St Cuthberts Playgroup

Conversation, stories and experiments with floating objects shaped the day at St Cuthberts Playgroup in May 2021. At that inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and progress among children learning English as an additional language.

The playgroup has capacity for 30 children and is based at St. Cuthberts Primary School in Newcastle upon Tyne. Children attending in May 2021 were aged two to three. A later regulatory visit in April 2025 identified a failure to notify a change of manager, an important qualification to the older inspection picture.

In May 2021, the early years foundation stage took practical form through stories, action songs, building and investigation. Children explored whether objects floated or sank, while tower-building introduced words for comparing size. Picture cards helped them understand activities and choose what to try.

Talking with Twos was a communication intervention used alongside small-group work in May 2021. Storytelling also gave children opportunities to speak and remember: they retold The Three Bears and acted out Goldilocks breaking the chair. These examples give families a concrete picture of how language was woven into play.

Outside, children rode tricycles in May 2021, and an early-morning music and movement session added opportunities for physical activity. During some adult-led activities, however, information came too quickly for children to form and share their ideas. Slowing that pace was an improvement priority.

In May 2021, staff used patient interactions, simple language and reminders about sharing to help children manage play together. They also reminded children to sit while eating, making safety part of an ordinary routine.

Before children started, staff gathered details about care needs and daily routines in May 2021. They needed fuller information about existing skills and knowledge, however, so learning could be planned more precisely from the beginning. For families, that makes the initial conversation about a child's development especially important.

The address is St. Cuthberts Primary School, Balmain Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3QR. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a place at St. Cuthberts Primary School.

In May 2021, the playgroup operated on weekdays during term time, with session times of 8.45am to 11.45am and 8.45am to 3pm. It also provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four at that time. These arrangements describe the inspection-era offer.

• Manager-change notification. Following a visit on 29 April 2025, Ofsted reported in its 2 May 2025 complaint outcome that the provider had failed to notify a change of manager and remained registered. This is the latest published regulatory position, rather than a new judgement on education.
• Time to respond. In May 2021, some activities moved too quickly for children to develop their answers. Ask how staff now allow thinking time during adult-led activities.
• Starting points and attendance. The May 2021 priorities included gathering fuller developmental information from parents. At a visit, discuss how that information informs settling and which attendance pattern would fit your child.

St Cuthberts Playgroup suits families who value communication through stories, practical exploration and small-group work, judging from its May 2021 practice. Its inspection-era attendance options accommodated both a shorter morning and a longer session ending in the afternoon. The May 2021 inspection provides a dated assessment; the April 2025 notification finding also deserves consideration when weighing the setting today.