Ladybird Children's Nursery, St Catherine's

Potatoes rolling through pipes, children checking their garden for hazards and a display celebrating personal achievements give Ladybird Children's Nursery, St Catherine's a recognisable character. Everyday objects become tools for discovery; small responsibilities give children a part in nursery life. This is preschool education with practical independence running through it.

At its April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall. The setting occupies a classroom at St Catherine's RC Primary School in Sandyford, Newcastle upon Tyne, and has capacity for 45 children aged 24 to 60 months. Its school setting is a useful practical connection, rather than an admissions advantage.

Term-time attendance can combine morning, afternoon or all-day sessions, with Breakfast Club and Afterschool Club extending the day. The educational approach is In the moment planning: children's own interests and choices help shape their learning.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, that means play and experiences which develop communication, movement, relationships and understanding, rather than treating childcare and learning as separate parts of the day.

Alongside that framework, In the moment planning puts self-directed play first. Children choose, investigate and experiment, giving practitioners opportunities to respond to what interests them. For families who value children having a say in their activities, this is a clear educational preference.

In April 2025, potatoes sent down pipes became an opportunity to explore speed, while pouring water and comparing seedlings brought concentration and measurement into play. Mathematics also appeared in conversations about the position of sandcastles and the effect of changing a pipe's slope. These were concrete problems children could investigate themselves.

Language developed alongside those experiences. During April 2025, staff introduced words including gravity and spiral, and used signs, pictures and objects to support communication. Questions encouraged children to explain their thinking. This connected vocabulary with something children were doing, rather than leaving new words as an isolated exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

An enclosed garden provided space for movement and quieter moments in April 2025. Children practised balance on beams and stepping stones, climbed and stretched, and used a garden area for calming down. Yoga techniques also helped them manage their feelings. Outdoor play served more than one purpose: physical challenge and emotional regulation both had a place.

Growing food linked discovery with eating. In April 2025, children planted carrots and tomatoes, grew cress for food and took part in baking; celebrations included Eid, Easter and St Patrick's Day. These experiences brought plant growth, health and different celebrations into the nursery day.

The safety spies activity gave children a practical responsibility: helping staff look for hazards in the garden. The proud cloud display recognised individual achievements. Both made children's contributions visible, whether they were learning to notice a risk or taking pride in something they had accomplished.

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified strong personalised care, language development and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including additional funding used for physical and sensory support. For families weighing support needs, the important detail is that funding was connected to children's individual development.

In April 2025, staff gathered information from families and worked with professionals involved in children's care. Outdoor opportunities were adapted for children who lacked access to them at home. Care started with understanding the child's circumstances, rather than assuming the same experiences suited everyone.

Pictures helped children understand the current activity and what would follow. Staff also talked through feelings, including sadness, anger and happiness. Together, these practices gave children ways to understand both the routine and their own reactions to it.

Independence had practical expression. During April 2025, children prepared fruit for smoothies, used shoe stickers to distinguish left from right and learnt to wipe their own noses at the snuffle station. Mealtime handy helpers took turns contributing to the routine. These are small tasks, but they turn care into opportunities for children to do more for themselves.

Preparation for school included reviewing children's development and interests, with time to revisit earlier learning in April 2025. The current St Catherine's staff team holds first-aid certificates, and every team member has a current DBS check. Those arrangements sit alongside, rather than replace, the dated safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, and all-day sessions from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 9am; Afterschool Club covers 3pm to 3.30pm on the same weekdays. Children must attend at least two sessions each week.

Attendance is term-time only, with closure during school holidays. The shorter sessions provide a different commitment from an all-day booking, while the clubs add time around the core sessions. Families need to consider the holiday calendar as well as the daily timetable.

Getting There

The address is St Catherine's RC Primary School, Greystoke Gardens, Sandyford, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 1PS. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by emailing stcatherinespreschool@outlook.com or by calling 07379 973 841; look-around bookings are also offered by telephone.

The nursery describes close links with St Catherine's RC Primary School and other local schools, including arrangements for sharing nursery education between providers. Attending Ladybird does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers both 15 hours and 30 hours of Early Years Education Funding for eligible children. It also accepts childcare vouchers and participates in Tax Free Childcare. These are funding and payment routes, rather than a promise that every family qualifies.

A morning-session snack is charged separately. Private sessions and the clubs have their own charges, and current prices should form part of the nursery's written quotation; missed days because of holidays or absence receive no discount.

• Term-time coverage. School holidays fall outside the nursery's attendance calendar. Families needing care throughout the year should weigh that against the choice of shorter sessions and all-day attendance.
• The youngest children. The current age range begins at 24 months. At a visit, how would the classroom routine and personal care work for your child, including meals, nappies and wipes?
• Shared nursery education. Ladybird describes links that support attendance across providers. Discuss how handovers and learning information would work for your child; the connection with St Catherine's RC Primary School does not guarantee Reception admission.

Ladybird suits families seeking term-time preschool education through morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those choosing an all-day pattern with club extensions. In the moment planning gives children scope to follow their interests, while the April 2025 examples show practical learning through gardening, movement, language and everyday responsibilities.

The Outstanding judgement is supported by concrete care and learning detail. The decision turns on whether its school-calendar rhythm and classroom setting fit your child and your working week.