The Lincoln St Giles Nursery School: Nursery Review

An on-site Forest School and small key groups give St Giles a distinctive combination: outdoor exploration with familiar adults to return to. This is a local authority maintained nursery school on Addison Drive in Lincoln, rather than a nursery class within a primary school. It caters for children from six months to five years, with qualified teachers, early years specialists and educators.

Castle, Explorers and Garden/Flowerpot organise children into named groups. Castle includes Hares, Owls and Hedgehogs; the smaller Garden/Flowerpot groups include Ladybirds, Snails and Butterflies. Each group has two key adults, giving families a clear relationship around which to build the nursery routine.

Play has room to develop here. Children choose activities, work with adults and return to ideas through small-group teaching. EYFS Development Matters guides the nursery's learning frameworks: in everyday terms, learning combines children's exploration with planned opportunities to practise skills. Maths and literacy receive focused attention during group sessions, then become starting points for further play.

A visual sequence helps children anticipate the day. Free play, tidying, key-group conversation and snacks lead towards a closing gathering with stories or songs. Group time can be brief for the youngest children; as they develop, it includes planning, challenges, early maths and phonics. Adults also revisit photographs with children on iPads, helping them reflect on their learning and decide what to try next.

Indoor and outdoor activities continue across different weather conditions. The Forest School classroom adds a physical base for learning outdoors, while the Forest School Leader plans around children's interests and seasonal changes. The point is exploration with purpose, rather than outdoor time as a break from learning.

In November 2024, Ofsted found that teaching developed communication through play, stories and rhymes, with signing helping children attend to vocabulary. Hide-and-seek became an opportunity to practise counting and words about position. These are skills children can use immediately in their games.

Settling starts with the family. Welcome sessions offer time to play alongside a few other children, and families can choose a home visit. Staff gather information about favourite activities, previous experiences and family circumstances, then agree an individual settling plan with parents. A key person and a second key person provide continuity; comfort objects can come too.

Tapestry gives parents access to planned learning and their child's termly focus. Daily contact with the key person adds space for exchanging information about feelings, interests and development. For additional needs, a trained Inclusion Leader and SENDCo work alongside the team; EMTET helps staff and families who use English as an additional language. Safeguarding arrangements were effective at the November 2024 inspection.

Snacks and cooking form part of nursery life. For children eating solid food who attend between 11.30am and 12.30pm, a cooked lunch carries an additional charge; attendance from 2.30pm to 5.30pm includes a charged light tea. The typical afternoon timetable also includes quiet time for rest, so the day allows a slower spell alongside active play.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal route and meet the normal deadline. Treat that application as a distinct decision from booking nursery sessions.

Preparation for school happens through daily practice: listening in a group, discussing ideas and developing early maths and literacy. Those experiences support the next stage of learning; they do not secure admission to a primary school.

Term-time booking includes funded and purchasable sessions. For children aged two to four, the 15-hour pattern is weekday mornings, with start and finish times varying by group. The 30-hour choices include Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 2.30pm, or combinations of longer days and a shorter session. Confirm the selected pattern when accepting a place.

Funded places carry a consumables charge for snacks and cookery ingredients, paid termly. Meals are charged separately. Ask the nursery for current charges before choosing the attendance pattern.

Arrange a visit by calling 01522 531876; applications can be completed online. Pack waterproof trousers, a waterproof coat, wellington boots and spare clothing. These are practical essentials for a day that moves between indoor play and outdoor learning. Children should be collected promptly when their session ends.