Honeypot Day Nursery & Pre-School

A former village primary school gives Honeypot its setting; a separate baby bedroom and two outdoor play areas give its day a practical shape. At 230 Broadgate in Weston Hills, near Spalding, children move through Ladybird, Caterpillar and Butterfly rooms as their development changes. The emphasis shifts from familiar baby care towards independent play and preparation for school.

Honeypot has capacity for 44 children and accepts children from two months. Its nursery rooms serve babies, toddlers and preschool children, with older-child provision also reflected in its Kids Club arrangements. The building became a nursery in 2008, retaining an educational use within the village.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Honeypot Good and judged safeguarding effective, while asking for better outdoor learning opportunities for preschool children. That distinction matters: access to outdoor space and the quality of teaching within it are separate questions. Funded attendance can follow school terms or extend across the year.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybird is the baby room, serving children up to approximately 18 months according to development, with sleep in a separate bedroom, a regularly monitored sleeping space and an allocated cot and individual bedding for each baby. Sharing some snack and lunch occasions with older children helps make the later room move a gradual change rather than a wholly unfamiliar experience.

Caterpillar usually serves children aged 18 to 36 months, combining activities demonstrated by adults with play children choose themselves, while room moves take account of development and the peer group children will eventually start school alongside. Paint and glue are among the resources introduced by staff. Mealtimes provide the main fixed points in an otherwise less structured routine.

Butterfly serves children in their final year before school, using daily routines, independent learning and changing play opportunities shaped by children's interests to practise listening, cooperation and confidence. Its provision includes space for preschool messy play on a floor without carpet, which is also used for eating. School preparation here includes managing shared routines as well as joining activities.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines help children build communication, physical skills and independence. The room arrangements show how that can look different at different stages, from exploring materials in Caterpillar to following routines in Butterfly.

In April 2022, babies explored paint and bubble wrap with toy vehicles, while preschool children used pipettes in potion-making. These were hands-on ways to practise small movements and investigate materials. Toddlers also matched pictures to insects they discovered outdoors, linking what they found outdoors with matching pictures.

Outside-provider activities currently include Kixx, yoga and music bugs, with their costs included. These add visiting sessions to the room-based day. For families, the charging position is useful: these activities are included rather than billed as separate extras.

Outdoor and Community Life

Younger children use an outdoor area behind the building; older children have another at the front. Each age group has its own space for outdoor play.

In April 2022, preschool children tackled a rock-climbing wall leading to a slide, while babies and toddlers used wheeled toys and a slide in their own outdoor space. Physical challenge was clearly part of the day. The improvement point concerned extending preschool learning outdoors, rather than simply increasing access to fresh air.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key worker. Settling is built around relationships with families, giving staff a way to learn about the child as well as helping parents become familiar with the setting. For babies, individual bedding and the same allocated cot provide continuity within the sleep routine.

Famly gives parents access to their child's online learning journal, with an individual login for each parent. Menus are also accessible through the app. This brings information about learning and food into the same communication channel, useful for families following both their child's experiences and practical daily care.

In April 2022, staff used indoor soft play equipment to support babies beginning to walk, and preschool children practised handling their own toileting needs. These examples show the different forms independence took across the age groups at that time: physical confidence for the youngest children and managing personal routines for those approaching school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Two SEND coordinators provide named roles within the staff structure, alongside safeguarding leads. Staff receive paediatric first-aid training on a three-year cycle, and most have Makaton training. These are concrete arrangements families can discuss in relation to their child's needs; they should be considered alongside the key-worker relationship and the room their child will use.

Collection arrangements restrict release to adults known to staff, with a photo or password system for exceptions. If a child becomes unwell during the day, parents are contacted to collect them. Those rules have practical consequences for who can collect a child and how families organise cover during illness.

Meals are cooked on site, special dietary needs can be accommodated, and allergen information can be requested from the office. Menus through Famly allow parents to follow what children will eat rather than relying on a verbal account at collection.

Sessions and Attendance

Honeypot is at 230 Broadgate, Weston Hills, Spalding, PE12 6DQ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holidays closed. Families can contact the office by telephone or email, and visits can include the child as well as the parent.

Funded attendance can run during Lincolnshire school terms or be stretched across 51 weeks. Funding can be used throughout the opening window, subject to the government maximum of 10 hours per day. Additional hours beyond a child's funding are charged privately, so the distinction between funded attendance and extra paid care matters when planning a week.

Funding and Paid Extras

The funding offer includes 15 hours per week for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, with a 30-hour entitlement for working parents who meet the relevant criteria. Eligible working families can also access 30 hours from the term after their child reaches nine months; certain two-year-olds qualify for 15 funded hours under government criteria.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and funding terms explain how private hours and food charges fit around funded attendance.

Food has a mixed charging structure, including on funded hours: a separate daily food charge applies, but lunch is not charged for under-twos, and snacks, drinks and tea are currently included. Families may instead supply a packed lunch and avoid that charge, provided it meets the nursery's nutritional and allergen rules.

Nappies are included in fees and funding for children under 36 months; families supply them for three-year-olds. Kixx, yoga and music bugs delivered by outside providers are currently included too. These distinctions make the child's age and food arrangements relevant to the overall quotation, alongside the number of additional private hours.

• Preschool learning outdoors. The April 2022 improvement point concerned extending learning opportunities outside. During a visit, ask how Butterfly activities now provide challenge outdoors as well as physical play.
• Your child's room and staffing. Caterpillar spans 18 to 36 months and uses development and peer groups when planning moves. Ask how staffing is organised for its younger children and how a room move would be agreed with you.
• Food and allergies. Packed lunches must meet nutritional and allergen requirements, while menus are accessible through Famly. Families managing allergies should confirm current food-handling practice and how their child's needs will be communicated.
• Attendance across the year. Funded hours can follow school terms or be stretched, and additional hours are paid privately. Use the written quotation to compare the pattern you need, including food arrangements and age-related nappy provision.

Honeypot suits families seeking either school-term funded attendance or care spread across the year, with private hours added where needed. Its strongest practical details are the separate baby sleeping arrangements, development-led room moves and parent access to learning journals and menus through Famly.

The April 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark. The outdoor improvement point deserves attention alongside the attractive physical opportunities described at that time. For parents, the decision rests on how the appropriate room, attendance pattern and care arrangements fit their child, rather than on the inspection grade alone.