Bright Start Childcare, Solway House

A water wall, a road track and a quiet space for stories give Solway House a recognisable character: there is room for movement, exploration and a slower pace. Bright Start Childcare, Solway House serves children from three months to five years, with 75 places in total, on Station Road in Forest Hall. Its outdoor space includes grass, a sandpit and an area for growing vegetables, while garden-facing rooms connect to the outside.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 9 January 2023, with recommendations to broaden outdoor learning and make preschool staff deployment more effective in supporting learning.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings serve different family routines, with funded childcare stretched across the year.

Rooms and Ages

The ladybird quiet room gives storytelling a dedicated setting, alongside a sensory area and baby and toddler room. There is space for quieter activity alongside energetic play.

In January 2023, activities in the baby room were positioned at varying heights to encourage physical development. Mirrors offered another way for babies to explore, while toddlers joined stories supported by puppets. Preschool children measured ingredients for play dough, bringing mathematical language into an activity they could handle and change themselves.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, the day translates that into play, language, physical activity and growing independence. The nursery's curriculum information describes planning that follows children's interests and prepares for their next learning steps. Parents contribute information about learning at home, giving practitioners another starting point for activities.

For younger children, the curriculum includes face-to-face exchanges in which adults pause for a response, picture books and a song bag that connects objects with songs. Makaton is used to support spoken language. Children can join in through sounds, gestures and familiar words.

The preschool plans move towards longer conversations, explaining ideas and organising play with other children. Books are used for prediction and discussion, while photographs shared by families provide something personal to talk about. Early writing develops through play and children's growing interest, with support for making meaningful marks and forming letters.

Mathematics also has practical roots. Construction materials support exploration of shapes and structures, counting is brought into activities, and patterns are made for children to continue. Preschool plans include food preparation, independent snack preparation and gardening tools. These activities give children something to measure, compare, organise or manipulate, so learning has a visible connection to what they are doing.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines a soft surface road track with water play, sand and vegetable growing. Garden-facing rooms have outdoor access, making the physical relationship between inside and outside part of the setting's layout. The different resources offer opportunities for riding, investigating materials and watching plants change.

Preschool curriculum plans include park trips to use larger climbing equipment, community walks and visits to buildings such as a library or church. They also include making books about outings so children can revisit their experiences. Outings become material for later conversation and play.

Insect lore introduces the butterfly lifecycle, and planting activities include seeds that children can take home. These give observation a concrete subject: children can talk about living things and changes they can see. In January 2023, however, outdoor activities did not sustain engagement as effectively as the indoor provision, and some children needed more adult input to stay involved. Equipment and the quality of learning around it deserve separate attention.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with information from parents about what comforts their baby, supported by all about me sheets and access to familiar comfort items. The younger children's curriculum also calls for close work with parents and the previous key worker when children move into another age group. This makes room changes a relationship matter as well as a change of activities.

Preschool planning includes individual time with a key worker, consistent staff in the room and a visual feelings board. These give children practical ways to connect with an adult and recognise emotions. For toddlers, the curriculum proposes short, active group experiences and adults who stay physically close and available while children explore.

In January 2023, family photographs helped toddlers practise naming familiar people, while preschool play with baby dolls supported conversations about a new sibling. Staff also used routines to build independence: toddlers poured water, babies practised feeding themselves and older children helped with food and table tasks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support a strength, with staff working closely with other professionals and using their advice when planning additional support.

Current curriculum plans recognise children learning English as an additional language and invite parents to share favourite rhymes and stories. Visual timetables help children understand what happens next, while feelings work and supported turn-taking give them ways to manage shared play. These are specific practices parents can discuss in relation to their own child.

A chef cooks meals on site, and children eat in a bright dining room. Meal costs depend on the booking: they are separate on funded sessions and included with additional privately paid full or half days.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. It closes on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas.

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. The morning half-day session runs from 7.30am to 12.30pm, and the afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm. A maximum of 10 funded hours can be applied to a day.

Getting There

The address is 5 Station Road, Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8AN. Solway House has free parking, is five minutes walk from Benton Metro Station and sits on a main bus route close to the A191.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form. Nursery viewings can be arranged by calling.

Funding and Paid Extras

Bright Start offers 30 hours free childcare for eligible children aged nine months and over, beginning in the term after they reach that age and subject to government criteria. Funding is stretched over 51 weeks for autumn and spring starters; summer starters' funding is spread over 16.5 weeks, starting after the Easter holidays. Families need to understand the allocation that applies to their start date, alongside their chosen session pattern.

Funded sessions carry separate meal charges. Parents supply nappies and wipes, and a voluntary contribution for sun cream applies from April to September. Trips and additional activities can also involve voluntary contributions. Families wishing to provide their own chargeable extras can discuss opting out with the nursery manager; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Outdoor learning. In January 2023, outdoor activities needed more variety and stronger engagement. During a visit, explore how the water wall, road track and planting area are used to sustain children's play.
• Preschool staff deployment. The January 2023 improvement work included making staff deployment more effective in supporting preschool learning. Ask how practitioners divide their attention between independent play and activities needing adult involvement.
• Funding and start dates. Stretched funding arrangements differ by starting term, and funded days have a daily hours limit. Request a written explanation of how your start date, attendance pattern and extras fit together.
• Settling for younger children. Comfort items and all about me sheets feature in the younger children's plans. Ask how these are used with your baby's key person and how a later room move is prepared.

Solway House suits families choosing between full days and morning or afternoon sessions, with an interest in play-based learning, practical independence and access to outdoor resources. The water wall, planting area and ladybird quiet room give that offer a concrete shape. The January 2023 Good judgement supports the overall picture, while outdoor learning and preschool staff deployment remain the most useful subjects for a visit. Funding flexibility also needs to be understood alongside meal charges, parent-supplied consumables and the child's starting term.