Sleaford Day Nursery

A secret garden, a story shed and planting tubs give Sleaford Day Nursery a recognisable outdoor character. Children can investigate natural materials, grow produce and experiment in mud kitchens, with an all-weather surface keeping outdoor play part of the day. These are practical spaces for learning through doing.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The detail gives a balanced picture: children formed close relationships with staff and enjoyed exploring, but adult conversations and the organisation of some daily routines needed greater consistency. Those points matter alongside the grade.

Based on The Drove in Sleaford, the nursery has capacity for 109 children aged 1 to 60 months. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside hourly extensions, with term-time and all-year-round contracts offering different attendance arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

Green Explorers gives babies a quiet room for early movement, stories, songs and play, so the youngest children have their own space rather than sharing the activity of an older room.

Blue Explorers combines toddler play areas with an en suite bathroom containing low sinks and toilets, connecting role play and messy play with the practical steps towards using the toilet independently.

Purple Explorers includes construction, reading, mark making and imaginative play areas, with adult-guided activities and children's own choices supporting communication, early mathematical ideas and self-help skills.

Pre-school combines child-chosen play with planned activities and preparation for school, allowing children to develop at their own pace while becoming familiar with more structured learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, with activities supporting language, movement, relationships and later skills such as reading and mathematics. It is the shared early-years framework, rather than an extra programme unique to this nursery. Here, adult-led experiences sit alongside time for children to pursue their own interests.

The curriculum information explains how observations inform children's next steps. Parents receive a written developmental summary after their child turns two, covering the main early areas of development and identifying where additional help may be useful. That creates a specific opportunity to discuss progress, rather than relying solely on informal impressions.

In October 2023, staff used children's favourite stories to shape garden play. Children acted out a story, repeated familiar language and worked out where to hide during a pretend chase. The activity brought movement, listening and imagination together. During the same period, older children practised taking turns in group conversations, while staff helped children explain feelings and work through disagreements.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden offers several kinds of exploration: a secret garden with a story shed, a tiered sensory area and planting tubs with insect habitats. Children grow seasonal produce and sample what they harvest. Mud kitchens add opportunities for mixing and experimenting, while the Forest School base camp provides a gathering place for learning about the outdoors.

Local walks and park visits extend experiences beyond the nursery grounds. In October 2023, outings included practising road awareness, greeting people and talking about the shapes and colours of leaves. These small experiences gave children reasons to use language and learn about the community around them.

Relationships and Communication

Famly is the parent app used for nursery documents and registration information. Before attendance begins, families complete their child's profile and permissions, including dietary needs, allergies and collection arrangements. This puts practical care information into the same system parents use to access nursery documentation.

In October 2023, children sought comfort from familiar staff and responded enthusiastically to encouragement. Staff knew children's interests and family experiences, giving them useful starting points for planning play. The relationship between home information and nursery activity is an important part of the care described at that time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked together to identify learning needs and help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate in the curriculum. Current arrangements include working with parents under the SEND Code of Practice and involving external agencies, alongside a Designated Safeguarding Lead team and regular safeguarding training.

The improvement points deserve attention. In October 2023, some adults moved conversations along before children had enough time to think and answer. Some changes between activities and care routines also became hurried, reducing opportunities for learning. Neither finding cancels out the positive relationships, but both concern the quality of ordinary moments throughout a child's day.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 08:00 to 17:45, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year and closes on bank holidays.

The morning session runs from 9.15am to 12.15pm; the afternoon session runs from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. Additional hours can be booked before the morning session and after the afternoon session, by the hour on the hour. Planned collections are excluded during these protected learning sessions, so the booking needs to fit the family's collection arrangements.

Term Time Only contracts cover 38 weeks of care, while Stretched (All Year Round) contracts are charged across 48 weeks and include a four-week holiday allowance. Payments for either arrangement are spread across 12 months. Contracted charges continue during absences within the attendance period, and ending or changing a booking requires at least one month's notice.

Funding declarations are completed at the start of the academic year; switching between term-time and stretched funding arrangements must wait until September. A waiting list operates, and a full-time request may receive preference over a part-time request depending on work commitments, occupancy and room availability.

Getting There

The address is Sleaford Day Nursery, The Drove, Sleaford NG34 7AP. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, working-parent funding from nine months and supported funding for eligible two-year-olds. Term-time delivery covers 38 weeks; stretched arrangements cover 48 weeks. Eligibility and the agreed booking determine the funded hours, with additional private hours charged separately.

Hot lunches and tea carry separate charges, including an extra charge for hot lunches on funded places. Forest school sessions also attract an extra charge; outings are optional and may cost extra. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and booking terms explaining the contract structure.

• Room progression. One room description names Blue Explorers for toddlers and Purple Explorers for the rising-three stage; another assigns Purple Explorers to two-year-olds. Ask which room sequence applies to your child when visiting.
• Conversation and daily routines. The October 2023 findings identified uneven adult conversations and hurried transitions. Ask how practitioners now give children thinking time and organise changes between activities.
• Collection and contract fit. Planned collections cannot take place within the core learning sessions, and booking changes require a month's notice. Match the session boundaries and attendance contract to your working pattern.
• Care essentials. Before committing, ask how nappies, wipes and other non-food consumables are supplied and charged alongside your child's funded or private hours.

Sleaford Day Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions with hourly extensions, as well as those choosing term-time or all-year-round attendance. Its strongest practical character comes from the outdoor spaces: growing, sensory exploration and imaginative play have specific places to happen.

The October 2023 Good judgement provides a positive starting point, with clear reservations about conversations and daily organisation. Families who value outdoor discovery and a choice of attendance contracts have concrete reasons to consider it, while the visit should test how those everyday interactions work now.