Sutton-on-Sea Sandcastles Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Sutton-On-Sea for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 8am to 6pm. £16.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2012, with 18 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
For those children who aren't eligible for funding, our fees are £16 per 3 hour session.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Early Learning for 2 year olds or working parent entitlement and 3/4 universal funding.
Worth knowing. Our funded hours are 'free' at the point of delivery, no further payments are expected from parents at this time. In a case where a child does more than their 15 hours entitlement they are liable to pay the normal fee rate for however many hours extra they do.
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
LN12 2JBWhat 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, 24 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are greeted warmly by staff on their arrival to the pre-school. Those that are new are offered support and encouragement to help them settle. Staff support children to be independent. Younger children learn how to fill buckets with water, receiving support from staff to understand when to turn a tap off when their bucket is full. Older children take responsibility for handing out plates to their friends at snack time.
The provider and staff have a clear curriculum that focuses on children's communication and language skills. When staff read familiar books, children begin to recite part of the stories from memory. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to understand changes in the daily routine. This includes staff showing children objects, such as nappies, before changing them.
Additionally, children observe staff using Makaton sign language alongside the words they use, supporting their understanding of what is being communicated.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's teaching to focus on how to support children's individual learning n support staff during planned activities to take account of the learning needs of the younger children more precisely.
- 24 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 13 November 2019Good
- 22 January 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Sutton-on-Sea Sandcastles Preschool
- Meals
- Nappies
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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £16.00 a session still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.