Children 1st Grantham Nursery School

A calming baby room, generous outdoor space and cookery that gets children handling ingredients give Children 1st Grantham Nursery School a practical, nature-led character. This Trent Road setting combines spaces for different stages of childhood with opportunities to explore food, movement and outdoor play. Its appeal rests on those everyday experiences.

The nursery has capacity for 112 children, with an accepted age range of two months to five years. At its 25 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, recognising positive relationships and learning while identifying improvements in older children's activities, younger children's group times and changes between daily routines. That dated judgement deserves to be read alongside the current offer.

Attendance spans Business Days, shorter Nursery days, School days, mornings and afternoons. This gives families several ways to match care to their working day, rather than a single attendance window.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: in parent language, everyday play brings together communication, physical skills, relationships and early understanding of the world. Cookery adds a concrete experience at Grantham. Children handle ingredients and learn about growing food, connecting what they eat with where it comes from.

Alongside cookery, the enrichment offer includes yoga, community trips and seasonal events. Forest School, an approach to learning outdoors in nature, also forms part of the group-wide enrichment offer used here. These additions sit alongside the EYFS; they do not replace it. Cookery has the clearest practical description, with ingredients and growing providing material for conversation and exploration.

In May 2022, babies practised coordinating their hands and eyes through stacking, while older children used a tape measure with block constructions and recognised numbers. Familiar songs supported babies' communication, and younger children chose action songs. These examples show how learning could emerge from a construction, a song or a movement.

There was a limitation in May 2022 too: activities for three- and four-year-olds sometimes stopped short of extending their understanding. Handling and smelling herbs, for example, was not followed by teaching their names. The distinction matters. An interesting resource needs purposeful conversation if children are to gain more than a sensory experience from it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space is a substantial part of the current setting, supporting exploration and active play. Indoors, the baby room has a calmer character, with toddler areas and a preschool classroom providing different settings as children grow. These stage-based spaces give the nursery day a progression, while keeping the youngest children's environment separate in character from the older children's learning areas.

In May 2022, younger children enjoyed garden play with toy cars, and older children climbed low trees. The activities brought movement and manageable physical challenges into the day. They are examples from that period, rather than a promise of a particular activity on any given day now.

Cancer Research UK is Grantham's chosen charity partner. Fundraising takes place through the year, including dressing-up activities, bake sales and sponsored challenges. This gives families a concrete shared cause and brings giving to others into nursery community life.

Relationships were a clear part of daily care in May 2022. Children sought their key person when upset, and staff helped them practise sharing and taking turns. Emotional support could be playful: blowing bubbles gave children an activity through which to express sadness, with friends joining in. The emphasis was on helping children manage a feeling, rather than simply stopping its expression.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and additional funding used effectively for children with SEND, including individual support during play and targeted plans developed with parents and other professionals. For a family whose child needs extra help, the meaningful detail is the connection between support in the nursery and a plan agreed with the people around the child.

Communication in May 2022 included conversations about the day, meetings about development and information from parents about achievements at home. Those exchanges connected experiences across home and nursery. Staff also supported younger children with shoes and coats while leaving them opportunities to complete tasks themselves, making independence part of ordinary care routines.

In May 2022, staff sometimes gave children insufficient support during changes in the daily routine, and some children did not follow their requests. Group times for one- and two-year-olds also sometimes lost children's attention. These are useful points to explore alongside the more positive examples of relationships and individual support.

An on-site chef prepares meals, using local ingredients where possible. Menus accommodate different dietary requirements, so food is planned around children's needs as well as introducing different tastes.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 100 Trent Road, Grantham, NG31 7XQ. The nursery opens from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with several bookable patterns inside that window.

Business Days run from 8am to 6pm; Nursery days finish earlier, running from 8am to 5pm. School days run from 9am to 3pm. Families can also book mornings from 8am to 1pm or afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. The differences are useful: a shorter day reduces the time spent in care, while either half of the day can fit a different work schedule.

Care operates across the year, with Christmas week and two annual team-training days closed. Enquiries can be made through the nursery's online form or by telephone on 01476 573188. A non-refundable registration charge applies, and a deposit is credited against the first invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged nine months and above can access the 15 Hours or 30 Hours funding offer, beginning the term after the relevant age threshold is reached. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks: the respective weekly amounts are up to 11.18 or 22.35 hours. Up to 10 funded hours can be used in a day, with remaining entitlement usable towards the other regular sessions. This arrangement spreads the entitlement across year-round attendance rather than concentrating it in school terms.

Private fees include meals and snacks, milk and infant formula, together with wipes, nappies, sun cream and nappy cream. Funded sessions have a separate position: food and health-and-hygiene consumables attract additional charges, while enrichment activities are currently free of charge. Additional private hours are charged separately. Families considering alternatives to the integrated offer can discuss those options with the manager.

• Teaching beyond the activity. In May 2022, older children's planned activities sometimes missed opportunities to extend knowledge. During a visit, ask how staff now develop children's vocabulary and understanding while they play.
• Group times and transitions. Keeping younger children interested and helping children respond during changes of routine were improvement points in May 2022. Ask how these parts of the day work now, especially for a child who finds changes difficult.
• The whole funded bill. Food and consumables are charged separately during funded sessions, although enrichment is currently free. Compare a written quotation for your intended pattern with the shorter Nursery day and morning or afternoon alternatives.
• Dietary arrangements. Menus accommodate different requirements and meals are prepared on site. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and mealtime arrangements before joining.

Children 1st Grantham suits families seeking year-round care with a choice between Business Days, shorter Nursery days and morning or afternoon attendance. Outdoor space, hands-on cookery and a local charity partnership give the current offer substance beyond its timetable.

The May 2022 picture combines supportive relationships and practical learning with specific weaknesses in teaching, group engagement and transitions. The strongest decision will turn on how those everyday interactions work now, and how the funded charge structure fits the family's chosen attendance pattern.