What A Hoot Day Nursery Bedlington

A dedicated Mindfulness & Yoga Room and participation in What A Hoot's group-wide in-house drama and imagination provision give What A Hoot Day Nursery Bedlington a recognisable character. Emotional expression and make-believe have their own place here, alongside bright playrooms furnished with natural materials. The setting is based at Forster House on Forster Avenue in Bedlington and accepts children aged 3 to 60 months.

At its 6 August 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. That judgement belongs to an earlier period of the nursery's life. The most useful detail beneath it concerns children's independence, communication and participation, including a clear improvement point about quieter children.

There are three nursery rooms, separating babies, younger children and preschool children. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks, with bank holiday closures.

Rooms and Ages

WOOS accommodates the baby age band, from birth to two; TWOS serves children aged two to three; WITS is the preschool room for ages three to five. These room bands describe the organisation of the nursery, while the setting's accepted age range starts at three months.

Bright interiors and natural resources provide the physical setting for play. The separation by age gives families a clear picture of where their child belongs, rather than treating the nursery as one undifferentiated group. It also makes the move into preschool a change of room within the same setting.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play and experiences support their growing language, movement, relationships and independence. Bedlington participates in the group's in-house drama and imagination provision, using original songs and stories to introduce imaginary adventures through woodland, beneath the sea and towards the moon. Babies take part too. The practical attraction is the use of storytelling across age groups, rather than reserving imaginative activities for preschool children.

In August 2021, staff brought early mathematics into pretend play on a wooden bus in the garden, with children counting their fare. Children also chose resources and helped put them away. These examples show how an ordinary game or routine could carry learning, rather than separating all teaching into adult-led activities.

The same August 2021 findings identified a weakness in planning: some practitioners needed a clearer understanding of what they intended to teach individual children. Quieter children were also not consistently drawn into activities, leaving opportunities to develop their learning unused. For parents, this is a more useful consideration than the grade alone. An engaging activity still needs a clear purpose and a way for less confident children to participate.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space is part of the Bedlington setting, complementing the natural materials used indoors. In August 2021, children practised balance and climbing using tyres and planks arranged as an obstacle course. Younger children mixed water with mud using utensils, while older children handled tongs and made marks with painting tools. These were practical opportunities to develop hand control and coordination.

The Mindfulness & Yoga Room adds a different kind of activity. Children use it to explore emotional literacy, with attention to breathing, balance, self-awareness and acceptance of others. For a family interested in how a nursery helps children recognise feelings, the dedicated room is a concrete feature to explore, rather than a broad promise about wellbeing.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2021, practitioners knew the interests and development of their key children and used that knowledge in planning. Information about learning reached parents through daily online updates. That arrangement connected the nursery day with home: parents could see what their child was working on and support it beyond the setting.

Independence was also built into ordinary routines in August 2021. Choosing an activity and tidying afterwards gave children responsibilities they could manage. Staff encouraged children to talk about feelings and supported them when behaviour became difficult. These dated examples are useful indicators of the approach assessed at that time, rather than a description of today's communication system.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2021 inspection, Ofsted found that collaboration with other professionals supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. The value lay in staff working beyond the nursery team when children needed additional help.

The current Mindfulness & Yoga Room gives emotional literacy a physical home within Bedlington's provision. Its emphasis on breathing and recognising oneself and others sits alongside the more active outdoor space. Families can weigh both elements: opportunities for movement and imaginative play, and a dedicated setting for exploring feelings.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens from 7.30am until 6pm on weekdays and operates across 52 weeks, closing for bank holidays. That opening window matters for families arranging care around work, but it should be kept separate from the attendance pattern agreed for an individual child.

Getting There

The address is Forster House, 2-4 Forster Avenue, Bedlington NE22 6EW, near the town centre. Dedicated parking and access by bus or on foot give families different ways to make the journey; enquiries can be made through the Bedlington contact form or by emailing bedlington@whatahootdaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2021, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise about a particular child's entitlement or attendance arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Quieter children's participation. In August 2021, less confident children were not consistently encouraged into activities. During a visit, ask how practitioners now help a child who watches before joining in, including during the drama experiences.
• Purpose behind the play. The August 2021 improvement point concerned staff understanding each child's intended learning. Ask for an example of how an activity is adapted to your child's next step, rather than simply what activities take place.
• Attendance and the complete quotation. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Before choosing Bedlington, ask for the proposed booking pattern and a written breakdown covering funded hours, meals and consumables together.

Bedlington suits families who value imaginative play, natural materials and a dedicated space for emotional literacy. Participation in the group's in-house drama provision and Bedlington's Mindfulness & Yoga Room give that preference something concrete to rest on, while separate age groups provide a clear progression towards preschool.

The Good judgement is dated August 2021. The decision should also take account of its two specific improvement points: purposeful teaching for individual children and participation for quieter children. For a reserved child, the latter deserves close attention.