St Mary's Nursery

A lower-room limit of eight children under two, a separate sleeping area and school-age clubs give St Mary's Nursery a practical identity beyond preschool care alone. Based at Hencotes in Hexham, it has 49 places overall and accepts children aged 0 to 132 months. The youngest children's space deserves attention: provision for crawling and sleep sits alongside the main play room.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. There were also clear priorities for improvement: staff needed a more consistent understanding of each child's next learning steps, stronger knowledge of language support and professional development that extended their teaching practice.

The building has two floors with separate entrances, supporting access for wheelchairs and buggies. Alongside nursery opening hours, an Early Bird option and school-age care broaden the arrangements families can use.

Rooms and Ages

The lower room accommodates up to 24 children, including no more than eight under-twos, with an enclosed crawling space and a separate sleep area. That under-two limit is a room maximum, rather than a statement about the number attending on any particular day.

The upper room accommodates up to 25 children and also serves school-age breakfast, after-school and holiday care. Its shared purpose matters when considering the nursery's layout: the two floors support different uses, rather than representing two exclusively preschool rooms.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play and direct experience, encompassing communication, physical development, relationships and early literacy and mathematics. Here, the practical emphasis is on children learning by doing. The framework itself is the baseline for early-years provision; the useful detail is how activities put it into practice.

In November 2023, stories and songs featured daily, while conversations around water play introduced vocabulary about floating and sinking. Mathematical experiences moved from matching colours to recognising shapes. These were everyday opportunities to practise language and number ideas, rather than lessons detached from play.

Physical challenges also varied with children's development. In November 2023, babies explored small wooden structures, toddlers balanced across arrangements of crates, and older children handled tools and wood to construct models. Pouring coloured soap between containers provided another opportunity to practise coordination. The examples show learning through materials children could handle and change.

Outdoor and Community Life

Remembrance Day connected nursery activities with Hexham's community in November 2023: children decorated poppies for a nearby shop's windows around a local parade. This gave a familiar public event a concrete connection to children's own work.

Smarty’s Out of school Clubs provides before-school, after-school and holiday care, with access to the school's playground and sports field. Bikes, climbing resources and a quiet garden give school-age children different ways to spend their time, including space for both active play and quieter pursuits.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2023, each child had a key person who knew them well, but other staff did not consistently understand that child's next developmental steps. The distinction matters: a close relationship with one adult needs to be supported by useful information across the team, especially when another practitioner takes over care or speaks with parents.

Staff listened to children's preferences and enabled them to choose their play in November 2023. Older children also shared stories with younger ones. These observations give substance to the nursery's mixed-age experience, while the communication improvement priority remains a useful consideration for families.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported children with special educational needs and disabilities through additional resources or sessions and referrals to specialists, while identifying a need to strengthen practitioners' knowledge of support for delayed language development. Support mechanisms were present, but staff development still required attention.

Children with additional needs can receive input involving outside agencies and their specialist nurse or consultant. Staff have undertaken training relating to disabilities and medical needs, providing a practical starting point for discussing an individual child's care.

An employed cook prepares lunch, lighter teas and snacks, with tasting dishes sometimes added to the termly menus. This allows children's responses to help shape subsequent food choices.

Camera-controlled entry operates on both floors, and visitors have appointments, identity checks and supervision. These are concrete access arrangements; the separate, dated safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at St. Marys First School, Hencotes, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 2EE. It opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and operates for 51 weeks, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas.

Early Bird sessions begin at 7.30am and require advance booking with an additional charge. Smarty’s Out of school Clubs runs before and after school and during school holidays, giving families an attendance option beyond nursery-age care.

School-age collections include St Mary’s RC 1st School and Sele County 1st School. The nursery shares the St Mary’s RC 1st School site; attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place.

Getting There

The adjacent Church car park may be used for visits, collection and drop-off, with considerate parking required. Driving or parking within the school grounds is prohibited, so the distinction between the two areas matters for the daily routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. The Early Bird arrangement is separately charged and must be booked beforehand.

• Continuity between practitioners. November 2023 highlighted uneven understanding of children's next learning steps beyond their key person. On a visit, ask how that information now reaches every practitioner caring for your child.
• Language support. Staff knowledge of helping children with delayed language development was a November 2023 improvement priority, alongside further development of teaching practice. Families needing this support should discuss how it would work for their child.
• The complete attendance cost. Early Bird care carries an additional charge and requires advance booking. Ask for a written quotation covering your chosen attendance pattern, current funded-hours arrangements, meals and non-food consumables.
• Shared site, separate admissions. School-age care includes collection from St Mary’s RC 1st School, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Treat nursery attendance and a Reception place as separate decisions.

St Mary's suits families looking for nursery care with a defined limit for under-twos, and those using Early Bird sessions or Before / After School and Holiday Clubs for older children. The separate sleep area and school-age outdoor spaces give those arrangements practical substance.

The November 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific development priorities. Communication across practitioners and support for language development are the most useful areas to explore when deciding whether its care arrangements fit your child.