First Timers Pre-School Day Nursery

Toy animals paired with storybooks, water moved through pipettes and wooden beams for balancing give First Timers Pre-School Day Nursery a concrete, play-based character in its September 2022 account. These are everyday materials with different purposes: connecting stories with objects, experimenting with quantity and practising movement.

At its 23 September 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, rather than an assessment of today's daily practice. The current age range runs from 2 to 60 months, covering babies through to children preparing for school.

The nursery is at The Heath, Lincoln, LN5 0DA, with its showaround address given as Fourwinds Farm. Its weekday opening window is 7.30am to 6pm, with bank holiday and Christmas closures.

Rooms and Ages

In September 2022, babies rolled balls to adults to practise taking turns, followed stories using matching toy animals and searched for animals concealed inside envelopes, fabric and foil. The objects made activities tangible: children could handle something connected to the story or investigate a hidden object themselves.

The toddler room's September 2022 activities included moving water with tubes, jugs and pipettes, introducing quantity and measurement through practical exploration. Pretend play also drew on familiar household objects: children pointed television remote controls towards a chalkboard and acted out switching it off. Those examples show how ordinary equipment became material for experimentation and imaginative play.

For preschool children in September 2022, stories prompted imaginative thinking, while outdoor balancing on wooden beams offered physical challenge. Staff gave a hand to children who needed assistance; others crossed independently. The same equipment therefore accommodated children at different stages of coordination.

Learning and Activities

The nursery must follow the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, that connects learning with everyday play, communication and increasing independence, rather than treating care and education as separate parts of the day.

September 2022 examples included toddlers hearing correctly pronounced words repeated back to them and older children exploring paint while discussing its texture. Sand timers made waiting for a turn visible. These were practical ways to connect language, sensory exploration and sharing with activities children were already doing.

At the September 2022 inspection, Ofsted identified two improvements: simpler, more useful language support for babies, and better use of information about children's developing abilities and experiences at home. The baby-room concern involved adults sometimes speaking in sentences that were too complex for early understanding.

Independence began with small tasks in September 2022. Walking babies were encouraged to fetch a tissue for their noses, while preschool children collected tableware, served their food and cleared used dishes into a designated area. These examples gave children a part in their own care and the shared routine of eating.

Relationships were visible in the September 2022 observations: children played together, sought a cuddle from the manager and celebrated a friend's success with using the potty. Sharing was supported with a timer rather than relying only on an adult telling children to wait. For parents, those details give a more useful picture of social routines than a general claim about atmosphere.

Safety learning also had practical examples in September 2022. Children were reminded to use the stair banister, with a member of staff positioned ahead of them, and preschool stories introduced internet safety. After meals, a corner equipped with toys gave children something to do while others finished eating, reducing time spent waiting at the table.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm from Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas; families planning childcare around work need to account for those breaks.

Getting There

The address is The Heath, Lincoln, LN5 0DA. First Timers' showaround booking uses Fourwinds Farm at the same postcode, giving families a specific destination for their visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2022, the nursery offered funded early education to children aged two, three and four. This is an inspection-era funding position and should be read with that date attached.

• Baby language and learning at home. The September 2022 improvement points concerned communication with babies and gathering information about learning outside nursery. A showaround can be booked online: how do staff now adapt their language for babies and bring parents' updates into activities?
• Year-round planning. Weekday opening runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with Christmas and bank holiday closures. Families whose work continues through those periods will need to plan around the nursery's breaks.

First Timers suits families considering care from babyhood through the preschool years and whose weekday routine fits its opening window. Its September 2022 examples give the review substance: story props, water experiments, supported balancing and children taking responsibility at meals. The dated Good judgement provides a quality reference, while the language and parent-information improvement points give a clear purpose to a showaround.