Tummyticklers Childcare Service

In August 2023, an allotment, a garden climbing frame and books to borrow gave Tummyticklers Childcare Service a recognisable character. In August 2023, children explored number and size while picking strawberries, practised managing physical risks outdoors and took reading beyond the nursery through a lending library. These are useful examples of learning woven into ordinary play.

At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with an ambitious curriculum, while identifying missed chances to stretch learning and weaknesses in using parents’ starting information. Those qualifications matter alongside the grade.

Based at the Everard Ellis Centre on Mill Lane in Billingham, TS23 1HG, the nursery has capacity for 50 children, with its current early-years age range running from birth to five. Full-day and half-day bookings give families different ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

The building uses an open-plan layout divided into areas for different ages, with a partition separating the Wrap- Around Room and Toddler Room. This is a practical distinction for parents weighing a shared nursery space against more enclosed rooms.

Toddler Room serves children from 18 months to three years, using play across the seven areas of the EYFS, the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Children can progress at their own pace, with earlier transitions for those ready for more stimulation. The emphasis is on responding to development rather than treating an age boundary as the only reason to move.

Learning and Activities

In August 2023, babies explored pretend feeding with dolls and porridge oats, while older children devised dinosaur stories together. Familiar songs gave toddlers repeated phrases to join in with; conversations and questions introduced older children to new words. The examples span imaginative play and language rather than a day built solely around adult-led tasks.

Books also had a practical place in that August 2023 nursery day. Babies listened to stories with staff, older children chose books independently, and a lending library encouraged reading at home. Biscuit-making brought counting and measuring into an activity with a clear purpose. These experiences gave children reasons to use language and numbers.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large outdoor area supports construction, planting and games, with a shelter providing cover from rain. In August 2023, children used a climbing frame to practise balance and learn about risk, while strawberry-picking at the allotment prompted comparisons of size. Outdoor learning therefore included both movement and opportunities to talk about what children were doing.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2023, staff responded to upset children with physical comfort and reassurance. Toddlers practised everyday independence by preparing their snack, washing their hands and helping themselves at lunch. Adults also explained the reasons for rules, giving children a way to understand expectations rather than simply follow instructions.

Parents contributed information about their child’s existing abilities when joining, and received ideas for continuing learning at home in August 2023. However, that initial information did not consistently shape learning plans from the outset. The distinction is important: gathering a detailed picture of a child is useful only when it influences what happens next.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effective, with prompt referrals, work with other professionals and targeted plans helping children make progress.

Staff training covers safeguarding, paediatric first aid, oral health and food hygiene, alongside DBS checks before staff work with children. These are concrete arrangements, rather than a promise about how an individual child will settle. In August 2023, supervision meetings also addressed staff wellbeing and identified individual training needs.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures at Christmas and on bank holidays. Full-day bookings run from 7am to 6pm; half days offer either 7am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. Those shorter patterns can suit families organising care around part of the working day.

Payment is required in advance, by bank transfer or cash. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01642 550942.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2023, the nursery received funding for early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. This is a dated participation fact, rather than a promise of a particular funded booking for a family.

Getting There

The address is Everard Ellis Centre, Mill Lane, Billingham, TS23 1HG. A school and nursery collection service covers parts of Billingham, Norton and Stockton for breakfast, afterschool and wrap-around care; Billingham South Primary School and Oakdene Primary School are among the named collection points. This is a transport arrangement, with no school admissions advantage implied.

• Learning from the start. August 2023 improvement points concerned using parents’ initial information and extending learning within activities. Ask how a child’s starting assessment now shapes planning and challenge.
• Open-plan layout. Age areas share the wider nursery space, with a partition between Toddler Room and the Wrap- Around Room. A visit can help you judge how this arrangement would work for your child.
• Funded attendance and extras. Funding participation was recorded in August 2023, and private childcare is paid in advance. Ask for a written breakdown of current funded patterns, meals, consumables and additional hours before choosing attendance.
• School collection. The collection service spans Billingham, Norton and Stockton and serves several named schools. Confirm the arrangement for your child’s school and the care period you need.

Tummyticklers suits families considering either full-day childcare or morning and afternoon half days, especially those who value play, outdoor activity and everyday independence. The August 2023 examples give those priorities substance: books to borrow, counting through cooking and physical challenge in the garden. The same dated picture leaves two useful questions about planning from the outset and stretching children’s learning. Those deserve attention alongside the Good grade.