- Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 6:30pm
- Mon - Fri: 7:30am - 6:30pm
- 7:30am - 6:30pm
We believe that strong partnerships with parents help create the very best outcomes for children. Take a look below for helpful information and resources for your family.
We believe that strong partnerships with parents help create the very best outcomes for children. Take a look below for helpful information and resources for your family.
The Little Lane Nursery operates all year round, open between 8:00am and 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. We are closed on Bank Holidays, and from 3pm on Christmas Eve until New Year.
We also offer an early start from 7:30am and a late collection until 6:30pm, for families who need it. Due to our size, we are unable to accommodate term-time-only nursery places.
*Early drop-off between 7:30am and 8:00am, and late collection between 6:00pm and 6:30pm, are available on request and must be pre-booked, for a small additional charge.
| Registration Fee & Deposit | |
|---|---|
| Registration Fee | £100 |
| Deposit* | £150 |
| No. of days childcare per week | Monthly Fees with 30 hours of funding | Monthly Fees with 15 hours of funding | Standard Nursery Fees (no funding) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Days | £240.23 | £498.17 | £823.34 |
| 3 Days | £575.70 | £909.84 | £1,235.01 |
| 4 Days | £987.37 | £1,321.51 | £1,646.68 |
| 5 Days (Full Time)* | £1,283.50* | £1,572.50* | £1,852.50* |
*Inclusive of 10% discount for those attending full time
| Sessions | Session Fees |
|---|---|
| All Day Session | £95 per day |
| Sessions | Session Fees |
|---|---|
| Early/Late | £8 per session |
Enter your child's date of birth and when you'd like them to start.
Let us know if you're eligible for funded childcare hours.
Select your funding eligibility:
Here's a breakdown of your estimated childcare costs.
Please Note: This is an estimate only. Please contact The Little Lane Nursery to confirm your fees before your child starts.
Check your eligibility on gov.uk →
We aim to provide healthy and nutritious meals while meeting the dietary requirements of all our children whether that’s managing allergies, following a gluten or dairy-free diet, or being vegetarian.
Our meals are provided by specialist caterers, apetito, who bring over 60 years’ experience creating great-tasting meals for children. Expertly developed by apetito’s chefs and dietitians, every meal is designed with a well-balanced diet in mind, catering to a wide range of dietary needs. Meals are flash-frozen to lock in flavour and nutrition, ensuring children enjoy delicious, nutritious food at every mealtime.
Children are provided with water throughout the day and milk during snack times to support healthy hydration and nutrition. They regularly take part in cooking activities and are encouraged, where possible, to grow herbs and seasonal vegetables in the nursery garden.
Our menus are overseen by local dietitian Victoria Deprez, ensuring balanced and suitable meals throughout the day, including breakfast and snacks, which are prepared in-house rather than provided by apetito.
08:00am – 09:00am
11:30am – 12:00pm
16:00pm – 16:30pm
The four themes of the EYFS underpin everything we do at The Little Lane Nursery, shaping our policies, procedures, routines and daily practice. The 4 themes are:
A great deal of emphasis is also placed on:
The learning and development requirements are divided into the seven areas of learning:
Prime Areas:
Specific Areas:
There are also characteristics of learning:
There is significant emphasis on the fact that each child learns in an individual way and at different rates. Assessment arrangements for all children are ongoing and based on observing day-to-day activities. There is also a legal requirement for a progress check to take place when your child turns two known as the 2-Year-Old Progress Check. This is carried out by your child’s key person, and you will be involved in this process at all stages. The next formal assessment takes place at the end of the EYFS, which is the end of your child’s Reception year.
The EYFS influences all of our planning throughout the nursery. As with all frameworks, there are principles which help underpin it:
As with all frameworks, there are principles which help underpin it:
We look forward to working in partnership with you and sharing your child’s learning journey. If you have any queries, suggestions or feedback at any time, please feel free to get in touch with us.”
We use an online learning journal within our ‘Famly’ nursery software, allowing our team to easily track each child’s individual development and link their observations directly to the EYFS curriculum. Parents can stay updated on their child’s learning journey at any time through the ‘Famly’ app.
On joining The Little Lane Nursery, each child is assigned a key person.
A key person has a very important job they are ultimately responsible for welcoming and looking after your child, and ensuring the nursery’s care is tailored to their individual needs. Their role includes getting to know their key child’s likes and dislikes, their individual routines, and overseeing their learning. Key persons are the lynchpins of our nursery, as they shoulder the responsibility for creating an atmosphere in which children can thrive.
