Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School

Ofsted: Expected standard·
5.0(4 parent reviews) ·Caraway Drive, Witham St. Hughs, LINCOLN, LN6 9XG · Lincolnshire
Number of places
109 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Lincolnshire

About this day nursery

Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School, established in 2015, is a childcare setting for children aged 0-4 years, located in Lincoln. Operating five days a week from 07:30 to 18:00, the nursery offers an all-year provision with a curriculum firmly rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

The setting prides itself on a strong culture of inclusion, where every child's needs are identified and addressed. This includes comprehensive support for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), utilising strategies like visual timetables, Makaton signs, and visual aids for emotional expression.

They also provide targeted assistance for children who speak English as an additional language, fostering an environment where home languages are valued and celebrated. Children benefit from opportunities for physical activity and outdoor play, engaging in activities such as running, balancing, and riding wheeled toys, all while learning about safety.

The dedicated staff, who have warm and affectionate bonds with the children, prioritise their wellbeing and make swift referrals to external professionals when additional support is required, ensuring a holistic approach to each child's development. Leaders also strategically use early years pupil premium funding to support individual children, demonstrating a commitment to providing the best possible opportunities for all.

Our ethos

At Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-school, we have a good understanding of children's lives and their social contexts, basing our teaching around them. Supporting and encouraging personal development, autonomy and creativity are top priorities for us. Developing social interaction and understanding differences in others also plays an important role in our work. We also support you, the parent, in bringing up your child.

What it's like

Staff establish warm and trusting relationships and work closely with parents to understand children’s health and care needs, promoting security and wellbeing. Children are taught about safety and healthy lifestyles, developing physical skills through play in the fresh air. Inclusion is a key strength, with barriers to learning quickly identified and support provided, including for children who speak English as an additional language.

Strong inclusion cultureDedicated staffAge 0-4 yearsEYFS curriculumOutdoor play

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare
  • Suncream£6 / term

Key facts

Opening hours

Mon - Fri 0730 - 1800

Age range

3 months - 5 years

Term time / All Year

All_year

Established

2015

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Expected standard

Last inspected Feb 2026

Headline: Expected standard

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementExpected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionStrong standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School

Last inspected 10 February 2026 · Teresa Lester

Safeguarding effective

What it's like to attend

Staff establish warm and trusting relationships and work closely with parents to understand children’s health and care needs, promoting security and wellbeing. Children are taught about safety and healthy lifestyles, developing physical skills through play in the fresh air. Inclusion is a key strength, with barriers to learning quickly identified and support provided, including for children who speak English as an additional language.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders and staff have established a clear culture of inclusion, where every child's needs are recognised and acted upon.
  • Staff are well trained and make swift referrals to external health and education professionals when additional support is needed.
  • Early years pupil premium funding and inclusion funding is strategically used to support individual children.
  • Staff have warm and affectionate bonds with children and are responsive to their needs.
  • The curriculum focuses on children learning skills for later life and builds progressively on what children know and can do.
  • Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Areas to develop

  • 1Leaders should guide and support staff working with younger children to ensure smooth and consistently implemented transitions between activities.
  • 2Leaders should enhance support for staff to continually refine and develop their practice, skills, and knowledge.
Inspection #10372144 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Leaders and staff have established a clear culture of inclusion, where every child's needs are recognised and acted upon. Staff use various strategies, including visual timetables, objects of reference, and Makaton signs, to support communication for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Visual aids and mirrors help children express emotions, and leaders make swift referrals to external professionals when additional support is required.

Outdoor space

Staff supervise children closely as they take part in physical activities and play outside in the fresh air. Children develop physical skills through activities like running, balancing, digging, and riding wheeled toys, while staff explain safety, such as not throwing soil, and help them understand safe practices.

EAL / language support

Inclusion is a key strength, with support provided for children who speak English as an additional language. Staff work in partnership with parents to understand the words children use at home, and older children are encouraged to welcome friends using their home language, supporting all children to learn about similarities and differences.

Parent Reviews of Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School

5.0
(4)
Sophie Crampton
2 years ago

Appletree Corner is a fantastic nursery! All the staff are wonderful with the little ones. I was so nervous to leave my daughter for the first time when she was 1, but she settled in SO fast and that's purely down to how brilliant the members of staff are with children. I got regular updates on what my daughter was up too on the app they use, which includes some fantastic photos, and it also gave me ideas on what new meals I can make for her because they provide such wonderful meals for them at nursery. The office staff and nursery manager are all so welcoming and friendly, you can certainly tell that every member of staff there, not just the key persons in the rooms, love what they do and want the best for our children :) so lucky to have this nursery so close to home ❤️

Read on Google
Chantelle Benson
5 years ago

Literally cannot recommend this nursery enough! My children love it there. The staff are friendly and really caring towards my children. Whilst my son is achieving amazingly academically there, the care they give if the children are going through a difficult time is what has put my faith and love in this nursery. My son has been struggling with personal issues and the nursery have worked with him fantastically to ensure he is able to express how he feels and is able to talk to staff if he is upset and it is this level of care that has made me want to write about the nursery because I just feel it goes above and beyond teaching children academically when they take their individual lives as children so seriously aswell.

Read on Google
Mark Lamyman
4 years ago

A great nursery. My son attended from the age of 2 until it was time to leave for school. He enjoyed everyday, all the staff he had a great connection with and he loved the food. The owners are always investing in new equipment and the place is immaculate. I would definitely recommend it if you’re close by to Witham St Hughs.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: January 2016

The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Good). We're re-checking it against the original report.

  • April 2025Requires improvement
  • April 2019Good
  • January 2016Good

Frequently asked about Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School

Nearby day nurseries in LINCOLN

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Appletree Corner Daycare & Pre-School.

Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.

Claim listing

Share this nursery

Send to a partner, friend or family member.

This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more