding and staff supervision. For children needing additional support, those arrangements deserve as much attention as the rooms, gardens and attendance choices.