Maple Lodge Nursery

Loose parts for imaginative play, a garden for climbing and a progression through insect-named groups give Maple Lodge Nursery a recognisable character. Based on Moor Road South in Gosforth, it combines care for babies with a preschool stage that builds towards Reception. The emphasis changes as children grow: early movement and sensory exploration give way to conversation, independence and early writing.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There were also two practical improvements to make: staff deployment during group activities and a consistent way of helping children settle before stories. Those details matter alongside the grade.

The current age range is two months to five years. Full-day, morning and afternoon attendance are offered, with an early-start option and year-round opening apart from public bank holidays.

Rooms and Ages

The groups follow age and development, with flexibility around individual needs. That gives parents a useful way to understand the progression through nursery, while recognising that children reach stages at different times.

Caterpillar, the youngest group, extends to 14 months and combines sensory boxes, messy exploration, supported early movement, garden access, soft play and a ball pool, with sleep and meals taking place in the playroom.

Butterflies covers 14 to 21 months, with a published ratio of one adult to three children, the statutory minimum for this age; movement and emerging language develop through stories, songs, water and sand, indoor climbing equipment and outdoor ride-on play.

Bumble Bees, for 21 to 26 months, links growing communication with familiar routines, creative activities and outdoor movement using bikes and cars, while meals move into the kitchen.

Grasshoppers covers 26 months to three years and occupies an upstairs room, where supported stair use, a home corner, small-group counting and work with colours and shapes sit alongside growing independence.

Ladybirds is the three-plus group, with mark making, work on letter sounds and fine motor activities supporting early literacy, while children make more choices about their play and explore the garden.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday routines contribute to learning rather than sitting apart from it. Maple Lodge adds a Reggio inspired approach, using loose parts and open-ended play to encourage children to develop their own ideas. Activities begin with children's interests, then introduce further opportunities for literacy, maths and understanding the world.

Birth to 5 Matters informs developmental assessment. Staff record weekly snapshots from daily observations and make termly assessments, giving the key worker a basis for planning what a child might explore next. This is an assessment approach alongside the statutory framework, rather than a replacement for it.

In June 2023, children explored herbs, soil and bran flakes in a pretend dinosaur swamp, and practised hand movements with jar lids, cereal threading and dough. Small actions gave learning a practical purpose.

Stories, rhymes and songs also supported language in June 2023, alongside signing introduced after staff training. Group activities were less consistent. Some children needed more help to become ready for a story, and the allocation of staff did not reliably support attention and listening. The practical issue was how those shared moments were organised.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden play develops with children's movement: younger children push buggies and use ride-ons, while older toddlers use bikes and cars.

In June 2023, the enclosed garden supported balancing, stretching and climbing. Children also planted flowers, followed the development of caterpillars and watched chicks hatch. Nature was something to investigate over time, with imaginative play extending those experiences through scarves and blankets used to make pretend cocoons.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key worker takes responsibility for learning and development and is parents' first contact; other room practitioners can also discuss the child's day.

Three free introductory sessions, normally in the week before starting, allow children to become familiar with nursery: one lasts an hour and two last two hours each. The youngest babies initially follow home routines, gradually adopting nursery routines.

Parentzone carries updates about meals, nappies and sleep, together with photographs and messages to the key worker. Staff use iconnect to record and share those photographs as part of the child's learning journey. Parents therefore receive both care information and a view of the activities their child has been doing.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for additional needs includes collaboration with parents and guidance from the area Special Educational Needs team. In June 2023, practitioners also worked with education and health professionals, including around children's moves to school or another stage of learning. This gives a concrete mechanism for coordinating support rather than a general promise about inclusion.

Sleep arrangements change with the groups. Caterpillar and Butterflies children sleep in their playrooms, and Bumble Bees children usually nap after lunch. Grasshoppers also have an after-lunch rest, with small-group activities for children who no longer sleep. Families whose child is changing their nap pattern will find those differences relevant.

A full-time cook makes food on site, with breakfast, a two-course lunch and light tea following a five-week menu rotation. The nursery's food policy provides for allergies and religious dietary requirements.

Preparation for school becomes an emphasis in the Summer Term for older Ladybirds children. It builds on self-help skills, familiarity with routines, early literacy and independent choices, rather than introducing a separate promise about school admission.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 9 Moor Road South, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 1NN. Opening runs from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, throughout the year except public bank holidays.

Standard paid sessions run from 8am to 6pm for a full day, 8am to 1pm for a morning and 1pm to 6pm for an afternoon. A five-full-day pattern is also offered, and an extra early start begins at 7.30am. The extended full-day and morning windows are 7.30am to 6pm and 7.30am to 1pm respectively, so families can distinguish the regular session from the earlier start.

Minimum attendance is one full day; the nursery recommends at least two for continuity and settling. Term-time-only places are offered to children over three. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 0191 2131066.

Four weeks' notice is required to reduce attendance or change days. Leaving requires one month's notice or payment in lieu. Paid attendance remains chargeable when a child misses an open day through illness or holiday, and missed days cannot be exchanged or credited against additional attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and additional private sessions are offered, with arrangements for 15 and 30 hours subject to eligibility. Funding is administered over the 38-week term-time year, with hours generally spread across the full term. This is separate from the nursery's year-round opening.

Meals belonging to a private session are included in its fee: breakfast and lunch for mornings, light tea for afternoons, and all three for full days. Meals alongside funded hours are charged separately. Parents supply nappies, wipes and creams, as well as formula and prepared baby food until babies can manage the blended nursery menu.

A retainer is deducted from the first month's fees and is non-refundable if the family decides against taking the place. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Shared listening time. In June 2023, staff deployment during group activities and preparation for stories needed greater consistency. During a visit, ask how practitioners now organise these moments and help children become ready to listen.
• Early starts and minimum attendance. Regular paid mornings and full days begin at 8am, with a 7.30am start offered separately; minimum attendance is one full day. Discuss how an intended mixture of early starts and shorter sessions fits that requirement.
• Food and funding. Private-session meals are included, while funded-hour meals carry a separate charge and care supplies come from home. Request an itemised quotation for the intended pattern and, where allergies matter, confirm current food practice.

Maple Lodge suits families considering full-day attendance as well as morning or afternoon sessions, particularly those who want a clear progression from sensory baby play to greater preschool independence. The insect-named groups, loose-parts approach and Parentzone communication make the offer easy to understand in practical terms.

The June 2023 findings support that appeal, while identifying a weakness in organising shared listening activities. Early starts, minimum attendance and funded-hour food charges also shape the practical fit.