Free Spirits Nursery

A mud kitchen, songs accompanied by signs and babies practising with spoons give Free Spirits Nursery a practical, communication-rich character in January 2026. Everyday play supplied the teaching material. The setting is at Freeman Hospital in High Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, and has capacity for 88 children aged 0 to 60 months.

At its January 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership to reach Strong standard, with safeguarding standards met. These are area judgements, rather than an overall grade.

In January 2026, learning followed the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday routines helped children practise language, movement and independence. Staff assessed what children could already do and used that understanding to plan their next learning steps; leaders revisited the curriculum each term.

Language work was tangible. During that January visit, preschool children explained their mud-kitchen play, while adults repeated words with clearer pronunciation. Singing combined words with signs, giving children another way to join in. Babies explored puppets and dolls with adults, turning play into opportunities for interaction.

Practical tasks also carried learning. In January 2026, babies moved coloured spaghetti into bowls with spoons, practising movements useful for feeding themselves. Preschool children worked out the extra cups needed at lunchtime. Outdoors, chalk drawing and a bottle's spray lever offered opportunities to explore movement and cause and effect. These were small experiences with clear purposes.

At the January 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children made rapid progress, including those facing learning barriers, and that individual plans, professional collaboration and funded one-to-one assistance supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Support extended to outings, so participation beyond the nursery was part of the inclusion work too.

In January 2026, settling visits were adapted to individual children, and visits to the next room helped prepare them for a move. Family photographs offered a familiar subject to discuss when children felt upset. Sleep arrangements also took account of individual settling needs: staff worked with parents on how children settled, and babies were checked every 10 minutes.

Relationships included help with difficult feelings. During January 2026, stories, conversations and guidance about sharing helped children understand emotions and consider others. Parents received regular development updates, providing a connection between learning at nursery and at home.

The address is Freeman Hospital, Freeman Road, High Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN. Opening hours are 7am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year and closes on bank holidays. For families organising work around childcare, the closing time is a concrete boundary to build into the day.

• Planning attendance and costs. The weekday opening window ends at 5.30pm. At a visit, ask which booking patterns fit your working day and how funded hours, meals and consumables would be handled in your written quotation.
• Support beyond the starting point. The January 2026 next steps asked leaders to deepen the impact of their work for disadvantaged children and those facing barriers to learning or wellbeing. Families needing additional support should discuss the goals that would matter for their child and how progress towards them would be reviewed.

Free Spirits Nursery suits families who value practical learning, communication and individual care, and whose weekday arrangements fit a 5.30pm close. The January 2026 picture combines purposeful everyday activities with tailored settling and specific support mechanisms. The next step for leaders is to make that work more transformative for children facing disadvantage or other barriers.