High Flyers Early Support Nursery

Small steps carry considerable weight at High Flyers Early Support Nursery in Thornaby: at the September 2025 inspection, learning was broken down around children's individual needs, with care and education closely connected. At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found exceptional teaching, highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and effective safeguarding arrangements.

The nursery has 30 places in total. In September 2025, the children attending were aged 3 to 4, and the provision served children with SEND. That specialist purpose is central to understanding the setting.

In September 2025, learning followed small, manageable steps shaped around each child's interests and needs. Counting developed through building with bricks; selected stories supported early literacy. The early years foundation stage connects children's learning, development and care: here, those responsibilities were brought together through play, communication and practical tasks.

Activities were adapted around children's healthcare procedures, including learning opportunities while a child needed to stay still. Movement breaks and sensory experiences, including bubbles and feathers, helped children engage. The practical point is flexibility: participation did not depend on every child approaching an activity in the same way.

Social learning also had a concrete place in the day. In September 2025, staff helped children share play, including showing coloured bottles to friends. Children practised independence by organising their belongings and getting their snack ready. Everyday tasks became opportunities to make choices and take responsibility.

In September 2025, some children settled alongside a parent in the family room before continuing their day. Staff responded to changes in behaviour with comfort or somewhere quiet, and adapted communication to children's preferred methods. Settling and communication were personalised rather than treated as a single routine for everyone.

Clear boundaries sat alongside help with recognising feelings. Families' insights shaped provision, while links with other childcare settings supported children who attended more than one nursery. External expertise also informed staff practice. For a child receiving support across settings, that exchange mattered to continuity of care and learning.

The address is Highflyers Childrens Centre, Tedder Avenue, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JP.

In September 2025, opening hours were 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. At that time, the nursery offered government-funded childcare and received extra funding for disadvantaged children. These are dated operating details, rather than a description of today's attendance arrangements.

• Specialist support. In September 2025, activities accommodated complex needs and healthcare procedures. Discuss how your child's communication, care and learning needs would shape their day.
• Settling together. Some children used the family room with a parent in September 2025. Consider how that gradual start would fit your child's needs and your own commitments.
• Attendance arrangements. The September 2025 opening pattern was term-time weekdays. What attendance pattern and funded-hours arrangements would apply to your child now?

High Flyers merits attention from families seeking early education closely connected to support for SEND. Its September 2025 strengths were practical: achievable learning steps, activities adapted around care needs, and collaboration with families and other settings. It suits parents who value an individual approach to participation and independence, with the dated term-time operating pattern an important planning consideration.