Little Twisters Day Nursery

A role-play village with a bakery and supermarket, a garden pirate ship and outings to Rising Sun country park give Little Twisters Day Nursery a recognisable character. Physical play has plenty of space here, from babies practising movement to preschool children climbing, investigating and inventing games. Sharing premises with Round The Twist soft play adds another setting for exploration.

The Benton nursery has capacity for 70 children, with a current age range of three months to five years. At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, and the detail beneath it matters: warm relationships and purposeful play sat alongside weaknesses in mealtime engagement and the suitability of some learning activities.

Families can choose full days, morning or afternoon sessions, or a shorter School Day Session. The rooms and practical arrangements deserve equal attention when deciding which pattern fits.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybird room serves babies and toddlers up to two years, combining an emphasis on communication, movement and relationships with a soft play corner, a mirror with a ballet bar, a cruising platform and a reading corner. These give younger children different ways to practise pulling up, explore objects and share stories, rather than relying on one kind of play.

From two years, Caterpillar room encourages independence through freely accessible creative activities, pretend play and books, while its corner platform slide provides opportunities to practise climbing and movement. The combination gives toddlers room to make choices and return to activities that interest them.

Grasshopper room brings preschool learning into a large space with high ceilings, a role-play village, an investigation station and areas for number work and literacy. Its bakery, clothing store, supermarket and police station give imaginative play concrete settings: children can recreate familiar experiences while using language with one another.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the nursery day through play, conversation, physical activity and experiences that develop relationships, language and understanding. These are the foundations of early-years education, rather than an extra unique to Little Twisters. Birth to Five matters supplies additional curriculum guidance, placing children’s family connections, community, health and wellbeing alongside their learning.

Younger children’s experiences emphasise movement, communication and social development. As those foundations grow, learning extends into reading and writing, numbers, creative expression and making sense of the world. Songs, rhymes, books and conversation support early literacy; counting and language about sequences bring mathematical ideas into daily routines. The practical value is continuity: learning happens during play and ordinary exchanges as well as planned activities.

In March 2022, babies explored a tunnel and made painted marks using trains, while older children tested boats in water and experimented with objects that floated or sank. These examples show the difference between an adult presenting an idea and a child taking it further through investigation. They also give parents useful reference points for discussing the present curriculum.

The same March 2022 assessment identified activities that did not fit every child’s development. Some preschool children lost interest when work on letters and sounds was too difficult. An attractive room is only part of the picture; the challenge must fit the child using it.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden separates different kinds of movement. An enclosed decked area serves babies and younger toddlers, soft tarmac supports bikes and trikes, and a grassed section contains a multi-level pirate ship with climbing opportunities, a swing and a slide. That variety allows physical play to change as children become more mobile.

Regular outings take children to Round the Twist and Rising Sun country park. The shared soft play premises also provide access to climbing frames, sensory rooms, mini golf and another role-play village, extending exploration beyond the nursery rooms. Older preschool children can use a Valor play experience combining cognitive challenges with physical activity.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2022, babies sought out their key person and followed them, giving a concrete picture of the relationships supporting their day. Staff sang and talked with babies, then extended language as children grew. Care and communication were closely connected: familiar adults were part of both comfort and learning.

Parent conversations in March 2022 covered children’s activities and the skills staff intended to develop next. Staff also acted on parents’ suggestions about their children. That makes the exchange more useful than a simple account of what happened during the day: family knowledge can help shape the next steps.

Sleep has its own spaces. Ladybird room includes individual sleeping pods and a nursing chair, while Caterpillar and Grasshopper children use a communal sleeping area with subdued lighting, soothing sounds and a projection ceiling. Rest is therefore accommodated separately from the main play experiences described for each age group.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that funding was used effectively to support good progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager’s current responsibilities include leadership of special education, health and safety, and safeguarding. These are identifiable responsibilities; families can discuss how they translate into support for their own child.

Movement also features in current staff practice through yoga, dance and exercise with older children. Alongside the climbing equipment and outdoor spaces, these activities give physical development a place in both planned experiences and play.

Routine care needs attention too. In March 2022, children waited too long around lunch and some became bored while others finished eating and plates were cleared. The improvement priorities included keeping children involved during everyday routines, matching activities to their development and directing staff development towards better teaching, including literacy.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Twisters opens for 51 weeks a year, with an opening window of 7am to 6.30pm. Full-day bookings run from either 7.30am to 5.30pm or 8am to 6pm. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm or 8am to 1pm; afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm.

The School Day Session runs from 9am to 3pm. A paid extension can take a full-day booking to 7am to 6.30pm, and morning or afternoon bookings can have an additional half-hour. These are different choices, so the longest opening window should not be mistaken for the hours included in a standard full day.

Funded patterns include full days with the same two time options, plus half days from 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. The funded Pre School Place runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, and is restricted to children aged three and over using 30 funded hours.

Getting There

The address is Unit 28, Bellingham Drive, North Tyne Industrial Estate, Whitley Road, Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 9SZ. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 0191 215 9408 or by email to enquiries@littletwisters.net.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside private bookings. The entitlements described include up to 30 hours a week for eligible working families with children from nine months to four years, 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds and 15 hours for children aged three. Eligibility depends on the relevant entitlement and family circumstances; these descriptions do not guarantee a funded place.

For funded placements, meals are charged separately, with breakfast, lunch and tea covered by the meal package when eaten during the booked session. A separate funded consumables charge covers wipes and sun cream, snacks outside the meal package, Stay and Play session costs, trips and celebrations; it applies over 38 funded weeks.

Those payments are not a condition of the funded placement, and families who cannot or choose not to pay can discuss alternatives. An administration charge applies except where a child accesses only their free entitlement. Fees are billed monthly in advance, with payment by standing order, bank transfer or Tax-Free Childcare; current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, and the funding and fees page sets out the booking and charge structure.

• The youngest starting age. The current age range begins at three months, while the nursery describes care from six weeks. Families seeking an earlier start should clarify the accepted age before arranging care.
• Learning and lunchtime routines. The March 2022 priorities concerned waiting during routines, activities pitched beyond some children’s development and staff development, including literacy. On a visit, ask how lunchtime keeps children involved and how learning is adapted to different stages.
• Funded extras. Meals and consumables carry separate funded-placement charges, but paying them is not a condition of the placement. Discuss the alternatives alongside the attendance pattern so the arrangement is clear before booking.

Little Twisters suits families wanting substantial opportunities for movement and imaginative play, with full days, morning or afternoon sessions and a 9am to 3pm option serving different schedules. The role-play village, varied garden and regular outings give the experience substance beyond the room names.

The March 2022 Good judgement provides a useful assessment, with specific teaching and routine-care improvements to weigh alongside it. For babies, the movement equipment and sleeping pods are practical attractions; for older children, investigations, pretend shops and outdoor climbing broaden the day. The decision rests on choosing the right attendance pattern and understanding how today’s practice addresses those dated priorities.