First Class Kids

A former village post office and a converted barn give First Class Kids a recognisable setting in rural Calthwaite. Babies have a quiet sleeping area and sensory play, while older children use an open-plan barn with direct access to outdoor provision. The practical appeal is the progression between spaces: children have spaces and activities suited to different stages of development.

At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes and personal development, and found safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of today's practice. Its main improvement point concerned mathematics: staff needed to make more of opportunities to develop children's understanding of number.

The nursery accepts children from four months to five years and operates as a not-for-profit charity overseen by voluntary trustees. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside shorter school-day patterns, with term-time and year-round attendance options.

Rooms and Ages

Four named rooms mark the stages through nursery. Busy Bees has an approximate age range and bridges the baby and toddler rooms, sharing activities with Curious Caterpillars.

Cosy Cubs combines daily creative and messy activities with a developing sensory area, a quiet space for sleep and outdoor access adapted to babies' abilities. Rest and exploration both have a place in the room's routine.

Busy Bees bridges baby and toddler care for children aged approximately 18 months to two years and three months, making messy play its main emphasis and sharing some activities with Curious Caterpillars. That intermediate room gives children another stage between baby care and the more independent toddler experience.

Curious Caterpillars serves two-year-olds, using open-ended play opportunities to encourage independence and imagination. Blossoming Butterflies accommodates three- to five-year-olds in the renovated barn behind the main building, where an open-plan layout and free-flow outdoor access allow play to move between inside and outside.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for learning, development and care, with play supporting communication, physical skills and independence. First Class Kids adds interest-led teaching and open-ended questions, guided by respect for people, resources and the environment. Activities start with what engages each child.

In October 2021, babies handled leaves and conkers while adults introduced words describing texture. Older children made crowns, using scissors and sticking materials together. These were concrete links between sensory exploration and vocabulary, and between craft and the hand control needed for early writing.

Mathematics was less consistently developed at that time. Mud-kitchen play with water and soil introduced quantity and capacity, but adults missed opportunities to deepen number understanding during play and conversation.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2021, the rural surroundings contributed directly to learning. Children brought experiences of farming and animal care into conversation, while campfires in the woodland area introduced safety and conservation. Babies tackled uneven paths, and older children rode bicycles and had space to run. Outdoor play provided different physical challenges at different ages.

That month's activities also widened children's experience beyond their own locality. A guest introduced Welsh vocabulary, and a visiting parent shared Diwali traditions. Children worked together to construct a fort using planks and crates. These examples give substance to the nursery's interest-led approach, while remaining snapshots of the nursery day at that date.

Relationships and Communication

Lending Libraries outside the rooms contain games, stories, activity bags and information leaflets for families to borrow. A child can revisit a nursery interest at home, or bring something from home into the conversation about learning. This is a tangible connection between the two parts of a child's day.

Famly, the parent communication app, carries photographs, videos, observations, daily diaries and children's learning journeys. Direct messaging to the room team combines everyday communication with a record of development over time.

In October 2021, staff planned activities around children's interests and allowed time for children to think before answering questions. Babies took part in exchanges of sounds with adults. These interactions show what individual attention looked like during that visit: listening and responding, as well as providing activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support uses the Graduated Approach, a cycle of assessing needs, planning support, putting it into practice and reviewing its effect. Families contribute to the assessment and planning, and meet with staff to discuss progress and next steps. Support can include visual prompts, changes to routines, targeted activities or help with communication.

A SENCo coordinates this work, guides practitioners and helps connect families with other professionals when needed. Speech and language professionals can be involved, and strategies are incorporated into ordinary play and routines. The useful distinction is the mechanism: an individual plan can be adjusted as staff and parents learn what helps the child.

Designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles form part of the staff structure. For babies, Cosy Cubs provides a quiet, comfortable sleeping area and a flexible routine shaped around the children. These are practical arrangements; the dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection assessment above.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Post Office, Calthwaite, Penrith, CA11 9QT. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with a week-long Christmas and New Year closure whose dates are communicated annually.

The booking menu has five nursery patterns. Morning Session runs from 8am to 1pm, Afternoon Session from 1pm to 6pm and Full Day from 8am to 6pm. Early School Day finishes at 3.30pm after an 8am start; School Day runs from 8.45am to 3.30pm. The two shorter day patterns offer an alternative to collecting at 6pm.

Places can be booked for term time or throughout the year. Year-round places carry a three-week annual holiday entitlement. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Separate wraparound provision serves children attending Calthwaite Primary School during term time: Breakfast Club starts at 8am, and After School Club runs from 3.30pm to 6pm. The barn also accommodates holiday club provision, extending its use beyond the preschool day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded hours are offered for eligible children aged nine months to four years, with either term-time delivery or stretching across the year. Families apply in the term before claiming, and the entitlement is deducted from the monthly invoice. Private sessions are also offered; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Breakfast, snacks and a light tea are included in session fees, as are wipes, nappy cream and additional curriculum activities. Lunch is separate: families can pay for a school lunch or send a packed lunch, so food costs depend on that choice.

School lunches arrive from the school on a three-week menu cycle shared through Famly, with alternatives to the main dish arranged through the office. Dietary requirements can be accommodated.

The nursery fees page sets out the booking and charge structure. Childcare vouchers are accepted from most providers, and families also use the government tax-free childcare scheme.

• Mathematics in everyday play. The October 2021 improvement point concerned missed chances to extend number understanding. On a visit, ask how practitioners now build counting and number conversations into children's chosen activities.
• Room transitions. Busy Bees spans approximately 18 months to two years and three months and shares activities with Curious Caterpillars. Ask how the move between these rooms is planned for your child, and how familiar routines are carried across.
• The collection time and lunch choice. School Day and Early School Day both end at 3.30pm, while the afternoon and full-day patterns finish at 6pm. Compare those collection times with your working day, and include the separate lunch choice in your budget; allergy-affected families should confirm current meal arrangements.

First Class Kids suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with school-day patterns adding another useful option. The former post office, baby sensory provision and free-flow barn give its rooms a clear identity, while Lending Libraries and Famly connect nursery learning with home.

The positive October 2021 assessment needs weighing against its age and mathematics improvement point. Individual SEND plans and reviews provide a concrete support process. The strongest fit is for parents who value staged room progression and attendance matching their timetable.