YMCA Day Nursery

A former bank safe now houses a Sensory Room, while regular allotment trips take children beyond the nursery’s own play spaces. Those two features give YMCA Day Nursery in North Shields a recognisable character: room to investigate light and sound indoors, and opportunities to get hands into soil outside. Its connection with YMCA North Tyneside also extends children’s activities to the organisation’s main hall across the road.

Children attend from three months to five years. Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its inspection on 2 July 2021. That is a dated judgement, rather than a verdict on the curriculum introduced afterwards; the present account of daily activities centres on sensory exploration, creative work, relationships and growing independence.

Full days, mornings and afternoons are offered, with a minimum booking of two days each week.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room serves the youngest age group, with everyday objects to investigate, books supported by story props and an area for very young babies, alongside an adjoining sleep room. Having sleep accommodation next to the activity space matters: rest has its own place rather than sharing the main play area. The baby facilities also include a kitchen area for preparing snacks and bottles.

For two-year-olds, the Toddler Room combines sand and water, creative materials and loose objects with spaces for pretend play and group stories, encouraging exploration and interaction.

In the Pre-School Room, for three- and four-year-olds, construction, creative work and changing pretend-play settings sit alongside circle time, where children identify their own picture and name and talk about feelings. These are practical beginnings for school preparation: recognising themselves, expressing an idea and participating with other children. The wider preschool age band runs from three to five years.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the shared framework for children’s learning and development. Making marks, hearing stories, handling materials and practising social skills support progress across its areas of learning.

Alongside it sits the group-wide YMCA Early Years Curriculum, adopted at this nursery through a partnership with YMCA Black Country. Its themes connect children’s understanding of themselves with their families and communities; its pillars include Body, Mind and Spirit, as well as belonging, contributing and thriving. The curriculum guidance has an inclusive Christian ethos, with stories, festivals and activities used to explore different cultures and beliefs. That gives parents something substantive to consider about the values running through the day.

I Wonder questions give children time to think: practitioners model curiosity through open questions, encouraging discussion of possible solutions. Creative work uses a plan-do-review process to help children consider and reflect on their creations.

Outdoor and Community Life

Beside the toddler space, the Sensory Room occupies the building’s former safe, an enclosed room with no windows. Bubble tubes, interactive floor tiles, instruments and UV lighting offer different ways to explore sound, movement and light. It provides a change of setting and pace from the main activity rooms, with sensory engagement available to children with additional needs as well as their peers.

Regular allotment visits add contact with soil and growing things; other outings are shared with families beforehand. Across the road, the YMCA North Tyneside main hall provides space for energetic indoor play and group activities.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is organised around the individual child. The process begins with a session attended together by parent and child, followed by a session where the child stays with staff; subsequent visits develop according to how the child settles. An All About Me form gathers information about sleep, food preferences and other individual needs. For babies especially, this creates a practical connection between home routines and nursery care.

Key-person relationships also have a place in the Baby Room, where the youngest children can have individual time with their key worker. Conversations with parents include feedback about the day and significant moments in children’s development. Together, these arrangements give families both a familiar relationship for their child and a way to share information that changes from day to day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support uses the Graduated Approach: assessment helps identify emerging needs and organise targeted assistance. The nursery works with the New North Tyneside Early Years Inclusion Service, while its team structure includes a preschool lead with a SENCO role.

Collection arrangements include a parent-selected password for trusted people collecting a child for the first time, and staff contact parents if an unexpected person comes to collect. Access passes through two doors with coded locks, and staff carry out daily checks of indoor and outdoor spaces.

Food is made on the premises using fresh ingredients, with vegetarian choices and a weaning menu; the nursery’s dietary policy covers allergies and religious requirements. Meals on funded attendance are charged separately, with a healthy packed lunch accepted as an alternative.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 7 Northumberland Place, North Shields, NE30 1QP. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm, and the nursery operates across the year. Full Time attendance runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Mornings run from 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. The two-day weekly minimum applies to all enrolments, including families choosing shorter sessions.

The Christmas closure falls between Christmas and New Year, with a further day closed for staff training. Admissions take account of siblings already attending and children’s welfare circumstances; full-time applications may take preference over part-time ones depending on work commitments, occupancy and the room involved. These conditions matter when choosing an attendance pattern, even where several session types suit a family’s timetable.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0191 282 8137 or by email at nursery@ymcanorthtyneside.org. Applications use the nursery management system, and monthly invoices distinguish funded hours from fee-paying attendance. The nursery also offers a virtual tour of its spaces.

Getting There

North Shields Metro Station is a short walk away, with local bus connections nearby. Parking options include Church Way on-street parking, Upper Camden Street Car Park and The Beacon Centre Car Park, giving families alternatives to travelling by Metro.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid attendance are both offered. Funding options include Working Family Funding (30 hours), Universal Funding (15 hours for 3-4 year olds) and Non-Working Family Funding (15 hours for eligible 2 year olds). Entitlement depends on the family’s circumstances; the choice of a session does not itself establish eligibility.

Funded hours can be used during term time or stretched across the year, with fewer hours each week under the stretched arrangement. Meals carry a separate charge during funded attendance. Nappies and wipes are covered within nursery fees, and trips and additional activities do not attract an extra consumables charge. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, with the funding and charge structure setting out how the categories work.

• Two-day commitment. Every enrolment requires a minimum booking pattern of two days each week. At a visit, discuss how the morning, afternoon or full-day pattern would work alongside your child’s settling visits and home routines.
• Funded attendance and food. Funded hours and meal costs are separate, and a healthy packed lunch is an alternative. Families managing allergies should confirm current food preparation and dietary arrangements before choosing between nursery meals and food from home.
• Curriculum values. The group curriculum combines an inclusive Christian ethos with exploration of children’s cultures and beliefs. A useful visit question is how these themes, and the I Wonder questioning technique, translate into activities for your child’s age group.

YMCA Day Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, provided the two-day minimum fits their week. The Sensory Room, regular allotment visits and access to the YMCA main hall give children several settings for exploration and movement. Individual settling and the Graduated Approach add practical detail to its care arrangements. The dated Good judgement provides an inspection reference point; the attendance commitment and funded-meal structure are the main decisions for parents weighing the offer.