Children 1st Newark Nursery School

A fort, a castle and a digger world give Children 1st Newark Nursery School a recognisable outdoor character. The large garden makes room for imaginative play, while natural resources give children things to handle and explore. This is the Muskham Road setting at Torridon House, Newark, NG24 1DP.

At its 10 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in responses to younger children's communication and the relevance of preschool topics. Those teaching points matter alongside the grade: an attractive environment is only part of what a child needs.

The nursery has 96 places in total and accepts children from two months to five years. Attendance choices include morning and afternoon sessions as well as two day-length patterns, giving families several ways to organise care across the year.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play, conversation and practical tasks help children build skills. At Newark, cookery sessions involve handling ingredients and exploring how food grows. That gives learning a tangible purpose, connecting what children make with what they eat.

In November 2022, younger children practised pouring drinks and using napkins themselves. These small tasks gave them opportunities to coordinate movements and take responsibility for personal care. Independence was practised during an ordinary meal, rather than reserved for a separate activity.

Teaching also needed closer attention to individual children in November 2022. Some staff responded too slowly when younger children tried to communicate, missing opportunities to extend their language. For preschool children, a monthly letter topic could compete with learning the letters in their own names. The practical question is whether an activity matches the child taking part, rather than simply whether it belongs to a planned topic.

Group-wide additions offered here include Forest School, an outdoor learning approach, alongside yoga and cookery. Arts-enabled STEM and Eco-schools also form part of the additional activity offer. These sit alongside the EYFS; the framework remains the foundation of the nursery day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden's fort and castle provide settings for pretend play, while the digger world offers another theme for exploration. Large, open spaces and natural resources complement that outdoor offer. For families who value room to move and materials children can investigate, these are useful physical features to weigh alongside teaching and care.

In November 2022, children also used an outdoor classroom and rode toys around a roundabout and across speed bumps in the garden. These experiences combined movement with learning about their surroundings. They are a dated picture of the nursery day, while the fort, castle and digger world form part of the current environment.

Community trips and seasonal events belong to the group-wide additional offer at Newark. Fundraising activities are planned across the year, including dressing-up days, sponsored challenges and bake sales. This gives families opportunities to take part in nursery life beyond their child's usual sessions.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2022, children used family books made with photographs supplied by parents. Familiar faces prompted conversation and helped children connect their nursery experiences with home. The books also gave them opportunities to share family traditions and develop a sense of their own identity.

Communication with parents in November 2022 combined conversations with a key person, an online system for individual home-learning ideas and written daily care diaries for younger children. These served different purposes: a conversation allowed discussion, while the diary preserved practical care information. For parents of a baby, that distinction matters when keeping home and nursery routines connected.

The same dated account showed staff reinforcing boundaries positively and children responding to instructions. That is useful context for the relationships beneath the inspection judgement, rather than a claim about today's staffing or deployment.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Food is prepared on site by a chef, with local ingredients used where possible; menus accommodate dietary requirements. Cookery activities give children a separate opportunity to investigate ingredients themselves.

For privately paid care, meals, snacks and infant formula are included in the fee, as are milk and everyday hygiene supplies. Funded sessions have a different charge structure, explained below. Keeping those arrangements separate helps families understand both daily care and the quotation they receive.

Sessions and Attendance

Business Days run from 8am to 6pm, while Nursery days finish earlier, running from 8am to 5pm. Mornings run from 8am to 1pm; Afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm. The choice is therefore between different lengths of day and separate morning or afternoon bookings, rather than one opening window presented as a session offer.

Care operates throughout the year, with Christmas week and two team-training days forming the annual closures. The funding offer is stretched across 51 weeks. Families arranging work and care need to account for the closure dates as well as their usual session times.

The nursery is at Torridon House on Muskham Road, Newark, NG24 1DP. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01636 611914 or through the nursery's enquiry form. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and a deposit is credited against the first invoice; a non-refundable registration charge also applies.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged nine months and above can access the 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer. Funding is stretched through the year, providing up to 11.18 or 22.35 hours each week respectively, rather than being confined to school terms. Up to 10 funded hours can be used each day during Nursery or Business day sessions, with remaining entitlement applied to other regular sessions.

Private fees include food and hygiene supplies: nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream, alongside formula, milk, snacks and meals. Additional activities are included too. On funded sessions, food and non-food consumables are charged separately, with charges adjusted for half-day or partly funded attendance; extra unfunded hours are paid at the relevant session rate.

Additional-activity charges apply to children over two, with no such charge for under-twos. Families considering alternatives to the integrated package can discuss them with the manager. The Newark fees and funding information helps distinguish funded hours from the services charged alongside them.

• Language and individual learning. In November 2022, responses to younger children's communication and the relevance of preschool topics needed attention. During a visit, ask how staff now respond to early language attempts and adapt activities to individual children.
• Garden play. The fort, castle and digger world are substantial parts of Newark's appeal. Ask how your child's age group uses these spaces and how outdoor play fits into their sessions.
• Funded-session costs. Food, consumables and additional activities have separate funded-session charges. Request a written quotation for your chosen pattern, including the alternatives to the integrated package and the treatment of partly funded sessions.

Children 1st Newark Nursery School suits families who value a large garden, imaginative outdoor settings and practical experiences such as cookery. Its attendance choices serve parents seeking morning or afternoon care as well as those choosing Business Days or the earlier-finishing Nursery days.

The Good judgement dates from November 2022. The most useful balance is between the concrete appeal of the environment and the teaching questions raised then: how promptly staff respond to young children, and how closely activities fit their needs. Funded hours can support year-round care, but the separate extras deserve careful attention when comparing quotations.