Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School

Martin Forster House, Appletongate, Newark-on-Trent NG24 1JY
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9.9 97 Reviews
  • Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School, Newark-on-Trent
Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School is housed in a spacious and well resourced Georgian building in Newark-on-Trent.

The nursery provides the perfect opportunity for children to learn in small groups in a variety of indoor and outdoor learning environments, including a large garden.

Highly trained early years teachers care for children from birth to five years all year round, including student families and all other local families.

Staff ensure the children leave the nursery as confident individuals with a real enthusiasm for their next stage of development.
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Funding & Fees

Contact Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School to get a personalised quote.

Contact Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School to get a personalised quote.

Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Katie Firth (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 16

Total Places for Children

  • 68

Age Range

  • from 0 years 2 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School Reviews (97)

9.9

Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.874) out of 10, based on 16 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School has 97 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
  • 97
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  • 16
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Reviewer Connection to Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School
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Total of 97, showing 41-60
Review from Kathryn S (Foster Parent of Child) published on 8 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff have gone out of their way to reassure us and her during her settling in period. They are so helpful, nothing is too much trouble, we are extremely happy with the care she has been given during her time at nursery and she is very happy there.
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Review from Katie U (Mother of Child) published on 8 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has attended Children 1st since June 2020 and thoroughly enjoys her time. Given the recent difficulties due to the pandemic, the staff have been excellent with communicating any changes and have been fantastic. We feel completely at ease dropping our daughter off knowing how much fun she
will have but also how much learning is undertaking which we have seen by how much she has developed over the past few months.
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Review from Kerrin T (Mother of Child) published on 4 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little girl started the nursery September this year, we’ve had nothing but great things to say. My daughter wasn’t a fan of nursery before, since starting here she’s come on leaps. She asks most mornings is today nursery mummy? They have a great online system that keeps me up to date with her daily
activities. Along with the diary they fill in on every visit. Keeping me informed on her day, her meals and even toilet trips. The staff are so friendly and approachable, nothing but good things for us!
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Review from Lauren S (Mother of Child) published on 3 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy has been going to this nursery since September 2019 and loves it here! The staff are lovely and did such an amazing job settling him in last year, his development and speech have improved so much over the past few months. Lovely staff and lovely nursery would highly recommend.
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Review from Abigail T (Mother of Child) published on 3 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been coming to this nursery since he was 11 months old, and I’m very glad it’s the choice we made. The staff talked through any worries and concerns I had before he started, and were very accommodating of a break we had to take until September 2020, offering a settling in session before he
started back.
He is now 27 months and loves going to nursery, always asking me if it’s a nursery day. He especially loves playing outside in the mud kitchen or splashing in puddles with his friends. The staff are all lovely, and most importantly my son is happy in their care.
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Review from David M (Father of Child) published on 3 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A superb nursery with wonderful staff! Our daughter has been going for a year now and her development has been a joy to see. Great activities set each day that engage her, with dedicated support and encouragement from the friendly staff. We are delighted we chose Children 1st Nursery and won't be hesitating
in sending our youngest daughter there shortly!
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Review from Zoe G (Mother of Child) published on 2 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy has been absolutely loving coming to nursery! He is always happy to go in and is always smiling when I pick him up! He is currently 2 years old and I have noticed how he has progressed even more with his speech since going. I am very happy with the care he is receiving.
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Review from Amanda H (Mother of Child) published on 1 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have been sending our son to Children 1st @ Newark Town since he was 6 months old and at no point over the last 3 years have we ever questioned our decision. The staff and facilities are outstanding offering a secure, caring and fun environment which gives us peace of mind that he's in safe hands
while we're at work.


A happy child = happy parents and Children 1st @ Newark Town never fails to deliver!

