Daybreak Nursery

A tree house looking across working fields gives Daybreak Nursery a character firmly rooted in High Etherley. Children can watch tractors, cows and sheep from the garden, then turn to a water discovery centre or the mud hut for their own experiments. Indoors, a renovated school building houses separate spaces for younger and older children. The surroundings give families something concrete to weigh alongside the care.

Daybreak has capacity for 30 children from birth to five at Church Square, High Etherley, Bishop Auckland. At its 18 May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, while identifying a need for more consistent challenge in learning and better planned outdoor experiences. Those two reservations matter alongside the appealing equipment: resources and the way adults use them are separate questions.

The Sunflower Room takes the youngest children, with a stated maximum of eight; the Sunshine Room serves children aged two to five. Morning and afternoon attendance sit alongside full-day care, giving families more than one way to use the nursery.

Rooms and Ages

The Sunflower Room accommodates children from birth to two, up to a maximum of eight, with messy activities separated from a quieter reading and resting area, and resources including bark-covered wooden blocks, threading rings, rainmakers and puppets to support exploration, movement and early communication. The quieter area also accommodates sleep. Parents can consider how reading and rest are accommodated together when comparing baby provision.

For children aged two to five, the Sunshine Room has a maximum of 22 in an open-plan space, where changing role play, a writing area, digital cameras, a lightbox and a creative station support imaginative play, purposeful marks and children’s own projects. Children choose materials for what they want to make. That gives the creative station a practical purpose beyond producing the same finished object as everyone else.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides the day through play, physical activity, communication and learning suited to each child’s development. It is the shared framework for early years provision, rather than an additional programme unique to Daybreak. Here, planned experiences are reviewed alongside children’s learning needs, with parents involved in that process.

The room resources make that approach tangible. Younger children can investigate how objects stack, fit or make sounds; older children have tools for construction, pretend situations and their own artwork. Choices are built into the materials. A cardboard box or a set of blocks can support different ideas rather than prescribing a single task.

In May 2023, children used a pretend postal bag to deliver letters to friends and rearranged wooden planks into an obstacle course. Babies investigated water by mixing and pouring, while older children handled paint, sand and dough. These examples connect imaginative play with practical experimentation, giving parents a clearer picture than a list of learning headings alone.

There was a teaching limitation in May 2023: staff did not consistently turn their intended learning into enough challenge, including opportunities to extend older children’s independence. That is a useful point to test against today’s activities. A child choosing resources is one part of independence; adults also need to recognise when the next step should be more demanding.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden has more than climbing equipment. Its custom-built tree house provides a vantage point over neighbouring fields, while the mud hut has a ball run attached to its back. Children can send cars or balls down it, offering a concrete opportunity to explore movement as well as pretend play.

A large sandpit accommodates digging, and a blackboard brings mark making outside. The water discovery centre supports exploration of volume, movement and floating or sinking. A quieter space with soft flooring and beanbags accommodates books, singing and time together, so outdoor provision also includes less energetic activities. The garden is used throughout the year.

In May 2023, however, outdoor learning was less carefully organised than indoor learning, leaving children who preferred being outside with fewer learning opportunities. The attractive physical features do not erase that dated concern. For a child who learns best outdoors, the planned use of the garden deserves as much attention as the equipment itself.

Relationships and Communication

Settling happens through visits that lengthen gradually as children become familiar with nursery routines. Each child has a key person who offers reassurance, helps with personal care and becomes a regular point of contact for parents. The same practitioner keeps developmental records and shares them with the family, linking everyday care with conversations about learning.

Baby routines are adapted to individual eating and sleeping needs rather than requiring every baby to follow the older children’s timetable. Combined with the Sunflower Room’s quiet area, that gives rest an explicit place in the day. Parents comparing provision for a younger baby can weigh both the physical arrangement and how their child’s routine will fit it.

In May 2023, babies turned to their key person for comfort, and families received a weekly newsletter about activities. At that time, the team included nine practitioners with qualifications at level three or higher. These are dated details, rather than a current staffing count.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO coordinates support for children with additional needs, with a supporting buddy role. The responsibilities include helping colleagues understand children’s needs, involving parents in decisions and working with professionals beyond the nursery. This gives families an identifiable support process rather than a general promise about inclusion.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support very good, with prompt referrals, individual learning plans and collaboration with health visitors, the local authority and speech and language therapists. The combination of a plan and outside professional input matters for families whose child needs support extending beyond ordinary nursery activities.

Daybreak’s accident arrangements include informing parents, recording the incident and supplying a copy, including when another adult collects the child. Its illness policy provides exclusion periods for infectious conditions; if a child becomes too unwell during the day, parents are contacted to collect them. These are practical care arrangements, with consequences for how families organise their working day.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full-day care is offered, and the daily routine also accommodates morning and afternoon sessions: morning attendance finishes during the noon-to-1pm period, while afternoon children arrive during the 1pm-to-2pm period. Those are session transition windows, rather than a single fixed handover time.

Attendance runs across the year, with closure on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Families are not charged for those closures. Extra sessions can be booked when space permits, a conditional arrangement rather than a promise that an additional day can always be accommodated.

Church Square, High Etherley, Bishop Auckland, DL14 0HW is the nursery’s address. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01388 835242. Families provide spare clothes, weather-appropriate outdoor clothing and suitable footwear, including wellies for winter play.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes universal 15-hour provision from the term after a child’s third birthday, and 30-hour provision for eligible three- and four-year-olds whose parents apply for the additional hours. Eligible two-year-olds can also receive 15-hour provision. The funded education arrangements are term-time. Daybreak also accepts payments through the government tax-free childcare scheme.

Fresh meals, fruit and snacks are included in the fee, as are nappies and other changing products. Lunch is freshly made by the nursery cook, and the day also includes breakfast, snacks and a light tea; dietary requirements can be discussed with the cook and the Food Allergies Officer. Current prices are supplied on request by contacting the nursery.

Preparation for Reception involves working with parents throughout the move from nursery to school, with an emphasis on social skills and growing independence. That preparation concerns the child’s readiness for the change, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Outdoor learning. In May 2023, the garden’s learning opportunities were less developed than those indoors. During a visit, ask how activities now use the tree house, mud hut and water discovery centre to extend children’s learning.
• Challenge for older children. The May 2023 improvement point included developing independence more fully. Ask for a recent example of how an adult helped a Sunshine Room child take the next step beyond an activity they could already manage.
• Attendance and funded costs. Morning and afternoon attendance have transition windows, and funded education runs term-time. Before agreeing a pattern, request a written quotation showing the precise session boundaries and how meals and changing products are treated during funded hours.
• Baby routines and dietary needs. The Sunflower Room combines quiet play and sleep within its quieter area, while babies’ routines are individual. Discuss sleep arrangements during settling visits, and allergy-affected families should confirm current dietary practice with the Food Allergies Officer.

Daybreak suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, especially those who value a baby room capped at eight and a garden connected to the surrounding countryside. The water discovery centre, adaptable play materials and gradual settling process provide concrete reasons to consider it.

The balance rests on how those resources are used. The May 2023 judgement was Good, with worthwhile reservations about extending learning and planning outdoor experiences. Families should weigh today’s examples of teaching alongside the room arrangements and attendance pattern, rather than letting an appealing garden settle the decision on its own.