Secret Garden

A Grade II listed cottage, a garden with grass and patio space, and rooms named Koalas, Cubs and Pandas give Secret Garden a recognisable character. This Darlington nursery combines an older building with a rear extension and an age-based learning journey, from babies’ sensory experiences to preschool problem-solving. The physical setting matters: outdoor play has space in the plans for each age group, rather than belonging only to the oldest children.

At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted graded Secret Garden Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying preschool engagement and outdoor learning as areas needing further work. Those two points deserve attention alongside the positive judgement. They concern how children spend their day, rather than simply the equipment around them.

There are 40 places in total. Babies are welcomed from six weeks, with rooms continuing through to five years; full-day and half-day bookings give families two different attendance options.

Rooms and Ages

Koalas, for children from six weeks to two years, combines sensory exploration, stories and songs with movement and responsive everyday care, including outdoor experiences involving nature, light and sound.

Cubs, for two- to three-year-olds, emphasises independence, conversation and physical skills through activities including pouring, painting and climbing, with outdoor tasks involving movement and solving problems.

Pandas, for three- to five-year-olds, brings together language, early literacy, mathematics and self-care through play, with outdoor experiences exploring seasonal change, physical challenges and working together.

Shared monthly themes give continuity as children move between rooms, with activities adapted to their development. Babies and preschool children explore the subjects differently.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, its areas of learning translate into conversation, physical play, relationships and early experiences with words and numbers. Secret Garden adds monthly themes including Belonging and Caring for the Earth, adapted through sensory experiences for babies and more involved exploration for older children. The room and curriculum information sets out that progression.

The distinction is useful for parents. The EYFS is the shared framework, while the monthly planning describes how this nursery organises experiences within it. In preschool, children use language to explain their thinking and tackle problems; meaningful play introduces names, letters, numbers and patterns. Exploration, persistence and reflection also feature in the planning, so completing an activity is only part of its purpose.

In November 2022, everyday interests supplied the starting point for activities. Toddlers prepared play dough before shaping it, while preschool children requested baking and followed the steps involved. Babies interested in traffic could use a low platform to see the road. These examples show how ordinary interests became something children could investigate, make or practise.

Books also had a practical place in the November 2022 day. Babies explored textured pages and flaps; toddlers discussed stories and considered what might happen next. A lending library let families borrow books to share at home. This extended story time beyond nursery hours and gave parents a concrete way to join in.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines grassy areas with a patio, giving outdoor play more than one surface. Current planning includes outdoor experiences across the rooms, with babies exploring their surroundings and older children working on movement, collaboration and practical problems.

In November 2022, community outings included visits to a nearby pony and trips across the road to buy missing baking ingredients. Children also made wormeries and bug hotels. These were small-scale encounters with living things and everyday errands, connecting play with the neighbourhood rather than relying entirely on activities indoors.

The same month, children used wooden beams outdoors with staff assistance. However, outdoor learning needed further development, and some preschool children drifted between activities without sufficient encouragement to take part. A large garden and an activity plan are useful starting points; the important question is how staff turn them into sustained engagement.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2022, key people planned activities around what interested each child and what they needed to learn next. Family photographs helped connect home and nursery and provided a starting point for early conversation. For young children, that is a concrete link between familiar people and a different daily setting.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children generally progressed well, staff supported communication through their interactions, parents received useful daily updates, and specialist advice helped shape support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These findings describe the care and communication at that point in time. They do not replace a discussion of an individual child’s needs.

A SENCO role is part of the current staff structure. There are also room lead roles and a nursery cook.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Independence was practised through everyday tasks in November 2022. Babies tried feeding themselves, toddlers worked on coats and shoes, and preschool children served food. The point was repeated practice with manageable tasks: care routines also became opportunities to learn.

Practitioners sit with children at mealtimes, using mealtimes for conversation and growing independence, and the nursery holds the Darlington Healthy Early Years Catering Award. Its dietary policy covers allergies and cultural, religious, medical and developmental needs individually. Allergy-affected families should discuss how that policy will work for their child before attendance begins.

Sessions and Attendance

Secret Garden’s address is 50 Haughton Green, Darlington, DL1 2DF. Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Full Day and Half Day are separate booking patterns, so families can consider a shorter attendance arrangement as well as a whole day.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for the week between Christmas and New Year. These closures matter when matching childcare to work commitments: a year-round arrangement still needs a plan for those dates. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01325 464443 or by email to management.secretgarden@gmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside privately paid care. For funded children who stay for lunch or tea, those meals carry separate charges; funded places also have a separate consumables charge. The distinction matters when comparing the total cost of attendance, because funded hours and the costs attached to using them are separate parts of the arrangement.

Payments are due in advance on the final working day of the month, and late payment can attract a charge. Invoices are spread evenly over 12 months, keeping the monthly payment consistent. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen arrangement, using the fees information to understand the payment structure.

• Preschool participation. In November 2022, some preschool children needed more encouragement to become involved in purposeful activities. During a visit, ask how practitioners now draw in children who prefer to watch or move between activities, and how this works alongside children’s own choices.
• Using the garden. Outdoor learning was an improvement point in November 2022. With grass, patio space and outdoor activities in the current plans, ask to see how the garden supports learning for your child’s age group, rather than judging it on its size alone.
• Visiting around lunch. Visits are welcomed without an appointment, but families are asked to avoid 11.30am to 1pm. Choose another time so that the visit fits the nursery’s daily routine.
• Funded-place costs. Lunch and tea are charged when funded children stay for them, and consumables are charged separately on funded places. Consider those categories alongside your intended attendance pattern when assessing the written quotation.

Secret Garden suits families considering either full-day or half-day care who value an age-based curriculum in a cottage setting with substantial outdoor space. Its clearest strengths in the current offer are the progression between rooms, practical monthly planning and individual dietary arrangements. The November 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with two specific improvement points that families can explore during a visit.

The appeal lies in recognisable details: sensory learning in Koalas, growing independence in Cubs and more involved thinking in Pandas. For parents, the deciding issue is how those plans translate into an engaging day for their own child, especially in preschool and outdoors.