Riverside Day Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Gainsborough for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2009, with 33 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
DN21 2DYWhat 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, 29 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children run down the pathway when they arrive at the nursery, happy to greet staff and visitors. They receive a smile and 'hello' from staff, who show they are pleased to see them. These positive interactions with staff help children to feel secure in their care. Children show an interest in helping to maintain a safe environment for themselves and others to play in. For instance, when there are oats on the floor, children willingly help staff use sweeping brushes to remove the potential slip hazard.
Pre-school children show excitement to listen to stories. Staff use animation in their voice and ask children to join in with familiar repeated phrases. Children copy actions in the story. This includes using their imaginations as they use cardboard tubes as telescopes. This helps children to follow the story and maintain their focus. Children in the baby area are able to make connections in their learning. For instance, staff provide opportunities for them to feel the texture of food before they are offered it at snack time. This includes showing children how to lift oats in their hands and use a spoon to mix them together. Children are then offered porridge to eat. In the garden, children are physically active. They develop their balance and coordination as they walk across obstacle courses. Staff support them, if needed, offering a helping hand and reminding them to hold out their arms to balance, which helps to promote their safety.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to model positive behaviours consistently in order to help children understand what is expected of them n gather information about all children's home languages to enable staff to support their understanding of routines and language development.
- 29 February 2024Good
- 2 May 2018Good
- 8 April 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Riverside Day Nursery
- 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.