Fun Farm Day Nursery City

A combined Baby and Toddler Room, a Little Learners Room and a Pre School give Fun Farm Day Nursery City a clear progression from early care towards school preparation. This is the Newland branch in Lincoln, with capacity for 72 children and an accepted age range of 3 months to 5 years.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its June 2021 inspection. That is a dated judgement, and the practical attractions here are easier to pin down: settling visits built around family routines, a key person system and age-based rooms. Private bookings include full days, mornings and afternoons; funded bookings use full days with a two-day minimum.

Rooms and Ages

The City room arrangement differs from a separate baby-room and toddler-room model. Its Baby and Toddler Room covers 4 months to 2 years, bringing those stages together in one named room. The overall accepted age range starts younger than this room band, so parents considering an early start have a specific placement question to discuss.

For children aged 2 to 3, the Little Learners Room combines play initiated by children with activities introduced by adults, with a cosy corner, creative resources and small-world play, alongside support for potty training. These are group-wide room arrangements, giving families a picture of how play and increasing independence fit together.

The Pre School covers ages 3 to 5, with group-wide learning areas for early writing, reading, mathematics, construction and pretend play. The emphasis shifts towards skills children can use for themselves. Resources are organised by activity, rather than presenting school preparation simply as sitting down for formal lessons.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning through play, staff observations and assessments of children's development. It provides the shared early-years framework, rather than an extra unique to Fun Farm. Across the group, the approach links enjoyable activities with learning and includes a written progress summary at age 2.

Little Learners activities include puzzles, imaginative play and creative work. Those offer different ways to take part: a child can build, make something or join a shared game. In Pre School, the group-wide emphasis on communication, physical development and managing personal tasks connects play with the practical demands of moving on to school.

Relationships and Communication

The group-wide key person system gives each family a regular staff contact who learns the child's needs and exchanges information with parents. For babies, that person usually helps with settling, feeding and nappy changes. Other staff also care for the child, with information shared through the key person rather than held by one adult alone.

Settling discussions cover routines, important people, preferences and what the child can already do. This gives staff something concrete to work from. Across the group, settling sessions are arranged after admission forms have been received, ahead of the starting date, and families receive room information and forms about their child's routine.

Parents can telephone during the day for an update. For City families, the nursery's email contact is Lincolncitynursery@funfarm.co.uk. These routes serve different purposes: a call can address an immediate worry, while written communication supports the administrative side of attendance.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Each nursery has a designated SENDCO, a role for coordinating support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The group also provides a first aider in every room. These are arrangements for support and care, rather than a present-day inspection judgement about their effectiveness.

Food allergies have a detailed group-wide procedure. An Allergy Mat carries the child's dietary information at the table, and an Allergy Monitor checks the food and stays with the children during eating. The policy also uses alternative menus and separate storage or preparation where appropriate. This makes the handling process a useful subject for families whose child needs dietary adjustments.

Collection by another adult requires advance notification and a password; the parent contract also requires identification. The arrangement gives families a clear procedure to follow when someone else collects their child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 21 Newland, Lincoln, LN1 1XG. City opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with attendance across the year and closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

The booking choices are separate from that opening window. Private, non-funded care includes morning sessions, afternoon sessions and full days; funded care uses full days and requires a minimum of two days. A half-day pattern is also offered for City. Families combining work and childcare therefore have several attendance patterns to weigh, with a more specific commitment attached to funded bookings.

Funding and Paid Extras

Fun Farm offers 15 hours and 30hrs childcare support, subject to eligibility, starting from the term after a child turns 9 months. It also accepts Tax Free Childcare payments. Additional sessions carry an extra charge when the nursery can accommodate them. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation, alongside the terms for the chosen care package.

Under the group-wide terms, fees are payable monthly in advance, and booked sessions missed because of illness or family holidays remain payable. Leaving or reducing sessions requires one month's notice, including when a child moves on to full-time school. The fees page sets out these payment and notice arrangements.

The group allows packed lunches or teas from home; perishable food needs an insulated lunchbox with ice packs because refrigeration for all packed food is restricted. Parents supply formula and summer sun cream, while responsibility for nappies, wipes and nappy creams depends on the care package.

• Later complaint record. Ofsted's records list a complaint dated 3 July 2026; its outcome is not published, so families may want to ask the nursery about it.
• Starting under 4 months. The accepted age range begins at 3 months, while the Baby and Toddler Room band starts at 4 months. At a visit, discuss the room placement and settling arrangements for a younger baby.
• Funded attendance and care packages. Funded bookings require at least two full days. Before committing, ask how that pattern fits your hours and what the quotation includes for meals, nappies, wipes and creams.
• Food allergies. The group uses Allergy Mats and an Allergy Monitor during meals. Allergy-affected families should confirm how the current procedure will work for their child.

Fun Farm Day Nursery City suits families considering morning or afternoon private sessions as well as full-day attendance. Its combined youngest room, progression through Little Learners and Pre School, and structured settling arrangements give parents concrete points to assess. Funded bookings bring a two-day minimum, and the July 2026 complaint record is a relevant question before committing.