County Hospital Day Nursery and Pre School

A two-level garden gives County Hospital Day Nursery and Pre School its character: tricycles, a mud kitchen and water play share the outdoors with a quieter wild flower area and fruit trees. Within the grounds of Lincoln County Hospital, this Lincoln nursery combines spaces for different ages with opportunities to explore, make a mess or settle down for a story.

There are 39 places in total, for children aged 2 to 59 months. At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with improvements required in how preschool activities carried through their learning aims and held children's attention. That distinction matters: the overall judgement was positive, but planned learning for older children needed sharper delivery.

Full-day and half-day bookings give families different ways to use the nursery. The detail of those arrangements, and the separate meal charges, deserves attention alongside the garden and age-group spaces.

Rooms and Ages

Designated areas separate the youngest babies, two-year-olds and children aged three and four. This gives children environments organised around their stage of development, rather than treating the whole age range as one group.

In April 2023, the baby room used cups in water play to introduce scooping and pouring, while toddlers practised pouring drinks for themselves. The connection was practical: an exploratory activity for younger children led towards a task they could later manage independently.

The toddler room's biscuit-making activities in April 2023 brought language and social learning together, with songs accompanying dough work and children choosing whom to pass the mixing bowl to. Preschool children, meanwhile, used a toy bear to mark whose turn it was to speak and voted on the book they wanted to hear. These were concrete ways to practise listening and making choices.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, play provides opportunities to practise communication, movement and everyday independence. It is the common framework for early years provision, rather than an extra programme unique to this nursery.

In April 2023, children made large marks with pens held in both hands and joined movement activities that prepared their bodies for early writing. The emphasis was on coordination and movement before precision with a pencil. Children also explored a caterpillar's life cycle through group activities, connecting learning with the natural world.

There was a weakness in some planned preschool experiences that April. Sharing was an intended lesson in one activity, but staff did not explain that purpose; during an insect search, other garden toys drew children away. For parents of older children, the relevant question is how staff turn an appealing activity into sustained learning, rather than simply how many activities fill the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden accommodates different kinds of play across its two levels. A mud kitchen invites messy exploration, tricycles provide movement, and the water area adds another practical activity. The wild flower area has a calmer role, with space for singing, stories and exploration.

Fruit trees can supply snacks harvested from the garden. That connects something children eat with something growing around them. Together, these features give the outdoor space a useful mix of active play and quieter experiences, rather than a single purpose.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2023, babies who hesitated to join singing reached towards their key person, and staff responded with physical comfort and stayed alongside them. The example is useful for families weighing care for a very young child: participation was supported through a familiar adult, rather than expected immediately.

Communication extended beyond the nursery day that April. Staff discussed children's development with parents and supplied book suggestions for reading at home. This gave families a practical way to continue an interest outside nursery, rather than only receiving an account of what had happened during a session.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and additional funding well used for individual needs, including one-to-one help for some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and work with other professionals. These are dated findings about practice, not a promise that every child will receive the same support arrangement.

In April 2023, staff paired signs with spoken language when supporting children with SEND. Baby-room practitioners also undertook training about safe sleep, while staff with paediatric first-aid training were deployed around the setting. These details address different parts of care: communication, sleep and responding to a medical incident.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-day bookings cover 8½ hours and half-day bookings 4¼ hours; additional time outside those sessions is charged by the hour. The opening window runs from 6.45am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, so a session's duration should be distinguished from the total time the nursery is open.

Attendance runs across the year, with closures on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Families planning work cover should account for those breaks as well as their chosen session length.

Getting There

The address is Lincoln County Hospital, Sewell Road, Lincoln, LN2 5QY. Nursery enquiries use 01522 573081 or countyhospital@forunderfives.co.uk, providing a direct contact for this branch.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for 15 or 30 hours per week, depending on eligibility, over 38 weeks. This covers three- and four-year-olds and eligible children aged nine months and two years; some families may qualify for an additional 15 hours. Eligibility remains a condition, rather than a guarantee attached to attending the nursery.

Meals are freshly prepared each day; breakfast, lunch and tea carry separate charges. Private childcare includes full-day, half-day and additional hourly bookings, and families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

• Preschool teaching. In April 2023, some planned activities lost children's attention or did not deliver their intended lesson. During a visit, ask how staff now plan those experiences and adapt them when children become distracted.
• Session fit. A full day lasts 8½ hours and a half day 4¼ hours, with additional time charged hourly. Discuss how your working hours fit those durations within the 6.45am to 5.30pm opening window.
• Babies. Designated baby areas and the April 2023 examples of key-person comfort make the youngest children's experience worth exploring closely. Ask about settling visits and sleep routines.

County Hospital Day Nursery and Pre School suits families seeking either half-day or full-day attendance, with an early opening time and care across the year. Its garden offers concrete reasons to consider it: active play, a quieter wild flower area and fruit trees that can contribute snacks.

The April 2023 judgement provides a positive starting point, while the preschool teaching concerns give a visit a clear purpose. For families choosing between nurseries, the strongest case here combines those outdoor spaces with practical attendance options and the dated examples of responsive care.