Sugar 'n' Spice Day Nursery

A tractor, a caravan and a herb garden give Sugar 'n' Spice Day Nursery a clear outdoor character. Indoors, two playrooms can become one larger space, while quieter areas let children step back from busy play. This Bradwell setting combines practical, hands-on experiences with opportunities for children to choose what happens next.

At its August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found that its curriculum supported good progress and judged safeguarding effective. There were also two clear improvement priorities: organising group activities more effectively and making hygiene procedures consistent. Those matter alongside the positive judgement.

Sugar 'n' Spice has capacity for 36 children aged two to five at Bradwell Methodist Church, Bradwell Lane, Bradwell, Newcastle, ST5 8JS. Flexible hours and all-day care give families different ways to use the setting, alongside before- and after-school provision.

Rooms and Ages

Two playrooms are often opened up together, giving children a larger shared space for their activities. Toys are rotated during the day, and children can select resources themselves. The arrangement puts choice into the ordinary nursery day rather than restricting it to a single planned activity.

Quiet spaces provide a different pace: children can look at books, make things or take time to settle their emotions. That balance matters in a setting where the main play spaces can be combined. Children have somewhere to pause as well as somewhere to join in.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the day includes play, conversation, making things and physical activity, with children contributing ideas for future activities. Their interests help shape what they do.

In August 2024, a child-chosen pizza and pamper activity linked different tasks to individual learning needs. Cutting food shapes gave some children practice with scissors; pouring scented water into bottles gave others practice controlling their hands. The useful point is the connection between an enjoyable idea and a specific skill, rather than activity for its own sake.

Conversation also carried learning in August 2024. Staff listened to children's ideas, asked questions that invited fuller answers and introduced unfamiliar vocabulary through play. During a yoga activity that month, encouragement helped children persevere with balancing on one leg. These examples show how language and physical confidence were worked into ordinary experiences.

DP sports and JAGS provide dance, gymnastics and multisport classes once a week. These visiting sessions add structured movement alongside children's own outdoor play, giving the week a recurring physical activity beyond riding and climbing.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area has a wooden car, caravan and large tractor for imaginative play. Children can climb, dig and splash in puddles, or explore the growing area, herb garden, water butt and mud kitchen. These are concrete opportunities to experiment with movement, materials and pretend scenarios.

Bikes, scooters and cars add another kind of movement, and the nursery supplies waterproofs and wellies. That practical provision supports messy outdoor activity rather than making it dependent on children bringing specialist clothing each day.

Comic Relief is the nursery's main charity. In August 2024, families also contributed food and meaningful objects connected with their cultural celebrations, giving children material to discuss from their own lives. The combination connects nursery experiences with people and occasions beyond the playrooms.

Settling involved patient relationship-building in August 2024. Staff gave new children additional comfort and time, helping them become familiar with the adults caring for them. Friendship was taught through everyday expectations about kindness and gentleness, rather than left entirely to children to work out.

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support through individual learning plans, collaboration with families and professionals, and strategies introduced while children awaited appointments. The current team structure includes a SENCO lead, a speech and language lead and a designated safeguarding lead. These are specific responsibilities parents can discuss when considering how their child's needs would be supported.

Parent workshops in August 2024 covered communication and reducing dummy use. They connected nursery practice with what families could do at home, offering a practical form of parent involvement beyond exchanging news about the day.

Meals are cooked on site, with seasonal menus using fresh local ingredients from Arbour Farm. The nursery caters for different dietary needs and allergies; homemade sauces, biscuits and cakes feature alongside meals such as vegetable hotpot and turkey korma.

The hygiene concern from August 2024 deserves attention: a brush was shared between children during yoghurt face painting and came close to eyes and into mouths. This increased infection risk. The issue concerned how shared materials were used during an activity.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing on bank holidays and during the week between Christmas and New Year. The 4.30pm finish is a significant planning point for families whose working day ends later.

All-day care across five days is offered, alongside flexible hours arranged around individual family needs. Before-school care includes breakfast and play; after-school care includes a homemade tea and time with friends. These are separate attendance options rather than reasons to treat the opening window as a fixed session for every child.

School collections and drop-offs serve Bursley Academy and Sun Academy. The nursery also supports taking children to and collecting them from JAGS and DP sports clubs. These arrangements concern transport and care; they do not establish an admissions advantage.

Getting There

The address is Bradwell Methodist Church, Bradwell Lane, Bradwell, Newcastle, ST5 8JS. A large on-site car park sits behind the church, away from the main road.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01782 712570. The church location and parking arrangement make the practical layout worth considering alongside the nursery's hours.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered for children aged two, three and four, covering 15 or 30 hours a week. By agreement, the entitlement can be spread across the nursery's 51 operating weeks, which may help families seeking care beyond term time.

Additional care is charged by the hour, and food costs are separate from funded hours. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen attendance pattern and meals; the fees page explains the charging structure.

Preparation for Reception is part of the nursery's stated work with children. That is a transition aim, distinct from its school transport service.

• Group activities. In August 2024, some children spent too long waiting while adults helped others, reducing their engagement. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how mixed-age activities are organised now.
• Shared materials and hygiene. The August 2024 yoghurt face-painting activity exposed weaknesses in hygiene practice. Discuss the procedures now used for cleaning equipment and avoiding cross-contamination.
• Funding and consumables. Stretching funded hours across 51 weeks requires agreement, and food is charged separately on funded hours. When reviewing a quotation, ask how non-food consumables are supplied and charged.
• Allergies and the daily timetable. The nursery caters for dietary needs and allergies, while its day ends at 4.30pm. Confirm current food-handling practice for a child's allergy and weigh the finish time against family commitments.

Sugar 'n' Spice suits families seeking flexible hours or full days, with its Before and after school club offering another practical option. The outdoor resources, weekly movement classes and child-led activity ideas give it a recognisable character. Its August 2024 Good judgement is encouraging, alongside the identified improvement priorities for group activities and hygiene. The strongest fit is a family that values hands-on play and can make the 4.30pm finish work.