Zizu's Children's Day Care Centre

A garden with a woodland area, a growing space and a storytelling chair gives this Linthorpe nursery a clear character: nature sits alongside the practical business of learning to talk, play together and become more independent. Inside, Zebras, Crocs, Tigers, Parrots and Giraffes mark different stages of childhood. The detail matters. Babies have a quiet place to sleep, while older children gradually encounter more organised activities as school approaches.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 8 October 2024, finding effective safeguarding and a curriculum that developed physical, communication and emotional skills, alongside improvements needed in cultural learning and the consistency of teaching during busy settling periods. That gives parents a positive assessment with concrete qualifications, rather than an unreserved endorsement.

At 79 Cambridge Road in Middlesbrough, the centre has 69 places in total and accepts children from 1 month to 60 months. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered, with a minimum booking of two days a week.

Rooms and Ages

Five rooms give children different surroundings as their needs change, rather than keeping the same arrangement throughout their nursery years. Natural light and indoor plants run through the room design. The practical distinctions are more useful than the animal names alone: sleeping arrangements, outdoor access and child-height facilities change what children can do for themselves.

Zebras, for the youngest children, combines space for practising movement with a quiet sleeping corner containing cots, mattresses and chairs, allowing rest to fit alongside active play. Crocs has its own garden access and uses songs, games and stories to develop early literacy, connecting opportunities to move outdoors with language activities indoors.

Tigers brings together language development and learning to take turns, with daily singing and short stories, a messy-play space that also serves as the eating area, and low toilets and sinks that support toilet training. Parrots occupies an upstairs floor, mixing play chosen by children with activities led by adults, while adjoining toilets and a cloakroom support increasing independence. Giraffes adds more organised adult-led learning, including circle-time conversations about families, experiences and feelings, as children prepare for school.

Children move upstairs to Parrots when they are ready.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for learning, development and care here: children build skills through play, conversation and experiences with adults. It is the shared foundation for nursery education. The room activities give it a tangible form, from songs and stories in Crocs to discussions about emotions in Giraffes.

In October 2024, play included babies investigating vegetables through taste and touch, toddlers using the outdoor mud kitchen and older children remembering stories while counting features on an imaginary alien. Those examples connect sensory exploration, language and number to things children want to do. Learning was woven into play rather than confined to a separate lesson.

During that month, planned activities also accommodated children's repeated filling, tipping, emptying and transporting of toys, treating these actions as exploration.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Garden brings together a woodland area, water play, a storytelling chair and space for climbing and building. Bikes and tyres add movement, while the growing area introduces plants and food. Children can switch between active play, imaginative play and looking closely at the natural world within the same outdoor setting.

In October 2024, children looked for insects and shapes using magnifying glasses and picture cards. They also grew vegetables that were served at lunchtime, linking care for plants with the food on their plates. The garden therefore supported observation as well as exercise.

The limit at that point was the wider world. In October 2024, nursery children had not yet begun community outings, and activities within the setting needed to do more to represent their own cultures. Garden exploration and learning beyond the nursery are different experiences; strength in one does not settle the question of the other.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2024, staff helped new children build relationships through flexible settling visits, and additional rooms were being used for smaller developmental groups. These arrangements helped staff get to know children and respond to their developmental stage.

Parents received regular telephone conversations about learning and development in October 2024. Their feedback also informed changes at the nursery. That combination gave communication two directions: families heard about their children, and the nursery responded to what families told it.

Settling was also a pressure point. In October 2024, the number of children beginning nursery reduced the time staff could devote to teaching. The issue was consistency during a demanding period, and it belongs alongside the account of flexible visits and relationship building. A thoughtful settling arrangement still needs enough staff attention to sustain learning for children already attending.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its October 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised possible developmental delays promptly, obtained professional help and supported children's individual next steps. This is the useful substance of the assessment for families considering additional support: concerns were identified and acted on, rather than support being described only in general terms.

All staff hold current paediatric first-aid qualifications. That is a concrete care arrangement, separate from the dated safeguarding judgement. In Zebras, cots, mattresses and chairs provide different options for babies' sleep.

Food is home-cooked in a dedicated nursery kitchen. In October 2024, children also brushed their teeth each day, making oral care part of nursery life alongside the growing and eating of vegetables.

Preparation for school begins within the rooms. Parrots combines free play with more organised routines, and Giraffes uses adult-led conversations about emotions and family life. The emphasis is on participation, communication and self-care as well as familiarity with a more structured day.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 5.30pm, across 51 weeks of the year, with bank-holiday closures. Families can book morning sessions, afternoon sessions or a full day running from 7.30am to 5.30pm. Flexible childcare packages are also offered, subject to the two-day weekly minimum; preferred days are accommodated where possible.

Applications use a registration form. When the requested place cannot be offered, the child's name goes onto a waiting list.

The address is 79 Cambridge Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, TS5 5NL. Enquiries can be made on 01642 214981 or by email to enquiries@zizusdaycare.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered for children aged nine months, two, three and four, alongside paid childcare. The age categories describe the offer; they do not establish an individual family's eligibility or guarantee a funded place. The fees and funding page provides the route to current prices and terms, and families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen arrangement.

Bank transfer, card payments and Tax Free Childcare are accepted.

• Teaching during settling periods. In October 2024, a large intake of children beginning nursery affected teaching time. Ask how settling visits and staff deployment now protect learning for children throughout the rooms.
• Learning beyond the garden. In October 2024, community outings had not begun and learning about children's own cultures needed development. Ask what nursery children now experience beyond the site and how their home lives shape activities.
• Visits are suspended. Nursery viewings are suspended until further notice. Before planning a visit, establish whether viewings have resumed and discuss the room your child would join.
• The complete funded-hours quotation. Funded places cover several age groups, and paid attendance has a two-day minimum. Ask how your proposed booking combines funded and private hours.

Zizu's suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, who value a garden-rich nursery day and rooms that build progressively towards independence. Crocs' garden access, Tigers' child-height facilities and the quieter arrangements in Zebras give that proposition substance.

The October 2024 assessment was Good, with specific improvements required around busy settling periods and children's understanding of the wider world and their own cultures. Those are the right issues to weigh alongside the room design and outdoor provision. For families whose preferred pattern meets the two-day minimum, this is a nursery with a clear practical offer and an inspection assessment that rewards careful reading.