Plantpots Jesmond

Daily woodland visits, Spanish lessons and tennis give Plantpots Jesmond a character closely tied to its setting at The Northumberland Club. Montessori shapes the nursery day: children choose activities, practise doing things for themselves and learn through play. The garden adds another practical dimension, with rabbits to care for and fruit and vegetables to grow.

Ofsted rated Plantpots Jesmond Outstanding at its inspection on 1 July 2021. That is a dated judgement, and should be read alongside the later concern listed below. The nursery welcomes children from nine months to five years, with flexible attendance across an all-year opening schedule.

Learning and Activities

Montessori here means giving children choices with practical responsibilities attached. They decide where to play, select activities and serve themselves lunch. Materials have their own places, and children learn to put them back. These are useful details for parents who want independence to be part of everyday care rather than an occasional activity.

Montessori guides the nursery's emphasis on children's choices and hands-on learning. Staff observe children's interests and needs, then adjust the environment and activities around them; the intention is to let children work at their own pace while adults guide their learning.

Daily Spanish lessons add regular language exposure. Games, drama, stories and songs give children several ways to take part, rather than relying on formal instruction. Tennis sessions use The Northumberland Club's facilities, making the nursery's location relevant to the activities children can experience. No particular frequency is attached to tennis.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School brings outdoor learning into the daily routine through visits to a woodland area. Children explore nature, practise judging risks and tackle problems together. For families who value outdoor play, the important point is its place in the ordinary nursery day, rather than a programme name alone.

The building also has its own garden, with natural play resources and a fruit and vegetable patch. Looking after the pet rabbits, Ace and Deuce, gives children another concrete responsibility. Growing food and helping care for animals connect practical tasks with the natural world on a scale young children can understand.

Outdoor clothing is part of the arrangement. Waterproofs, suitable footwear and spare clothes feature in the Forest School clothing guidance, alongside a named bottle and backpack. Families choosing this nursery should be comfortable with muddy clothing and the preparation that regular woodland activity involves.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is allocated a keyworker when they start. That role connects their interests and stage of development with planning, so individual attention has a defined place in the nursery's approach. It also gives families a clear relationship around which to discuss their child's experience.

An online Learning Journey contains photographs, observations and the next steps in a child's learning. Termly parent meetings provide a separate opportunity for discussion, while email newsletters and weekly activity information help families follow what children are doing. Together, these give parents both individual updates and a view of the wider nursery week.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND planning includes individual targets, with each child's key worker representing their needs. Activities are adapted to enable participation, and the nursery manager holds the SEND co-ordinator role. These are specific support mechanisms, rather than a promise that one approach will suit every child.

The team's arrangements include regular training within the nursery. For parents, the more useful distinction is how individual needs are carried into daily planning: the keyworker system and activity adaptations describe that process directly. The Montessori emphasis on choice also allows children to approach activities at their own pace.

Food is prepared each day by an in-house chef at the tennis club, with snacks, breakfast, afternoon tea and a hot two-course lunch in the package. This makes catering part of the nursery day; the charge structure for funded attendance is set out below.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Northumberland Club, North Jesmond Avenue, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 3JU. Plantpots Jesmond opens throughout the year, Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm. Flexible hours let parents choose their child's start and collection times within that opening window, so the attendance arrangement can be shaped around the family's day.

Online registration is available through the joining route, with joining information sent after registration. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by email. Open days are also held during the year.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use 15 or 30 funded hours, delivered either during term time or through a stretched arrangement across the year. Private, non-funded attendance is offered too. Tax-Free Childcare payments are accepted, and childcare vouchers are accepted subject to the scheme's stated cut-off condition.

For non-funded attendance, the inclusive package covers meals, snacks, wipes and sun cream. Funded sessions carry a separate enrichment-package charge covering those meals, snacks and supplies; this distinction matters when comparing funded hours with the total attendance bill. The package also covers enrichment activities, including Spanish and Forest School.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page sets out the package and funding arrangements, while the Montessori approach explains the practical emphasis on children's choices and independence.

• Later regulatory record. Ofsted's records list a concern dated 26 January 2023; its outcome is not published, so families may want to ask the nursery about it.
• Outdoor preparation. Daily woodland visits make weatherproof clothing and spare clothes a practical part of attendance. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how outdoor participation works for your child's age and needs.
• The funded attendance bill. Funded sessions have a separate package charge for food, supplies and enrichment. Compare the written quotation for your intended attendance pattern, including that charge.
• Individual support. Keyworker planning includes SEND targets and adapted activities. During a visit, discuss how these arrangements would address your child's particular needs.

Plantpots Jesmond suits families seeking flexible start and collection times, whether they need a shorter attendance window or care spanning more of the nursery's opening day. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of Montessori independence, daily woodland activity and Spanish, with tennis linked to The Northumberland Club. The 2021 Outstanding judgement is part of that picture; the later concern and the funded-session package charge deserve attention when making a decision.