Busy Hands Pre School
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Lincoln for children from birth to 5, open 09:15 to 15:15, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2022. Open since 2012, with 24 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Lincolnshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lincolnshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
LN2 3NGWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 16 May 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children of all ages are happy and settle quickly. They arrive with keen enthusiasm to take part in the wide range of activities and learning experiences offered.
Children interact confidently with visitors. This shows their secure emotional attachments. After they spend a long time working on their junk modelling project, they proudly share their artistic creations with visitors. Children thoroughly enjoy using planting resources, such as pots, compost, pretend flowers, petals, and gardening tools. They create their own flowers in pots and hand them out to staff.
Outside, children use their creative and imaginative skills. For example, they pour water down a drainpipe to create a watery slope to run their toy cars down. Staff use questions, such as 'Do your cars go faster with or without the water?' to help children think about their ideas. Children fetch more water; with their friends they discuss how fast and how far the cars are travelling.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- further extend opportunities for staff to enhance their professional development to help them understand how children learn n strengthen communication with parents so they can contribute to their children's learning.
- 16 May 2022Good
- 30 September 2016Outstanding
- 17 April 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Hands Pre School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.