Springboard Nursery

A six-child baby room, natural play materials and shared bedtime stories give Springboard Nursery its character. Based in Pallion, Sunderland, it combines a small youngest room with a family-learning offer that reaches beyond the child's nursery day. Books travel home through the Lending Library, while parents can join Live Library sessions to hear a story with their child. Reading becomes something families share, rather than an activity confined to childcare hours.

Ofsted rated Springboard Nursery Good on 29 June 2023. The current whole-setting capacity is 26 children, with an age range from birth to five in the provider record; the childcare offer centres on babies and children through to four, with different starting ages across its general and room information.

The premises occupy the ground floor of a two-storey building and are accessible to children, families and visitors. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance patterns give families different ways to use the setting. Its strongest practical combination is the small baby-room cap, a separate older-child space and opportunities for parents to participate in learning.

Rooms and Ages

The Snug has a maximum of six children and room details covering six to 24 months, with sensory play, movement, music and early communication supported by its own garden, a sleep area and access to bathroom changing facilities. This room maximum helps parents assess the scale of their baby's childcare environment.

For children aged two to four, Main Room combines an open-plan layout with spaces for smaller and larger groups, scientific and sensory exploration, physical activity, social communication and creative thinking, alongside a snack area, kitchen, bathroom and nursery garden. The garden extends the room's learning outdoors.

Learning and Activities

The curriculum uses EYFS, the framework for children's learning, development and care, through play and first-hand exploration. Principles from the Curiosity Approach sit alongside it: children use natural materials and everyday objects that can be explored and adapted in different ways. A resource need not have one prescribed purpose. Speech, language and communication receive explicit attention, while sustained play gives children time to investigate rather than move quickly between tasks.

Books provide a more structured thread. The Core Collection gives children familiar stories to revisit, and the Lending Library extends that reading into family life. Live Library sessions take place on the first of each month, with staff sharing a story with children and parents. These arrangements connect nursery reading with books at home and give parents a way to participate.

In June 2023, early literacy included children adding names to their pictures, listening to initial sounds and seeing words written during a target game. A chalkboard linked scores and names with spoken letter sounds. These were practical encounters with writing in the middle of play, rather than letters presented only as a separate task.

Outdoor and Community Life

In June 2023, older children searched for insects and worms, marked their discoveries on a list and tended herbs and lavender. Mud, water and flowers became materials for exploring shape, texture and how much a container could hold. Babies experimented with pretend feeding and catching bubbles. The examples show how everyday materials supported both imaginative and investigative play at that point.

Family participation also includes Little Movers sessions, which have used colour, sport and transport themes. These are shared learning activities for children and adults. Their value for families is the opportunity to take part together and see the kinds of experiences that can continue at home.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has an allocated Key Worker. Settling begins before regular attendance: home visits allow staff to meet children in familiar surroundings, and families complete registration either at home or at nursery. Free Settling In sessions then give the child time to become acquainted with the setting. This is a staged process, with introductions and practice visits preceding the ordinary childcare routine.

Once attendance begins, Tapestry provides an online account through which parents can follow development and daily routines. That sits alongside Family Learning days and sessions, where parents take part rather than simply receive information.

In June 2023, staff used individual care plans and encouragement tailored to children's needs. They also helped children talk about their feelings, including thoughts about starting school. Friendship was visible in children inviting others to join their play.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support strong, with staff working alongside parents and other professionals and recognising small but meaningful achievements. The practical detail matters: support included celebrating a child's growing confidence in holding a friend's hand or stepping over a pavement crack. Progress was considered at the individual child's scale.

Current staff responsibilities include a Designated Safeguarding Lead and Lead SENCO, with deputy roles for both. These identify responsibilities within the team; they should be read separately from the dated safeguarding judgement. In June 2023, staff knew how to report welfare worries, supervised children and shared accident information with parents.

Breakfast, lunch or tea is provided according to the session attended. For babies, The Snug's sleep and changing arrangements keep care facilities within or accessible from their room. These are useful everyday details when considering how a child's feeding, rest and play will fit together.

Sessions and Attendance

Springboard Nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm, for 50 weeks each year. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, and afternoon sessions from 1pm to 5pm; full-day attendance is also offered. These are different booking patterns, so parents can consider a shorter session alongside a whole day rather than treating the opening window as the only option.

The setting is at Springboard Sunderland, The Alec Dickson Centre, Rivergreen Industry Centre, Sunderland, SR4 6AD. Its contact address also identifies Unit 1, Rivergreen Industrial Estate, Pallion. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0191 5155334 or through the contact form. The ground-floor premises are accessible, which is relevant when comparing the physical setting with a child's or family member's access needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded education includes 12- and 15-hour offers for children aged nine to 24 months, and 15- and 30-hour offers for three- and four-year-olds, subject to eligibility. Main Room also offers funded education for eligible two-year-olds. Funded sessions operate across the year, giving families an offer that extends beyond a term-time description.

Private childcare is offered alongside funded education. Use a current written quotation to establish the cost of the attendance pattern you choose. The fees and costs page sets out session and full-day charging, while the funding offer needs to be considered separately from additional private hours.

• Youngest starting age. The Snug's detailed age band begins at six months, while general childcare information begins at nine months. Which starting age applies to your child, and how would their Settling In sessions be arranged?
• Participation and independence. In June 2023, some children needed more consistent help to join activities, and adults sometimes settled disagreements too quickly. At a visit, ask how staff now encourage hesitant children and help older children work out solutions together.
• The funded attendance plan. Funded sessions run across the year, alongside paid morning, afternoon and full-day childcare. Request a written quotation showing how the chosen pattern uses the entitlement, what additional hours cost and how meals and consumables are treated.
• Family involvement. Live Library sessions take place on the first of each month, and Little Movers has brought parents and children together for themed activities. Consider whether those opportunities fit your family's routine and how you would use Tapestry between sessions.

Springboard Nursery suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with a small baby-room maximum and an older-child room offering both group spaces and garden access. Its clearest character comes from natural play materials, familiar books and learning shared with parents.

The June 2023 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, while the improvement priorities give families useful questions about participation and children's independence. For parents who want home visits, settling sessions and a continuing connection through Tapestry and shared reading, Springboard offers several concrete ways to remain involved. The youngest starting age and the written funded-attendance plan deserve attention before choosing a pattern.