Whizz Kids Childcare

An enclosed garden with a Mud Kitchen and substantial play spaces on two floors give Whizz Kids Childcare its character. Based at Westoe Road Baptist Church in South Shields, it combines a current play-led offer with detailed evidence of children learning to do things for themselves. Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 30 November 2022.

There are 26 places in total. Nursery care is for children from two until they begin Reception, with term-time attendance and both funded and privately paid sessions. Half days, full days and nursery wraparound serve different family routines.

The strongest examples of everyday practice belong to November 2022: children helped decide menus, poured drinks and prepared fruit, while staff helped them build a pretend oven when their play called for one. Independence here meant practical participation, rather than simply choosing between activities adults had already arranged.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical experiences help children build skills across their day. Whizz Kids places exploration and children's ideas within that framework, encouraging children to try things, stay involved and think through what they are doing.

Upstairs and downstairs play spaces provide room for construction, imaginative play, sensory exploration and creative work. The Reading Garden gives books their own place, while trikes, scooters and a climbing frame bring substantial physical play indoors. This makes the indoor offer more than a collection of tabletop activities.

In November 2022, physical learning included cycling, ball throwing and painting across long sheets of paper. Smaller movements were practised through puzzles, threading and manipulating dough with tools. Together, those examples show how movement and hand control could develop through play rather than separate exercises.

Language and mathematics also appeared in ordinary activities that November. Staff expanded children's sentences and allowed time for answers; numbers on bikes were matched with parking bays, and snack preparation prompted counting and discussion of quantities. Laminated maps showing children's homes made learning about place personal. These were concrete ways to connect new words and ideas with things children already recognised.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fully enclosed garden includes a Mud Kitchen, a sound wall, water play and opportunities for digging and building. Mark making extends outdoors too, so creative work is not confined to an indoor table. The garden offers a different set of materials and experiences from the play spaces inside.

In November 2022, children grew pumpkins, looked after snails and investigated insects with magnifying glasses. Staff supplied outdoor clothing and footwear to support daily exploration. Caring for plants and small creatures gave children responsibilities with visible consequences: watering, feeding and watching what changed.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2022, home visits supported children as they started nursery, and parents met staff to discuss development. Feedback about those meetings was used to shape how they worked. For families, this connected support during settling with continuing conversations about learning.

Children's ideas influenced their play that November, and staff used praise that identified what a child had achieved. Sharing and taking turns were part of everyday interactions. The practical detail matters: encouragement was attached to something the child had done, making achievements easier to recognise.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported experienced support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including collaboration with health and education professionals. This is a dated judgement about practice, rather than a promise about any individual child's future provision.

That November, a mirror at the nose-blowing area helped children practise personal hygiene, while discussions covered dental care and food choices. Children also learnt safer ways to use stairs and prepare fruit. These examples connected wellbeing with skills children could begin to manage themselves.

Morning nursery attendance includes a snack and milk; a full day adds lunch and a later snack, while nursery wraparound includes a light tea. For a funded full-day session, parents are asked for a separate voluntary lunch contribution.

School transition work in November 2022 included passing relevant learning and development information to the schools children would attend. That gave receiving staff a starting point for understanding the child, rather than treating the move as a completely fresh beginning.

Sessions and Attendance

Nursery provision runs during term time. Full-day sessions run from 9am to 3pm, mornings from 9am to noon and afternoons from noon to 3pm. Nursery wraparound can extend attendance with sessions from 8.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm. Those separate patterns matter when matching childcare to work hours or a shorter nursery day.

There is also school-age care: Breakfast Club operates at Westoe Crown Primary School, with after-school collection from that school to Whizz Kids. These school-age sessions are booked ahead, either weekly or half-termly. They are separate from the nursery session choices.

Getting There

The address is Westoe Road Baptist Church, Romilly Street, South Shields, NE33 2SP, next to the Town Hall in the town centre. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and visits can be arranged.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged two, three and four can attend term-time funded places of 15 or 30 hours. Privately paid sessions are also offered, and Tax Free Childcare payments are accepted. Funding therefore sits alongside paid attendance rather than replacing the nursery's other session choices.

A funded 9am to 3pm session carries a request for a voluntary lunch contribution, charged separately from the funded hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; families should read the charge structure alongside their chosen attendance pattern.

• Term-time rhythm. Nursery sessions run during term time, with mornings, afternoons and full days offered. This suits families whose childcare arrangements can follow that calendar.
• Funding and lunch. The full-day funded session includes a request for a voluntary lunch contribution. Consider that separately from the funded entitlement when comparing attendance options.
• A visit with a practical purpose. The play spaces occupy two floors and the garden adds outdoor activities. During a visit, ask how children move between those spaces and how settling would work for your child.

Whizz Kids suits families seeking term-time nursery education through a morning, afternoon or full-day pattern, with nursery wraparound extending the day when needed. Its current physical offer is clear: substantial indoor play spaces and an enclosed garden with purposeful activities. The November 2022 examples add a persuasive account of children taking responsibility, contributing ideas and learning through familiar tasks. Keep that dated practice separate from today's booking decision, and weigh the term-time calendar and funded lunch arrangement against your family's routine.