When assigning a key person, we take into consideration the sessions your child attends, the hours our team members work, and the compatibility between the child, parent/carer and team member. We do change key persons on occasion for instance, when transitioning from one room to another but you will always be kept informed, and existing key persons will be on hand to make the change as smooth as possible.
To ensure children do not become upset when their key person is on holiday or absent, we believe that all staff in the room should cherish each child and remain mindful of the “what’s it like for this child here today” approach. This also allows each child the flexibility to feel comfortable with a familiar staff member on any given day.
Attachments are the emotional bonds that infants develop with their parents and other caregivers, including their key person in an early years setting. The ability to form these attachments is essential for future emotional wellbeing, providing children with a secure base from which to grow.
If your question isn’t answered below please contact us
We kindly request that children are provided with:
We provide nappies, wet wipes, formula milk, and indoor/outdoor slippers as standard as part of our care package however, if you’d prefer your child to use their own specific brand or type, you’re welcome to provide these instead.
Stamford: Parking is available on Broad Street in the “1-hour free” parking spaces. The nearest long-stay car park is located on North Street (with a pedestrian cut-through next to Cakes & Co). Each Friday there is a street market on Broad Street, so parents/carers are welcome to call us and we will meet you at an agreed town centre location to collect your child from your car. The street market is ordinarily cleared away by 5pm on a Friday, so most child pickups are not affected. In addition, if you are ever struggling to park your vehicle, please call the nursery and we can meet you at your car to collect your child.
Easton on the Hill: There is free parking available outside the nursery.
We accept most employer childcare vouchers (for existing scheme members) and payments via the government’s Tax-Free Childcare accounts. Please contact us if you have any questions.
The nursery organises regular outings within Stamford and Easton on the Hill, which may include visits to the recreation ground, feeding the ducks at the meadows, or a trip to Burghley Park. Our ethos focuses on allowing children to get out and about as much as possible, and for any outings outside the local area, we obtain a separate signed permission form from parents/carers in advance.
Parents/carers are always best placed to decide if their child is well enough to attend nursery. Common colds and coughs are not usually a problem, provided your child is otherwise well in themselves. However, there are a small number of conditions that require a period of exclusion from nursery until they have cleared up. We encourage parents/carers to call us to discuss any illness.
As children develop physically particularly in their early walking stages accidents can occasionally happen. All of our nursery staff are Paediatric First Aid trained, so your child is always in safe hands. If your child has had a minor accident, you will be informed upon collection and asked to sign an accident form. In the event of a bump to the head, you will be informed by telephone. Your child will be closely monitored and, in most cases, will be able to continue with their day at nursery.
If a bump to the head causes any concern, you will be asked to collect your child, and a visit to your GP will be recommended. You will be given a copy of the accident form, along with a head injury advice form.
Should your child have an accident at nursery which requires further medical support, you will be contacted immediately and the necessary action will be taken. In extreme cases, this could involve calling for the support of a paramedic.
If your child has had an accident at home which has resulted in a physical injury, no matter how small, we kindly ask that you let staff know. This ensures it can be properly considered and documented, and isn’t mistaken for an injury that occurred at nursery.
Many children particularly under the age of 3 will require a sleep period during the day. The nursery has ample sleeping facilities, and children are offered a rest period during the day, usually after lunch. Young babies will follow their own home routine for sleep times, as discussed with you. At all times we will endeavour to encourage your child’s natural routine, however as they get older, children tend to fit into routines according to their group.
We are happy to offer your child a sleep time, but we cannot make children sleep. Children who do not sleep will be provided with other restful activities to occupy them. Sometimes, when a child has not slept and starts to become tired towards the end of the nursery day, staff are not able to keep them awake, and will allow them to sleep if they need to.
The Little Lane Nursery operates a comprehensive SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and Inclusion policy. We have a dedicated SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) at both of our settings, each with a great deal of experience, and we work collaboratively with parents and other professionals to put individual support plans in place, ensuring every child’s needs are met.
All our core staff are qualified to Level 3 or above as Early Years Practitioners. All staff undergo a thorough 6-month induction period, during which they complete essential core training, including Paediatric First Aid, Food & Hygiene, and Safeguarding Children. We ensure this training is continually refreshed and kept up to date.
The Little Lane Nursery is committed to the ongoing professional development of our team, and staff go on to complete a wide range of additional childcare-relevant courses, including Creative Play, Being a Key Person, Forest School training, and SENCO training, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support every child’s individual needs.
Your child’s keyworker will always want to know what your child has been up to outside of nursery.
A parent comment box is available below to share your own observations and any comments about what you’ve been up to, changes to key routines or new interests.
This helps us to support your child at nursery and adapt activities to follow your child’s interests.
