Tik-Tok Nursery, Felling

A garden for each age group gives Tik-Tok Nursery, Felling a clear organising idea: babies can explore outdoors among children at a similar stage, while older children have space for more energetic play. Poppies Playroom, Rainbows and Raindrops, and Buttercups and Daisies carry that progression through the nursery day. This is a setting where the physical layout matters as much as the activities.

At its 20 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and identified support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as a strength. That judgement gives families a useful starting point, although mathematics and early literacy remained areas for improvement.

The Gateshead nursery has capacity for 100 children, with an overall age range of one month to five years. Its named playrooms describe more specific stages, beginning at six weeks for Poppies. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Rooms and Ages

Poppies Playroom takes babies from six weeks to approximately two years, combining soft indoor spaces and its own garden with sensory exploration, books, music and routines adapted to care at home. The distinction between less mobile babies and those beginning to move is practical: children have space to lie, roll and crawl before exploring further. Equipment and furniture become supports for developing movement rather than simply things to play with.

Rainbows and Raindrops serves children aged two to three, using songs, messy play, visual routines and key-person group activities alongside practice in dressing, handwashing and toileting. Familiar routines help children understand what happens next. Repetition gives them opportunities to practise a skill, while choices about play and food bring independence into ordinary parts of the day.

Buttercups and Daisies, for ages three to four, combines free-flow exploration with decision-making, problem-solving and time with a key person, using children's interests to support preparation for school. The emphasis remains on play. Becoming more independent and managing interactions with other children are part of that preparation, rather than a separate classroom-style exercise.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, play, conversation, physical exploration and growing independence give that framework practical expression. The room arrangements make the progression tangible, from babies investigating materials to older children tackling choices and problems.

In March 2025, children helped care for rabbits, bought supplies for them and watched duck eggs hatch. These experiences gave them something real to observe and discuss. Children also chose between stories by voting and helped decide which vegetables to grow, giving their preferences a place in shared activities.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that mathematics teaching sometimes introduced skills before children had the foundations to use them, and that strategies for developing knowledge of letter sounds needed improvement. These are specific teaching issues, not a reason to overlook the rest of the nursery day, but they deserve attention when assessing the learning offer.

Outdoor and Community Life

Each age group has a garden area, with outdoor opportunities arranged through the day and routines adjusted around the weather. Waterproof clothing is provided, allowing wet-weather exploration when conditions permit. Outdoor play includes movement and investigation: children can use bikes, look for small creatures and notice seasonal changes in plants.

In March 2025, the outdoor equipment included a large swing, scooters and bikes. Younger children pushed toy prams over a step; older children practised balancing on tyres with staff close by. A garden also gave children opportunities to discuss planting. These concrete challenges connect physical development with curiosity about the world around them.

Relationships and Communication

Key-person time is built into the toddler and preschool arrangements, connecting group experiences with attention to individual interests. For babies, routines take their pattern at home into account. That matters for families whose child's care needs do not fit neatly into a single timetable.

In March 2025, staff shared daily learning updates through an app, while achievement boards communicated planned learning. Families could borrow books and song bags, and home activities included planting seeds and sharing what happened afterwards. Communication therefore included practical ways to take part, alongside updates about the nursery day.

Friends of TIK-TOK is a group-wide parent group, also promoted at Felling, which meets regularly to discuss nursery policy and organise fundraising and social activities. All parents are invited to participate. It provides a route into collective discussion as well as individual conversations about a child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2025, staff worked with external agencies around children with SEND. For children learning English as an additional language, parents recorded familiar phrases in a talking book that children and staff could share. Bringing language from home into nursery made communication more personal and gave staff something concrete to use.

Everyday interactions also showed attention to children's voice. In March 2025, staff asked permission before changing nappies and helped children work through disagreements using calm conversation. Alongside the opportunities to vote and choose what to plant, these practices placed participation within ordinary care.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. It operates throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. The opening window is useful for planning work and family commitments; the Christmas closure also matters for families arranging care across the holiday period.

Getting There

The address is The Boulevard, Holmes Drive, Gateshead, NE10 0DJ, opposite Gateshead International Stadium. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0191 478 6684, by email to info@tik-tok.co.uk or through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2025, the nursery offered government-funded childcare places. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, so the cost of their chosen care arrangement can be considered alongside the daily routine.

• Mathematics and early literacy. The March 2025 findings identified premature introduction of some number skills and weaknesses in support for letter sounds. On a visit, ask how activities now build the foundations before introducing the next skill.
• The youngest children's routine. Poppies combines less-mobile babies' spaces, sensory activities and a garden with routines based on home care. A visit should explore how those arrangements would accommodate your baby's own pattern.
• The whole childcare bill. Funded places were offered in March 2025, and the nursery closes at Christmas and on bank holidays. What would your written quotation include for your attendance pattern, funded hours, meals and non-food consumables?

Tik-Tok suits families who value age-based playrooms, outdoor access and practical opportunities for children to make choices. Babies, toddlers and preschool children each have a defined stage of provision, while parent participation extends beyond receiving updates. The March 2025 judgement supports that picture, with clear teaching improvements to examine alongside it. For families choosing care here, the strongest decision points are the child's daily routine and how learning progresses as they grow.