Corbridge Preschool Early Years

A modular building, an allotment patch and weekly Zumbini dance and music give Corbridge Preschool Early Years a recognisable character: small-scale preschool life with growing, movement and play built into the week. It occupies a building at Corbridge First School and has 20 places in total. Children can start in the term in which they turn two, subject to space.

Ofsted rated the setting Good at its October 2021 inspection. That is a dated judgement, rather than an assessment of the nursery today. The current offer combines child-chosen play with activities guided by adults, outdoor learning throughout the year and a sensory room for individual support.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns. The practical attraction is the choice between shorter sessions and a longer day, rather than a single attendance model.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation, physical activity and shared tasks give children opportunities to practise those skills. Corbridge uses its own play-based curriculum, organised around each child's learning rather than a named commercial programme.

Children choose activities and are encouraged to stay with a task until they finish it. Adult-guided groups add experiences and opportunities to work alongside others. That balance matters: children have room to make decisions, while staff also introduce skills and activities they might not choose independently.

Weekly Zumbini sessions combine dance and music. Gardening and art also feature each week, so movement, making and growing are recurring parts of the timetable. Gardening in the allotment patch connects learning with the practical work of raising food and flowers, including the language and physical skills involved.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed outdoor area is used throughout the year, with large play equipment and opportunities to grow vegetables. Outdoor learning also extends into the local community. These experiences give children ways to explore their surroundings alongside the activities indoors.

In October 2021, children used magnifying glasses to search beneath rocks in the garden, planted seeds in a vegetable patch and practised taking turns on a climbing frame. Dough-making, leaf printing and handling vegetables provided smaller movements alongside climbing and balancing. These are useful examples of how physical development and learning about nature were connected at that time.

There were limits to the exploration, too. In October 2021, staff sometimes stopped short of helping children take an activity further by mixing materials or combining resources. Longer answers to questions also needed more encouragement. Both points concern the depth of learning, rather than simply the number of activities on offer.

A sensory room gives staff a separate space for individual work with children and targeted developmental support. Quiet activities with a key person provide another way to spend time on a child's needs. For families, this is a concrete care arrangement: support can happen away from the main activity group.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, connects home with preschool through observations, photographs and videos, alongside information about sleep and toileting. Notifications alert parents to new entries, and the system also carries messages and invoices. It gives families a continuing account of the day rather than relying only on a conversation at collection.

At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including cooperation with parents and other professionals. Those findings belong to that visit. In October 2021, staff also helped children practise independence through getting their coats and shoes on, and shared information with local schools to support the next stage of learning.

Snacks are included in the session fee, with fruit and vegetables from the local Green Grocers and organic milk or water; families supply lunch, including hot food in a flask if they wish. The packed-lunch rules exclude chocolate and sweets and encourage healthy choices.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Corbridge C of E First School, St. Helens Lane, Corbridge, NE45 5JQ. Care runs during term time. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm; a full-day option is also offered.

Lunch Club runs from noon to 1pm. A top-up arrangement allows an 8.45am start and collection at 3.10pm. Opening hours and days are subject to availability and a minimum of six children attending, so these conditions matter when planning work or other care.

The contact form accepts enquiries and requests to arrange a visit. Fees remain payable when a child misses preschool because of illness, a holiday or personal circumstances. Families choosing regular sessions therefore need to budget for the booked attendance rather than only the days used.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted for the Universal entitlement for all three year old’s, Working families 30 hours entitlement and Funding for two year old’s. Attendance is term-time, and private session and full-day care are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The food arrangement separates an included snack from lunch supplied by parents. A registration charge includes a Corbridge Preschool T-shirt and sweatshirt. The opening times and fees page brings together the attendance patterns, funding offer and payment terms.

The preschool occupies a building at a school. Attending does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• The baby-room change. A Corbridge Preschool baby room for children from nine months was scheduled to open in September 2026. Before planning care for a baby, confirm whether it has opened and what its care arrangements involve.
• Conditional opening hours. Opening hours and days are subject to availability and a minimum of six children attending. Ask how these conditions affect the morning, afternoon or top-up pattern your family intends to use.
• Depth of learning. In October 2021, longer conversational answers and more opportunities to mix and investigate materials were improvement points. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how staff now extend children's ideas.

Corbridge suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting a full-day option. Weekly music and movement, gardening, art and year-round outdoor activity give the offer substance, while Tapestry and individual work in the sensory room provide practical links between learning, care and home.

The October 2021 Good judgement is encouraging, but its age matters. The attendance condition and the baby-room change are the decisions to resolve before choosing a pattern of care.