Windy Nook Primary School Nursery Review

A stick becomes a drawing tool in the sandpit, while a story sparks conversation and pictures indoors. Windy Nook’s nursery combines practical exploration with early language and movement activities. Caterpillars and Butterflies is the nursery’s name within the primary school on Albion Street, Gateshead, where provision begins at age three.

The staffing list for 2025-2026 identifies one nursery class within the Foundation Stage. This is a school nursery with its own play-based learning, rather than a smaller version of lessons for older pupils.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) takes concrete form through talking, creating, moving and investigating. Art activities form part of the materials and experiences children can choose indoors and outside. Adults demonstrate techniques, then give children time to experiment. That combination allows a child to try an idea independently while having teaching close by.

Story themes carry across different activities. Work around It’s Not a Stick included individual conversations, drawing and other early marks, with sticks also used in the outdoor sandpit. The book gives children something to discuss; the sand offers another way to express their ideas. In a separate spring activity, children moved sand using wheelbarrows, handling scissors to open bags before filling the sandpit. Outdoor learning involves practical tasks as well as imaginative play.

Movement supports the beginnings of writing. Squiggle While You Wiggle and Playdough Disco combine dancing, larger arm actions and manipulation of dough to exercise the muscles used for making marks. A self-portrait activity for the This is Me display asked children to draw from their photographs, placing the new picture over an earlier portrait so they could compare their work.

In June 2023, Ofsted found nursery children settled and composed, choosing whether to work independently or alongside a friend. Adults helped them explore through play and extended their language through conversation. Early phonics also began in nursery, using known stories and introducing sounds: preparation for reading starts with familiar material.

Individual conversation is part of the learning experience, as the stick-themed work illustrates. Emotional learning also has a practical focus: a nursery activity about loved ones explored why people help children feel secure and how children can express kindness.

Food appears as something children help prepare. A Chinese New Year activity involved cooking noodles and vegetable stir fry, with counting linked to the chopped ingredients. This connected a celebration with hands-on food preparation and early mathematics.

For families seeking support with additional needs, the school has a learning support teacher and SENCO role. Its SEND information page also explains SENDIASS, an independent source of advice about provision and assessment processes. Safeguarding concerns can be raised with the headteacher, giving parents a clear route for reporting a worry.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Gateshead Council coordinates admissions for its community primary schools, and the school’s admissions page directs parents to that route. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

Two nursery sessions are listed: mornings run from 8:45 to 11:45, and afternoons from 12:15 to 15:15. These give families distinct morning and afternoon collection times to plan around.

Contact the school through its online enquiry form, telephone 0191 469 4954 or email windynookprimaryschool@gateshead.gov.uk. For questions about learning, the class teacher or school office is the stated contact route. If a child is staying home because of illness, phone on the first day and explain the reason.