Zone4kids at Coquet Park First School & Out of School Club

A school site and a seaside setting give Coquet Park its character. Zone4kids operates within the grounds of Coquet Park First School in Whitley Bay, bringing early years care into surroundings children can become familiar with before school age. Its early years provision accepts children aged 2 to 5 and has 48 places in total. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of a child's daily group.

Ofsted judged the setting Good on 6 May 2022, with good education and positive behaviour, although larger group activities needed better organisation to keep children involved. The practical offer combines shorter daytime sessions, school-day attendance and full days during term time, alongside breakfast and after-school care.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation, physical activity and opportunities to explore form part of the child's education. Coquet Park combines adult-led activities with time for children to choose their own play. Indoor reading corners and outdoor play areas provide different spaces for quieter interests and active exploration.

In May 2022, books travelled beyond indoor story time: children shared them outdoors and at the beach, while staff connected activities with stories and introduced new vocabulary. Children's interest in sea anemones became a starting point for further discussion. This gives a concrete picture of learning built around something a child already wants to understand, rather than conversation confined to a planned lesson.

Mathematical play in May 2022 included working out where a box should sit to catch toy cars travelling down a ramp. Children compared objects by weight and size, and staff used questions about position and quantity to extend their thinking. In the garden, children kept adjusting car ramps until they stood securely. These were practical opportunities to test an idea, see what happened and try again.

Outdoor and Community Life

In May 2022, narrow balance beams and a steep incline gave children opportunities to practise movement and judge manageable risks. Visits to the nearby beach and litter collections connected learning with the surrounding environment. Caring for the coast became something children could take part in themselves.

Community activity at that time also included helping restore a rocking chair for a residential home, visiting a recycling centre and taking French lessons. These examples added contact with people, places and a language beyond everyday nursery play. Current arrangements allow occasional walks and off-site visits with parental consent, making outdoor clothing and permission forms practical parts of attendance.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is adjusted to each child's needs and agreed with parents. Most children settle within three sessions, but the period can be shorter or longer. Families complete forms before the start date and attend during the preceding week to share information about their child. The value is in that exchange: staff can begin with the child's routines and needs rather than discover them after care has started.

Nursery in a Box is the group-wide parent app used to share photos, observations and updates about activities, meals, naps and milestones, with messaging between families and staff. It gives parents a way to follow the day and raise questions between conversations in person. In May 2022, staff also discussed children's progress and daily experiences with parents, helping families continue learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported, with staff identifying individual needs and undertaking relevant specialist training. Those are dated judgements, and the individual support needed by a new child remains a useful subject for a visit.

Current collection arrangements require parental authorisation for anyone outside the child's named collection contacts. Parents are informed about accidents and sign the relevant form. Medication requires a completed form and its original labelled packaging; the terms also require children to stay home for 24 hours after newly prescribed medication or antibiotics. These rules affect how families plan both routine care and a return after illness.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Coquet Park First School, The Links, Whitley Bay, NE26 1TQ. Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time only, for 39 weeks. School holidays therefore need separate childcare arrangements for families who work throughout the year.

Full-day sessions run from 7.45am to 6pm. Half-day bookings cover 9am to noon or noon to 3pm, and the School Day runs from 9am to 3pm. Breakfast club and after-school care are also offered. The daytime choices give families a substantial difference between a short session, attendance across the school day and care spanning the working day.

Coquet Park can be contacted on 0191 814 3344 or at zkcp@tynemouthnursery.com. Increasing a booking requires one week's notice and depends on availability; reducing attendance or ending the contract requires one month's written notice. Fees continue during sickness and holidays, so missed attendance does not remove the cost of a booked session.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with eligible children using 15/30 hours each week over 38 term-time weeks. Coquet Park opens for 39 weeks, leaving one attendance week outside the funded period, with advance notification to families. Additional private hours are chargeable. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the Coquet Park terms set out its contract arrangements.

Meals, snacks and refreshments carry a separate Meals and Consumables charge, including on funded attendance; the nursery caters for vegetarian diets, allergies and intolerances, and its policy aims to exclude nuts with parental support. The charge also covers wipes, nappy cream and sun cream, along with activities, outings and events, while parents supply their child's preferred nappies and any required formula milk.

Getting There

Being on the Coquet Park First School site allows children to become familiar with the school surroundings. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• The extra term-time week. Attendance spans 39 weeks, while funding covers 38. Include the non-funded week and separate meals and consumables charges when comparing the total cost of your intended pattern.
• Participation in group activities. In May 2022, waiting for turns caused some children to lose interest and miss an activity. During a visit, ask how larger activities now keep children participating.
• Settling and individual support. Settling length is agreed with each family. Use a visit to discuss how that plan would work alongside any communication, developmental or care needs your child has.
• Food allergies. The nursery's policy aims to exclude nuts and accommodates allergies and intolerances. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food handling and their child's arrangements before starting.

Coquet Park suits families seeking term-time half days or school-day attendance as well as those needing full-day care, with breakfast and after-school provision adding another practical option. Its school-site setting is the strongest current point of difference. The May 2022 picture adds beach learning, hands-on experiments and community involvement, balanced by the need to improve participation in larger activities. The decisive financial detail is the difference between weeks open and weeks funded, alongside separately charged extras.