Scotswood Village Nursery

An enclosed garden, learning shaped by children's interests and practical independence give Scotswood Village Nursery a clear character. Based at St Margarets Church in Newcastle's West End, it provides early education for children aged 2 to 4 and has 34 places in total. Children can choose between indoor and outdoor play each day, giving movement and exploration a place alongside activities inside.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 23 May 2024. The detail behind that judgement matters: children were preparing dough, serving themselves at meals and encountering experiences beyond the nursery, including theatre visits and sessions in a hydrotherapy pool. These were opportunities to practise everyday skills as well as discover something unfamiliar.

Two nursery teachers work alongside the wider staff team. Full-day and half-day attendance are both offered, giving families different ways to organise their child's time here.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play and everyday activities provide opportunities to practise language, movement and independence. Development Matters Curriculum Guidance helps staff plan around what interests the children, rather than keeping topics fixed regardless of their response.

One past example began with We're Going on a Bear Hunt and developed into learning about bears. Another involved exploring an author's stories through rhyme, acting and inventing stories of their own. These examples show how an enthusiasm for books can become something children do, discuss and create, rather than simply something they listen to.

Each child has a Learning Journal, a record combining photographs, observations and examples of activities chosen by children or organised by adults. Staff use it to understand development and decide what to work on next. It gives a child's learning a continuing thread across different experiences.

In May 2024, story sessions introduced vocabulary about books and their creators. Physical activity included yoga and movement with music. Children also learnt about guitars through visitors who played both acoustic and electric instruments, connecting the sound they heard with the instrument producing it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily access to indoor and outdoor areas is part of the nursery's approach. Paint, sand, mud and water are regular materials for play, so clothing needs to withstand exploration. Uniform is optional; labelled, practical clothes make more sense here than clothes families want to keep spotless.

In May 2024, the enclosed garden contained beams for balancing and tunnels to climb over. The arrangement gave children different ways to test their movement skills, with opportunities to move between the garden and activities indoors.

Experiences beyond ordinary play were tangible. During that same period, a farmer brought hens, goats and sheep to the nursery, while children tended incubating eggs and watched them hatch. Theatre trips were prepared for through discussion and programmes showing what a theatre looks like. That preparation made the unfamiliar setting something children could anticipate before the visit.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2024, staff visited families at home before children started, gathering information about their development, interests and experiences. This gave settling a personal starting point: staff could plan around the child they were welcoming, rather than begin with the same assumptions for everyone.

Everyday routines also supported independence at that time. Children poured drinks, served food and handled cutlery, while toothbrushing practice brought self-care into the day. Staff modelled courtesy and helped children understand how to play together. Small tasks carried real responsibility.

Parents can contribute through informal conversations, stay and play sessions and meetings about their child's progress. Alongside the Learning Journal, these offer different ways to discuss learning, including opportunities to see children participating rather than relying solely on an account afterwards.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities outstanding and safeguarding effective, with staff coordinating support with education and health professionals. The team includes a SENCo role and a designated safeguarding lead, providing identifiable responsibilities within the nursery's organisation.

In May 2024, links with a local special school enabled regular hydrotherapy pool sessions. This was a concrete example of staff using another setting's facilities to extend children's experiences. It should be understood as support and activity provision, rather than a school admissions relationship.

Breakfast is provided at 10am, with choices including fruit, cereal, toast and pancakes; families supply a healthy packed lunch, leaving out juice and chocolate. Dietary needs and food preferences can be discussed with staff, making the lunch arrangement an everyday responsibility for parents as well as an opportunity to plan food their child will eat.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery offers half-day and full-day bookings. In May 2024, it operated on weekdays during term time, with sessions running from 9am to 3pm. Those hours describe the arrangement at that date, while the two booking patterns give families a choice between a shorter attendance period and a full day.

The address is St Margarets Church, Heighley Street, Scotswood, NE15 6AR. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone, and the nursery information section includes an application form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 and 30 hour free childcare for children aged 2, 3 and 4. Paid childcare is also offered. The fees page sets out payment terms; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Payments are made in advance, with weekly, monthly or whole-term options. Fees still apply when a child is absent because of sickness or a holiday, and charges also cover five training days during the year. Families therefore need to consider the payment commitment across their chosen pattern, rather than attendance alone.

• Attendance and the calendar. Full-day and half-day bookings are offered; the May 2024 arrangement was term-time weekdays, from 9am to 3pm. Which current session hours and term dates fit your family's routine?
• Settling into nursery. Home visits informed settling in May 2024. During a visit, discuss how that approach would accommodate your child's interests and previous experiences of being cared for elsewhere.
• Packed lunches and dietary needs. Families prepare lunch, while breakfast is provided. Discuss any allergy or dietary requirements and confirm the practical arrangements before your child starts.
• Payment during absence. Charges continue through sickness, holidays and five annual training days. Build those terms into the decision about half-day or full-day attendance.

Scotswood Village Nursery suits families seeking either half-day or full-day early education for a child aged 2 to 4, with learning that responds to children's interests and daily opportunities for outdoor play. Its May 2024 Outstanding judgement provides a strong inspection position, supported by concrete examples of independence, communication and experiences beyond the nursery.

The practical fit rests on attendance arrangements, advance payment terms and the packed-lunch routine. For families comfortable with those responsibilities, the combination of teachers working alongside nursery staff, Learning Journals and parent participation gives a clear picture of how children's learning is planned and discussed.