Carlton Day Nursery and Pre School

Books, conversation and growing independence give Carlton its clearest character. In April 2023, babies practised animal sounds with picture books, toddlers recalled stories, and preschool children used books to identify insects. These were different ways of using the same resource, matched to children's development rather than a single activity repeated across the nursery.

At its 19 April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Carlton Good overall and found safeguarding effective. Two improvements deserve attention: more outdoor learning for babies and better guidance for parents supporting learning at home. Both concern everyday experience, making them useful questions for a family visit.

The purpose-built nursery sits behind the Carlton Centre on Outer Circle Road in Lincoln and accepts children aged 1 to 60 months. Full-day and half-day bookings give families different attendance options.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: play, communication and developing everyday skills belong together. Carlton's play-based approach gives children opportunities to become absorbed in activities and explore what they can do.

In April 2023, language practice extended beyond planned activities. Adults sang with babies waiting in pushchairs for a walk and used rhymes during toddlers' nappy changes. Routine care became another opportunity to hear words and join in, rather than a pause in learning.

Books served different purposes across the rooms at that time: the baby room emphasised sounds through animal pictures, the toddler room used stories to practise remembering, and the pre-school room introduced information-seeking through insect identification. That progression gave reading a purpose before children could read independently.

Imagination also grew from simple materials. In April 2023, babies turned empty boxes into pretend cars, while staff received help with planning play using natural objects and loose parts. The interest lay in what children could make of a resource, rather than only its intended use.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden offered climbing apparatus, balance bicycles and ride-on toys in April 2023. Children understood that they should involve an adult before climbing and wore helmets for bicycle play. Outdoor activity combined movement with practical habits about safety.

Toddlers and preschool children enjoyed using their legs to propel ride-on toys, practising coordination through play. Babies had fewer opportunities to extend their learning outside than older children, however. This was an improvement priority in April 2023, so the youngest children's outdoor routine merits close attention when choosing Carlton.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2023, staff helped children manage the small steps towards independence. Babies practised drinking from an open cup; toddlers worked on using cutlery before moving to the pre-school room. These were preparations for the next stage of nursery life, built into familiar routines.

Communication with parents included conversations about activities children enjoyed and meetings about progress. In April 2023, the weaker element was giving all parents useful ways to extend learning at home. Knowing what happened during the day and knowing how to build on it are different things; families should weigh both.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that additional funding supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through individual staff time and small-group speaking and listening work. The practical value was targeted help with a child's learning needs, rather than simply participation in the same activity as everyone else.

In April 2023, gestures and photographs helped children learning English understand routines such as snack time and toileting. Visual cues gave children another route to understanding what was happening around them.

Preparation for school also addressed feelings and familiarity. In April 2023, staff discussed children's future schools and classmates, and teachers were invited to meet children at nursery. This work helped make the adults and relationships involved in the move more familiar.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Carlton opens across the year and closes on bank holidays. Its booking options include a ten-hour full day and a five-hour half day; additional time beyond a session attracts an hourly charge. The opening window and the booked duration therefore need to be considered separately.

A waiting list operates, and a full-time application may receive preference over a part-time one depending on parents' work commitments, occupancy and room availability. The admissions priorities begin with looked-after children, followed by children known by the local authority to have SEND whose needs the nursery can best meet, then vulnerable children receiving specified support. Siblings and families living locally follow.

Before attendance begins, parents complete a contract and registration form covering health, dietary needs, emergency contacts and collection arrangements. These details establish the practical arrangements for a child's care.

Getting There

The address is The Carlton Centre, Outer Circle Road, Lincoln, LN2 4WA. Enquiries go directly to the nursery on 01522 787070 or carlton@forunderfives.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Carlton offers funded early education of 15 or 30 hours a week, depending on eligibility, across 38 weeks for three- and four-year-olds and eligible nine-month-olds and two-year-olds. Funded admissions have a termly intake, and bookings can be made a term ahead; the nursery may specify or limit funded sessions according to its business requirements.

Meals are freshly prepared each day; they are included only with full-time bookings and the ten-hour full-day rate, while other meal charges cover breakfast, lunch and tea. Additional private hours are charged separately, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Babies outdoors. More outdoor learning for the baby room was an April 2023 improvement priority. On a visit, ask how the youngest children now use the outdoor areas.
• Learning at home. April 2023 highlighted the need for more practical guidance for parents. Ask for an example of the suggestions families receive alongside progress discussions.
• Booking preference. Full-time applications can take preference over part-time ones under specified conditions. Discuss how the admissions priorities apply to your intended half-day or full-day pattern.
• The complete quotation. Meal inclusion depends on the booking pattern, and additional hours are charged separately. Ask how your quotation treats funded-hour meals and non-food items such as nappies and wipes.

Carlton suits families weighing ten-hour full days against five-hour half days, with weekday opening across the year. Its April 2023 experience combined language-rich routines, practical independence and preparation for changing rooms and moving to school. For parents of babies, outdoor learning is the decisive visit question; for all families, the usefulness of home-learning guidance deserves attention alongside the booking and meal arrangements.