Spring Nursery Leam Lane

Vegetables grown by children, soup-making and guinea pigs give Spring Nursery Leam Lane a practical, hands-on character. In June 2024, children were learning about food, living things and sharing through experiences they could take part in themselves. The appeal is concrete: learning connected to ordinary life.

At its 12 June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found that children made good progress and judged safeguarding effective. That judgement came with a specific improvement point concerning conversations with younger children during everyday routines and unplanned play. The preschool experience received stronger praise than this aspect of work with babies and younger children.

At 129 Cotemede in Gateshead, NE10 8QH, the nursery has 74 places in total and accepts children aged 1 to 60 months. This is whole-setting capacity, rather than the number of children sharing a room or attending on a particular day.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. In practice, the June 2024 day combined conversation, physical play, creative work and growing independence, giving children opportunities to practise skills through activities rather than only through adult instruction.

During June 2024, preschool children chose to draw, make marks and practise their names. They also prepared vegetables for soup, connecting the task with things they had learnt before. These experiences brought practical participation and thinking together: children could make choices, recall an earlier experience and explain what they were doing.

Younger children had sensory and movement experiences in June 2024. Adults used questions that invited children to respond in their own words, but conversations were less consistent during routines and spontaneous play. The improvement needed was specific: adapting exchanges to each child's age and ability, then using them to extend what the child already understood.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2024, outdoor activity included running, beam balancing, and exploring sand and water. These offered different physical demands, from moving the whole body to handling materials. Babies also had opportunities to practise movement, so physical activity extended beyond the older children.

Growing herbs and vegetables connected healthy eating with something children could help produce. The June 2024 activities also included learning about food choices and oral health. Caring for guinea pigs introduced another kind of responsibility, with children learning to treat living creatures kindly.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2024, staff knew children and their families closely, and parents received practical advice from key persons about weaning, toilet training and behaviour. Information was shared with other professionals as well as families. For parents managing a change in routine or a developmental milestone, that connection between home and nursery matters.

Children learnt social boundaries through repeated, gentle guidance in June 2024. Younger children received help with sharing and manners, while older children reminded one another about kindness. Adults modelled courteous exchanges themselves, giving children examples of how to speak to other people as well as instructions about behaviour.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received tailored support involving both their key persons and the coordinator for special educational needs, and made good progress. Daily consideration of children's interests and needs shaped that support, while additional funding helped individual children.

In June 2024, new staff and apprentices received coaching and mentoring alongside other practitioners. This matters because consistent adult practice depends on support across the team, including those still developing their experience.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. Families planning regular attendance need to account for those closure periods alongside their working arrangements.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four, including children eligible for early years pupil premium. This establishes its inspection-time participation in funding; it does not determine an individual family's entitlement or attendance arrangement.

• Younger children's conversations. The June 2024 improvement point concerned using routines and spontaneous play to extend younger children's thinking. On a visit, ask how practitioners adapt those exchanges for babies and younger children.
• Care for the youngest ages. The nursery accepts children from 1 month old within its overall 74-place capacity. Ask to see how your baby's daily care would be organised and who would provide continuity.
• Funding and the total bill. Funded early education formed part of the June 2024 provision. Before agreeing attendance, request a written quotation explaining the funded pattern, additional hours, food and consumables.

Spring Nursery Leam Lane suits families who value practical learning and close relationships between practitioners and parents. The June 2024 picture is strongest in preschool learning, with cooking, creative choices and conversation preparing children for greater independence. For families with younger children, the quality of everyday adult interaction deserves particular attention alongside the nursery's year-round opening pattern.