Little Stars Nursery

Worm homes in the garden and counting with dough give Little Stars Nursery a recognisable character: children have room to develop their own ideas, while adults bring learning into ordinary play. Those examples come from March 2025, when the nursery occupied a portacabin on the school site at St Bede's Primary School, Sacriston.

At its 31 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. It has capacity for 16 children in total; the children attending at that visit were aged two to four.

In March 2025, independent play was a substantial part of the curriculum. Adults judged when to intervene and when to let children continue exploring. Digging for worms and making homes for them gave children a practical way to follow an interest and use their imagination.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, the March 2025 examples show learning through play, with number work woven into dough activities and snack time. Children explored quantity as well as recognising numerals, linking mathematical ideas to things they could handle.

Song sessions used puppets to encourage participation. The limitation was matching activities to different starting points: some children lacked the knowledge needed to take part and lost interest. Outside, development work had begun, but children who preferred active outdoor learning had fewer opportunities to follow those interests.

In March 2025, staff took children's experiences and preferences into account when planning. A sofa offered a place for affectionate contact, while a quiet area gave worried or unsettled children somewhere to pause. Adults joined them there to offer comfort. These were concrete ways to respond to feelings during the day.

Communication worked in both directions between home and nursery, helping adults coordinate practical milestones such as toilet training. Staff also modelled courtesy, and children showed thoughtfulness by making pictures for friends. Between activities, however, expectations were less consistently explained, and some children became restless.

The address is Front Street, Sacriston, DH7 6AB, in the portacabin at St. Bedes RC Primary School.

In March 2025, attendance followed a term-time pattern from Monday to Friday, with sessions running from 9am to 3pm. Government-funded childcare was provided at that time. This was a school-day-length arrangement rather than an extended opening window.

The nursery's position on school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place.

• Group participation. March 2025 activities did not consistently suit every child's starting point. Look for how songs and shared tasks are adapted for younger or less experienced children.
• Outdoor learning. In March 2025, the outdoor offer needed further development. For a child happiest outside, the space and opportunities to use it deserve close attention.
• Changes between activities. March 2025 routines sometimes left children unclear about expectations. Consider how adults explain the next part of the day.
• Attendance planning. The March 2025 pattern was term-time sessions from 9am to 3pm. What attendance arrangements and funded-hour terms would apply to your child now?

Little Stars merits consideration for families drawn to child-led exploration and everyday learning through practical play. The March 2025 picture combines responsive relationships with clear development priorities around group activities, outdoor opportunities and transitions. Its attendance pattern at that time suited families seeking term-time, school-day sessions.