Nursery at Durham Newton Hall Infants' School

Two classrooms and a garden give Newton Hall’s nursery its physical setting within the school’s early years unit. This is provision within Durham Newton Hall Infants’ School on Langley Road, with nursery and Reception teachers working in the unit and a teaching assistant supporting across the classrooms. For children, the setting combines space to explore with an early years teaching team.

Language and learning alongside others give the provision its character. At the October 2024 inspection, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) organises learning into seven areas. Here, the clearest emphasis is on developing language: in October 2024, the early years learning environment supported children’s development through a deliberate focus on early communication. For a young child, learning to express an idea or explain a need matters alongside becoming familiar with classroom routines.

Exploration has an indoor and outdoor setting. The early years unit contains two classrooms, while its garden adds another space to the environment. The emphasis is on children exploring and learning, rather than simply occupying a classroom.

Learning with other children is part of the day too. In October 2024, children in early years understood familiar routines and used equipment cooperatively. These are practical foundations for group learning: knowing what happens next and being able to share resources help children participate alongside their peers.

Support for additional needs has concrete options. The school’s SEN provision describes visual timetables to make routines understandable and picture prompts to help children follow instructions. Children with high needs may also have an individual resource box, including sensory materials for emotional or sensory needs. These are possible adaptations, selected according to the child’s needs.

Before a child starts, parents are asked to discuss identified needs with the school so that support can be planned. Advice from the local authority or other agencies may be sought. This makes the conversation before starting a practical opportunity to explain how a child communicates and what assistance they need.

At school level, progress checks inform the next learning steps, and parents are kept informed about development. The school also describes helping children manage separation from family, take turns and play together. Those everyday social skills are relevant to the move into a group setting.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal school admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. The school directs families to Durham County Council’s primary admissions route and its admissions brochure. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as separate decisions.

The school office handles nursery enquiries and requests for an application pack. Contact it on 0191 3861203 or email newtonhall@durhamlearning.net. The nursery is at the school’s Langley Road address in Newton Hall, Durham, DH1 5LP.