Dimples Southbank Day Nursery

Family photographs, songs and small steps towards independence give Dimples Southbank its character in the September 2021 account of nursery life. Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 17 September 2021. That judgement is dated; it should be read alongside the practical arrangements families need today.

Dimples Southbank Day Nursery has capacity for 25 children, from birth to five years, at 103 Normanby Road in Middlesbrough. The emphasis in the inspection-era account was on familiar relationships and learning through everyday play.

In September 2021, children explored resources outside and indoors, while babies worked towards crawling through tummy time and reaching for favourite toys. Mirrors and pictures of faces supported activities about children's individual features. These were tangible experiences, connecting movement, conversation and discovery.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning sits alongside play and practical routines: the September 2021 examples included dough modelling, pouring cereal and choosing books, giving children opportunities to practise hand control and language.

A bell marked changes of activity, and a song helped children prepare to tidy before stories. Predictable signals gave the day a recognisable rhythm. Planning needed more precision, however: in September 2021, some counting and shape questions assumed knowledge children had yet to acquire. The improvement requested was specific: staff needed to build activities around what children already understood, rather than assume they were ready for the next question. For parents, that distinction matters as much as the activity itself. A counting game needs a starting point the child can grasp. At that visit, leaders supported teaching through mentoring, supervision and watching staff work, with communication and language a staff-development priority. The practical question is how that support translates into planning for each child's next step.

At the September 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff working with other professionals to support children with special educational needs or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. Equipment purchases and staff training supported that work.

In September 2021, babies sought comfort from their key person, and staff followed their individual routines while monitoring sleep. Family photograph albums gave children something familiar to discuss. For parents weighing baby care, those details put relationships and continuity ahead of a list of activities. Staff also gathered information about children's needs as they began attending and used it to support settling. Familiarity had a practical purpose: care could take account of the child rather than rely solely on a shared timetable. Emotional learning appeared in everyday interactions too. During that visit, practitioners discussed feelings with younger children and demonstrated courteous behaviour themselves. Toddlers practised sharing materials and waiting for a turn while playing beside one another. These examples connect personal care with learning how to manage feelings and spend time with other children.

Communication then combined daily conversations with an online system for sharing children's learning. Children also practised using cutlery, brushing teeth and helping put equipment away: care routines doubled as opportunities to become more independent. In September 2021, the account also described contact with families during the pandemic: staff made recordings of bedtime reading and offered home-learning ideas, including spotting numbers on houses and cars during walks. Those examples made the connection between nursery learning and ordinary family routines concrete. Exploring celebrations involved tasting unfamiliar foods, giving children a practical way to encounter differences in other people's lives. For a parent, these details help explain the learning beyond planned activities: a meal, a household task or a conversation could also provide something to practise or discuss.

The address is 103 Normanby Road, Middlesbrough, TS6 6SF. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holiday closures.

In September 2021, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement rather than a promise about a family's entitlement or attendance arrangement.

• Building on existing knowledge. September 2021 planning sometimes moved ahead of children's understanding. At a visit, ask how staff establish what your child already knows before introducing new activities.
• Baby routines. Familiar key-person relationships and attention to sleep featured in September 2021. Ask how these arrangements would work for your baby's feeding, rest and settling needs now.

For families seeking care from babyhood through the preschool years, Dimples Southbank merits consideration for the relationships and practical independence described in September 2021. Its weekday opening window also suits parents whose working day starts early. The balanced picture includes a clear planning weakness: activities needed to connect more closely with children's existing knowledge.