Upton Crickets Day Nursery

A cricket clubhouse, an enclosed deck and an allotment give Upton Crickets Day Nursery a clear countryside character. Based at Upton Cricket Club near Southwell, it welcomes children from birth to school age, with outdoor exploration woven into its activities rather than confined to one play area. The combination gives families a setting with several different spaces for movement, making and play.

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical attractions are its outdoor facilities, freshly cooked food and a charge structure that includes meals and activities, including when children use funded hours.

Families can book a Full Day or a Half Day, with additional paid hours offered alongside the shorter pattern. Those choices matter: the nursery caters for both a shorter stretch of childcare and a day extending into the early evening.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences help children develop communication, physical skills and independence. Here, the current activity programme gives that broad framework concrete expression through construction, stories, gardening and creative work.

Puppet storytelling and singing sit alongside number recognition, baking and practice at writing names. These are different ways into learning: a story gives children something to discuss, construction invites them to try ideas, and baking connects a practical task with following a sequence. The programme also includes musical instruments, imaginative play and activities using sand and water. Children have several ways to participate rather than one kind of task dominating the day.

In October 2024, observations of children's development shaped the activities staff planned next. Toddlers explored quantity and weight while filling containers with water; preschool children counted balls during parachute play. Mathematical language was connected to something children were doing, giving words such as heavy and empty a practical meaning.

Problem-solving had a similarly hands-on character in October 2024. Preschool children experimented with a toy crane when a brick proved difficult to lift, trying their own suggestions with staff encouragement. In the baby room, there was space for crawling, and staff responded warmly as babies practised moving towards toys. These examples show how different developmental stages were accommodated at that time, from early movement to collaborative experimentation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Exclusive use of Upton Cricket Club includes a clubhouse and a deck that is both covered and enclosed. Beyond it, children visit the neighbouring play park and cricket field, explore local footpaths and use the vegetable garden and outdoor mud kitchen. The variety matters more than a single large outdoor space: it creates different settings for physical activity, exploration and practical play.

Gardening in the nursery's allotment and walks around the field feature in the activity programme. The Mud Kitchen adds another way to mix, make and experiment outdoors. These are concrete reasons for families who value countryside experiences to consider the setting.

Local culture also featured in October 2024. Children made apple crumbles in connection with Southwell's Bramley Apple Festival and talked about the local origins of Bramley cooking apples. This linked cooking with a recognisable community event, giving the activity a context beyond the nursery itself.

Everyday independence is a useful thread through the care described in October 2024. Toddlers and preschool children served food and poured drinks for themselves, while conversations about handwashing and toothbrushing connected routines with health. Staff also helped children work through disagreements by discussing kindness and the effect of their actions on others.

Communication with families needs closer attention. At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified inconsistent questioning to develop children's language and ineffective sharing of learning next steps with parents, despite detailed updates about children's days. The distinction matters: knowing what a child ate or played with is useful, but knowing what they are learning next gives parents something purposeful to build on at home.

Food is cooked fresh each day by the nursery's cook, using locally sourced ingredients. Meals and snacks are included in the childcare charge, and funded hours carry no additional lunch charge, so food is part of the day rather than a separately priced addition.

School preparation has its own preschool provision, with attention to the prime and specific areas of learning. It gives older children a programme directed towards the move to primary school, alongside the practical independence and play described elsewhere.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's address is Upton Cricket Club, Hockerton Road, Upton, Newark, NG23 5TG. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, across the year apart from Bank Holidays and a two-week Christmas closure. For the forthcoming Christmas break, it closes from 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 inclusive.

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. The Half Day covers up to five hours, with additional hours charged alongside that booking. This gives parents a meaningful choice between the complete daytime window and a shorter booking that can be extended.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. The Christmas closure is a practical planning point for families whose working arrangements continue through that period.

Getting There

Hockerton Road is accessible from the A617, and Upton lies on the A612 towards Newark. The nursery has its own large car park, which makes parking on site part of the practical offer for families travelling by car.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded hours are accepted and can be used at any point during the nursery day. Lunch and activities attract no extra charge when those hours are used; food, snacks and activities are also included in private childcare prices.

There is no childcare charge for Bank Holidays or the Christmas closure. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen pattern; the pricing page explains the distinction between Full Day, Half Day and additional hours. The important budgeting feature is the inclusion of food and activities, rather than a headline childcare price followed by separate charges for those items.

• Language and learning updates. The October 2024 improvement points concerned staff questioning and information that helps parents extend learning. During a visit, ask for an example of how staff develop a child's conversation and communicate the next learning step.
• Trying the setting. Free taster sessions and stay-and-play visits can be arranged, with evening or weekend visits possible by special arrangement. Use that opportunity to discuss settling and how the outdoor spaces fit your child's day.
• Shorter bookings and Christmas cover. Half Days last up to five hours, while the forthcoming closure spans 21 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 inclusive. Match the shorter booking and holiday arrangements to your family's working pattern.

Upton Crickets suits families choosing either Full Day childcare or a shorter Half Day, especially those attracted by gardening, outdoor exploration and a clubhouse setting. Fresh cooking and included food and activities make the cost structure easier to understand.

The October 2024 Good judgement gives a positive inspection position, with specific improvements to pursue around language development and learning information for parents. The outdoor offer is the clearest reason to consider it; the quality of conversations and learning updates deserves equal attention when choosing.