Paper Moon Day Nursery, Doddington Park

Outdoor space reserved for the youngest children gives Paper Moon Day Nursery, Doddington Park a clear practical appeal. Its purpose-built premises have a dedicated room and outdoor provision for under-twos, so babies have space intended for their stage of development rather than simply sharing the older children's arrangements.

At its 17 October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail behind that judgement matters: babies received individual attention, toddlers practised taking turns and preschool children spent sustained periods making models. These are dated observations, but useful ones for understanding the nursery's inspection position.

The nursery has capacity for 70 children and accepts ages from one to 60 months. Based on Jasmin Road in Lincoln, it combines morning, afternoon and full-day attendance with funded childcare arrangements that distinguish term-time provision from a stretched offer.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: the day brings learning and personal care together, with play providing opportunities to communicate, explore and practise independence. That is the shared foundation for nursery education, rather than an extra offered by this setting.

In October 2022, stories took different forms for different ages. Babies explored lift-the-flap books, toddlers followed a bear hunt into the garden, and preschool children acted out stories together. Books were therefore part of active participation as well as listening. Children could handle, recall and recreate what they heard.

Creative play also had substance. In October 2022, toddlers collaborated around washing pretend cars, while preschool children worked with different materials to build models. A shared music-and-movement activity brought children together to follow directions and express their creativity. Babies beginning to walk had adult help as they pulled themselves upright using equipment.

Everyday tasks supplied smaller opportunities to practise control. In October 2022, older children served lunch with tongs, toddlers used tongs to collect pretend worms during muddy play, and babies tried feeding themselves with cutlery. These examples connect physical development with something children want to do, rather than treating it as a separate exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

Dedicated outdoor provision for under-twos is an important part of the current offer. For families choosing baby care, it makes the outdoor arrangement worth considering alongside the indoor room, rather than treating the garden as an older child's benefit.

Seasonal exploration was tangible in October 2022. Babies had a pumpkin patch to investigate, toddlers examined the inside of pumpkins through touch, and preschool children connected seasonal stories with their own experiences of pumpkin picking. The activities used the same subject differently across ages. The garden also supplied the setting for the toddlers' story-based bear hunt.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described inclusive participation, attentive care and staff working with other agencies to help children and families obtain support. These findings belong to that inspection date; they provide an official assessment of practice at the time.

In October 2022, babies new to nursery received individual adult attention during their sessions. Staff offered comfort after sleep and reassurance around unfamiliar adults. That detail is especially relevant to parents choosing care for a child who is still learning to feel comfortable away from home: settling involved responses to the baby's immediate needs.

Relationships between children were also part of the daily work in October 2022. Staff encouraged children to help one another with painting aprons, and toddlers handed over a toy dinosaur and waited for another turn. Adults explained boundaries and acknowledged kindness. The examples show social learning happening through ordinary shared tasks and play.

Preparing for school involved listening and attention during group activities in October 2022. This was preparation through everyday habits, rather than an admissions advantage or a promised route into a particular school.

Fresh food is prepared at the nursery, and the meal package covers breakfast, a morning snack, hot lunch and hot afternoon tea, with milk and water during the day. The nursery's meal policy provides for allergies and dietary requirements, and permits a packed-lunch alternative under its food management policy.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Jasmin Road, Doddington Park, Lincoln, LN6 0QQ. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays; the Christmas closure lasts one week.

Bookings include a full day from 8am to 6pm, a morning from 8am to 1pm and an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. The opening window starts earlier than these session blocks, so the distinction matters when matching attendance to work commitments. Admissions follow a first-come, first-served rule.

Families can enquire using the Doddington Park contact form, telephone 01522 681 681 or email doddingtonpark@papermoonnurseries.co.uk. An application form is also provided. Ending the contract or changing the attendance pattern, including meals, requires four weeks' notice.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use up to 15 funded hours through Early Learning for Two Year Olds (EL2), universal funding from age three until school age, or up to 30 hours for working parents from nine months. Funded childcare starts from the term after the child reaches the eligible age, with a valid code.

EL2 and universal funding follow the Standard option over 38 term-time weeks, with morning and afternoon blocks. Working-parent funding follows the Stretched option over 51 weeks, providing up to 22.35 funded hours each week. This distinction affects how childcare fits around school holidays and how much of a chosen booking is funded.

Additional sessions can be purchased privately. Where families buy extra sessions under the stretched arrangement, the remaining 2.35 funded hours can be deducted from their cost; buying those sessions is optional. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Meals and snacks carry a separate daily charge, including for children using funded places. A non-refundable registration charge applies to private services, including additional hours and meals, but does not apply to children using only their early years entitlement.

• Time to answer. In October 2022, staff sometimes moved questions along before older children had worked out their responses. The improvement point was to give children more thinking time; ask how practitioners now put that into practice.
• Baby settling. Dedicated under-two space and the individual attention observed in October 2022 make this a useful area to explore on a visit. How will settling sessions and communication work for your baby?
• Food choices. The separately charged meal package includes funded attendance, while a packed lunch follows the food management policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation arrangements and suitable alternatives.
• Attendance changes. Funding follows different term-time and stretched patterns, and booking changes require four weeks' notice. Choose the pattern with both holiday needs and notice commitments in mind.

Paper Moon Doddington Park suits families seeking either morning or afternoon sessions as well as those choosing a full day. Its dedicated under-two outdoor provision is the strongest current physical feature, while the October 2022 observations give concrete examples of stories, creative play and everyday independence.

The funding arrangements offer different ways to organise attendance across the year. Separately charged meals and the notice requirement deserve equal attention when weighing the practical fit. The October 2022 recommendation to allow more thinking time is a useful test of how the nursery supports older children's own ideas.