The Croft Nursery

A six-baby room, a Victorian house and a garden construction area give The Croft Nursery a clear character: care organised by developmental stage, with plenty of practical play. The youngest room's cap is a useful starting point for parents choosing baby care. Outdoors, pretend building has its own equipment and a gated area rather than being left to a box of toys.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall. That judgement is a dated assessment, while the current offer includes four age-banded rooms, an outdoor canopy and visiting activity providers. The nursery has capacity for 58 children and accepts children aged three months to five years.

Based on Lancaster Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme, The Croft offers full-time and part-time attendance, alongside funded hours. Its appeal rests on the combination of manageable youngest-room sizes, paired key-person arrangements and practical indoor and outdoor activities.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room (0-1yr) accommodates up to six babies and emphasises exploration through play; each baby has a key worker and a second, supporting key worker. The cap describes the room's maximum, not daily attendance.

In the Toddler Room (1-2yrs), up to twelve children explore as they become more confident on their feet, while the Older Toddler Room (2-3yrs) accommodates up to sixteen and emphasises independence, play and interaction with other children.

The Pre-school Room (3-5yrs) accommodates up to twenty four children, with letters, numbers and self-care practice supporting preparation for school. An interactive whiteboard adds another learning resource, and the outdoor area is reached through this room. These are concrete features of the preschool environment, rather than a promise about school admissions or later results.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means play and everyday experiences have an educational purpose: painting and playdough sit alongside baking, water play and music. Children have opportunities to explore materials, practise movements and develop independence through doing.

Bee Active and Boogie Beats visit weekly as outside activity providers. Daily creative activities also extend outdoors, including the Mud Kitchen, so messy play is part of the ordinary offer.

In September 2023, staff listened to children's ideas and adjusted learning experiences around their interests and starting points. Adults also allowed children space to work through problems before intervening. For parents, that describes an approach in which an adult's help need not mean taking over the task.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden includes a canopy over a soft-play area, providing shade and shelter for outdoor activity. Elsewhere, a gated construction area contains foam bricks, a cement mixer and digging vehicles, alongside measuring and writing equipment. Children can combine pretend building with handling materials and recording ideas in the same play space.

In September 2023, children practised movement both outside and indoors, including jumping, balancing and dancing. They also planted flowers and vegetables; sunflower growing continued at home, where families recorded the plants' development. That example connected a nursery activity with something children could care for beyond the setting.

Relationships and Communication

Every room uses a key worker and co-key worker arrangement. For families, the practical value is having two identified adults associated with their child's care, rather than relying on a single relationship. The arrangement continues from babies through preschool, giving the care model a consistent structure as children change rooms.

In September 2023, settling conversations explored what children could already do and any individual care needs. Parents also received information about development and ideas for continuing learning at home. Those observations describe the communication at that time; today's additional channels include an app for nursery notifications and photographs.

The annual Cheese and Wine Parents Evening gives families time to discuss their child's development, speak with staff and look around the facilities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported excellent progress, including for children with SEND, with the SENCo working alongside families and specialist agencies. Those findings matter because they cover both children's protection and how additional support was organised, rather than treating inclusion as a general statement of welcome.

During September 2023, staff used words from children's home languages to help children learning English. The settling process also gave attention to emotional needs, with adults learning about children from their parents. These are useful examples of support being adapted to the individual child.

Staff undertake continuing training in safeguarding, food safety and paediatric first aid. Meals are cooked at the nursery using deliveries from local suppliers, with menus rotating over four weeks. Dietary requirements are catered for, making food arrangements part of the care discussion for children with specific needs.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 102 Lancaster Road, Newcastle, Staffordshire ST5 1DS. Opening hours run from 7am to 6pm on weekdays, and the nursery operates for 51 weeks each year. Full-time and part-time places are offered; these attendance choices should be distinguished from the overall opening window.

Funded attendance has more specific patterns. The 30 hour funding arrangement runs across three days each week, from 7:30am to 5:30pm, for 38 weeks annually, with a separately charged additional hour per day available. The 15 hour think 2 arrangement runs across two days each week, from 9am to 4:30pm. These are substantial daytime blocks, so their fit with a family's working hours matters as much as the entitlement itself.

For Christmas 2026, the nursery closes at 5:30pm on 23 December and remains closed from 24 December until 1 January 2027. Enquiries can be made using the online form or by telephone on 01782 614247.

Getting There

A car park sits behind the building, and parking is free. The nursery is within walking distance of Newcastle town centre and The Royal Stoke Hospital, making its location relevant to families whose working day or errands centre on either destination.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded hours are offered to eligible children from nine months, and the funding arrangements include 30 hour funding and 15 hour think 2 funding. The 30 hour arrangement follows a 38-week pattern. Funding must be applied for before the term in which the child's placement begins, so the application deadline is part of joining, rather than something to deal with after attendance starts.

On funded days, a separate consumable charge covers breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, together with wipes, nappy sacks, sun cream and specified activities. Bee Active sessions and activities such as Farm on wheels are included in that charge; additional days use the private full-day rate. This means funded hours and the total cost of attendance need to be considered separately.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page explains the funded attendance patterns and what the funded-day charge covers.

• Baby-room fit. The Baby Room has a cap of six and uses a key worker plus co-key worker. On a visit, ask how those two adults share settling and day-to-day communication for your baby.
• Funded-day timing and costs. The 30 hour arrangement uses three days from 7:30am to 5:30pm, while think 2 uses two days from 9am to 4:30pm. Compare those blocks with your working day and include the separate funded-day charge when assessing affordability.
• Planning a visit. Appointment-only visits and an open-door visiting arrangement are both described, with the same request to avoid 11am to 2pm because of lunch and sleep. Telephone ahead to agree a visit that fits the nursery's routine.
• Dietary needs. Meals are prepared on site and dietary requirements are catered for. Families managing allergies should discuss their child's requirements and confirm current food-handling practice before joining.

The Croft suits families seeking either full-time or part-time care, including those whose schedules fit its specific funded-day blocks. Its clearest attractions are tangible: a six-baby room, paired key workers, weekly visiting activities and outdoor construction play. The September 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight, while remaining a judgement from that date.

For the youngest children, room size and relationships are the strongest decision points. For older children, practical play, the preschool environment and opportunities to do things independently give the offer substance. Families choosing funded attendance should give equal attention to the daytime pattern and the separate charges.