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Review from Jamie J (Father of Child) published on 1 December 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Awesome nursery! Our little girl loves it here. The staff are brilliant, the place is clean friendly, and well run. Our daughter has grown leaps and bounds coming here. Absolutely loves it.
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Review from Gieutre S (Mother of Child) published on 27 November 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I'm very happy with this nursery. My child is very excited and happy every time we go in there.
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Review from Agne P (Mother of Child) published on 21 October 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
All staff at the nursery is extremely professional and supportive, management is flexible.
Like the location and facilities outside. The play area is a big advantage.
Couldn't expect more. Very happy with our choice and the progress our little one is making every day.
Thank you all!
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Review from C L (Mother of Child) published on 16 October 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
On a whole, the experience of Children 1st is 10 out of 10. My son has received such kindness and support from all the staff at the nursery. The fact that the children spend time outside is fantastic and is a big positive in my view. It's hard to comment on activities as since returning from lockdown,
the diary is not filled in. It would be better to have the app or similar to continue learning at home.
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Review from Jenny G (Mother of Child) published on 30 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Outstanding nursery! The staff are friendly, polite, caring and always have a smile.
My daughter absolutely loves attending this nursery, and she's always kept busy with a fantastic range of indoor and outdoor activities.
The food offered is varied, well planned, and they catered amazingly for her
milk allergy.
Would highly recommend!
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Review from Chris R (Father of Child) published on 14 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Excellent nursery, couldn't recommend them more highly if I tried!
Staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, made my son feel so welcome when he joined and settled him in perfectly, his development since being there has been exceptional, we couldn't be happier.
Facilities are great, just recently
had rooms and equipment revamped too so now would be the best time to look round.
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Review from Danielle B (Mother of Child) published on 20 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I love bringing my two boys to Children 1st @ Newark Town, the staff are so friendly and kind, you are always greeted with a smile and my children have so much fun when at nursery.
Plenty of activities for them to do, the outside space is perfect for children exploring and the nursery is always clean.
They’ve come on leaps and bounds. If you are thinking about taking your children to a nursery in Newark then this is the one to take them to. I feel comfortable leaving my children is safe and capable hands.
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Review from Karen B (Mother of Child) published on 12 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son loves going to Children 1st at Newark Town. He's always happy to go and we are happy to leave him in the care of the wonderful staff, who are passionate about their jobs and always approachable.
Activities are fun and engaging. Fab nursery.
Lovely outdoor space.
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Review from Amy R (Mother of Child) published on 10 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5
Some of the staff were caring, vigilant and interested in a child's individual needs. Some staff, I feel, lacked vigilance and were unable to determine an individual child's needs. My child was cared for by different nursery staff which doesn't provide children with the continuity of care they need
to be understood and cared for as an individual. Nursery rules differ depending on who you speak with and when communicating concerns with some staff/management, it seems, most of the time, these concerns had not been communicated or had been forgotten about. (I found myself repeating some concerns over and over which was enforced by the difference in rules depending on who you speak with). Biting incidents are of concern to me as a mum and I find the way in which the incidents have been managed could be better. Overall, I found the nursery chaotic.
Reply from Cathy Griffin at Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery SchoolDear Amy, thank you for your feedback.
We are sorry to hear that you remain unsatisfied with the care you feel you had at Children 1st. We absolutely try our hardest to ensure that not only do children receive the very best care that we can offer in the setting but that we also work closely with parents to resolve any differences. We have many communication strands in place to support this, and as we discussed with you on many occasions, we take the safety and security of children as our utmost priority, alongside the many strategies in place to support the normal development of children in terms of biting incidents. Whilst we are sorry to hear you remain unhappy, I feel satisfied that we were able to discuss any issues you raised prior to you leaving the nursery.
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Review from Mirela B (Mother of Child) published on 6 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The children are learning lots of things and the staff are very likeable and caring. My daughter is feeling good with her teacher.
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Review from Pamela B (Grandmother of Child) published on 21 November 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
All the staff seem really friendly and polite. The activities are varied and interesting. It’s lovely that there is an outside play area for the children to enjoy outdoor play.
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Review from Vicki P (Mother of Child) published on 21 November 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son started at the nursery in September 2019. He is my only child and I was so nervous about leaving him in the care of people that I didn’t know.
I went to an open day to have a look around and I was impressed from the second I walked in. I was initially pleased because they were drop-in sessions
so I knew that everything would be natural and not done to a higher standard when appointments were made.
From the drop-in session to routine attendance, I love this nursery, as does my son.
I am so pleased with the huge progress he has made with his speech, manners, behaviour and education.
The staff are always so happy, friendly, welcoming and attentive. The smaller group sizes mean that no child misses out on any needed attention. Speaking for my son, I am confident that all of his needs are met.
The nursery is clean, well equipped, the outside space is amazing and is a hidden gem in the town centre.
I enjoy reading my son’s diary after each session too.
Thank you.
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.874)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.874) out of 10 for Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 16 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.9 out of 5 from 16 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.974 for Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School is calculated as follows: ( (187 Excellents x 5) + (5 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 192 Ratings = 4.974
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.9 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School is based on 16 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 20 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews, 0.05 Points for the next five Positive Reviews, and finally 0.025 Points for the next ten Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.050, 7th = 0.050, 8th = 0.050, 9th = 0.050, 10th = 0.050, 11th = 0.025, 12th = 0.025, 13th = 0.025, 14th = 0.025, 15th = 0.025, 16th = 0.025, 17th = 0.025, 18th = 0.025, 19th = 0.025, 20th = 0.025) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.05 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 + 0.025 = 3.9
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 68 number of registered child places is 13.6, which has been reached with 16 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

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Awards / Recognitions (7)

Meet the Team (1)

Katie

Katie Firth

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2023

Hello, my name is Katie Firth and I joined Children 1st in May 2023. I have been the Manager of Newark Town for the past two years and have also supported as Acting Manager at Newark Nursery while the Manager was on maternity leave. In 2024, I was proud to be named Nursery Manager of the Year and have completed my Level 3 SEN training.


I absolutely love my team; they are fun, passionate, and feel like a little family. I also adore working with the children — it’s such a wonderful feeling watching them grow, develop, and being part of some of the biggest milestones in their early years.


I am especially passionate about creating inclusive environments. I’ve been extremely lucky to support multiple children with additional needs and find it truly inspiring to see how every child learns, grows, and thrives in their own unique way.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Children 1st Newark Centre Nursery School has an Enhanced Service - more info.