Ladybird Children's Nursery, Scotswood

A separate sleep room for babies, an online Learning Journey shared with parents and a lending library give Ladybird Children's Nursery, Scotswood a recognisable character. Care revolves around a familiar key person, while families can contribute observations from home rather than simply receive updates. That connection matters: children's interests and routines help shape their time at nursery.

The Sanderson Street setting in Newcastle upon Tyne has capacity for 63 children, with an accepted age range of three months to five years. At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective, with learning planned around individual needs, including those of children with SEND. That judgement needs to be read alongside subsequent safeguarding and collection-procedure findings, discussed below.

Attendance can be arranged across the year or during term time, with full-day, morning, afternoon and short-day sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillars accommodates the youngest children, up to about 15 months, with a separate sleep room and an emphasis on keeping home routines familiar. Separating rest from the main room gives sleep its own space, while the key person provides continuity during care.

Butterflies is the toddler room, where play develops communication, movement and social skills, alongside opportunities to make choices and become more independent. Bumble Bees serves children approaching three, using exploration and resources arranged in different areas to build language, physical skills and confidence in doing things themselves. Pre School covers the year before Reception, emphasising practical independence, vocabulary and confidence for the next stage.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the requirements for children's learning, development and welfare; in everyday terms, that means opportunities to communicate, move, play, explore ideas and build relationships, with progress shared with parents. Ladybird's group-wide Teaching in the moment approach sits alongside it: practitioners watch children's play and respond to an interest or conversation while the child is engaged. The learning philosophy explains that approach.

Group-wide Enabling and Authentic Environments adds accessible resources that children can use in different ways, including real objects rather than relying entirely on plastic equivalents. Indoor and outdoor spaces support active play. The practical value is choice: children can return to resources and develop their own ideas, with adults deciding when a response or intervention would help.

In March 2022, communication work included signing and picture cards worn by staff to help children understand conversations when spoken language was limited. Everyday independence also featured: children helped themselves to food, poured drinks and prepared snacks.

Outdoor and Community Life

A lending library lets families borrow books for home, extending shared reading beyond nursery hours. Stay and Play sessions give parents an opportunity to join their children's activities. Both create practical ways to connect learning at nursery with family life.

Families can also participate in sports days, graduation days and family days, with grandparents and siblings included. Parents may contribute a skill or help with trips and charity activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person and a buddy key worker, giving families a main contact and another familiar adult. Settling sessions with parents are free and adapted to the child's needs. Families share care routines and interests at the outset, including comfort objects and sleep preferences, so staff can build familiarity from specific information.

A settling booklet contains photographs and information about the day, allowing families to talk about nursery together at home. Parents can stay during settling, with any initial separation agreed with the key person.

The online Learning Journey brings together photographs, observations and assessments, and parents can add their own contributions. Daily conversations sit alongside parents' evenings twice a year.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO supports the key person when additional needs are identified. With parental permission, the nursery can seek input from an Area SENCO, a Speech and Language Therapist or a Health Visitor. Parents take part in review meetings and contribute to support planning, including a Targeted Outcome Plan where one is used.

Personal care is assigned to a key person and a secondary key person, including nappy changing, rest and eating. Medication procedures include staff training and documentation. For a move to another setting or school, the nursery shares the Learning Journey, a transition report and an updated support plan with permission; contact or visits between settings take place where possible.

In March 2022, baby-room hygiene needed attention: dummies could touch the floor before reuse, and some accessible storage containers were dirty. Ofsted's March and September 2025 regulatory outcomes subsequently recorded repeated shortcomings connected with safeguarding and collection procedures, with corrective action taken on each occasion. The March 2025 outcome also recorded failure to notify Ofsted of a significant event within the required timescale. In March 2025, this included refresher training for the manager and deputy, plans for wider staff training and a policy covering collection by an adult affected by alcohol or drugs; in September 2025, staff training and collection procedures were revisited.

Lunch is freshly prepared using local ingredients, with fruit, vegetables, snacks and afternoon tea offered, plus breakfast when needed. Meals are included for private-paying sessions, while funded-session lunch and tea carry separate charges.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Sanderson Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7NQ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 0191 226 0999 or by email to ladybird.scotswood@live.co.uk.

Full days run from 7.30am to 6pm, mornings from 7.30am to 12.30pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, with both year-round and term-time arrangements. A short day runs from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Morning and short-day sessions include a snack and lunch; afternoons include a snack and light tea. Flexible arrival and collection times can also be arranged for an additional charge.

An after-school club collects children attending St Michael's RC Primary School and provides tea, activities and homework help until collection by 5.45pm. The holiday club accepts children aged three to 11 from any school, operates from 8am to 6pm during most school holidays and allows bookings as late as 24 hours beforehand without a weekly minimum. These are separate arrangements from nursery-day attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, working-parent funding from nine months for eligible families, and support-based funding for eligible two-year-olds. Funding can cover term-time attendance over 38 weeks or be stretched across 51 weeks. The stretched pattern gives 11 weekly hours for a 15-hour entitlement, or 22 for a 30-hour entitlement, so families need to distinguish the entitlement from the weekly booking it covers.

For private-paying sessions, nappies, formula and baby food are included. Families using fully funded sessions supply nappies themselves, and lunch and tea are charged separately. Term-time fees include a holiday retainer, and sibling discounts apply to siblings. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page explains the attendance options.

• Baby-room hygiene. March 2022 findings concerned dummies and storage containers. During a visit, ask how these items are cleaned and handled now, alongside discussing your baby's sleep routine.
• Collection safeguards. March and September 2025 outcomes involved safeguarding training and collection procedures. Ask how the collection policy is applied and communicated to families today.
• Funding and attendance. Stretched funding provides fewer hours each week than the term-time pattern, while funded meals are charged separately and families supply nappies. Compare the complete written quotation for your intended sessions.
• Term-time costs. A holiday retainer forms part of term-time fees. Include it when comparing that arrangement with year-round attendance.

Ladybird suits families choosing between morning, afternoon, short-day and full-day attendance, including those who need term-time arrangements. The separate baby sleep room, shared Learning Journey and individual settling process give parents concrete care arrangements to weigh, while SENCO involvement and transition records provide defined routes for additional support.

The March 2022 Good judgement is a useful starting point, but the repeated 2025 safeguarding and collection-procedure findings deserve attention in a decision. Balance the room and attendance arrangements against those dated concerns and the complete cost of the booking pattern your family needs.