Hedworthfield Primary School Nursery Review

Outdoor exploration and conversation give Hedworthfield’s nursery its character. Children can move into a large outdoor learning area during the day, with weekly Forest School sessions adding time to explore the natural world. This gives their play room to grow beyond the classroom.

The 78-place nursery belongs to Hedworthfield Primary School in Jarrow. At the Ofsted inspection on 10 and 11 May 2023, early years provision received an Outstanding judgement. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play leads the learning. Children pursue activities they choose themselves alongside teaching led by adults, sometimes in small groups and sometimes together as a class. Staff build activities around children’s interests and experiences, then introduce new ideas. The balance gives children opportunities to make choices while adults extend what they know.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together children’s learning, development and care. Hedworthfield uses Development Matters 2021, with the nursery year concentrating on communication, physical development and children’s emotional and social development. Early literacy, maths, creative expression and understanding their surroundings sit alongside these foundations. For parents, the emphasis is on learning to communicate, participate and become independent through play.

Adults work across indoor and outdoor spaces, responding to children as they play. Language gets sustained attention: staff introduce vocabulary and use everyday exchanges to develop speech. In May 2023, children confidently started activities of their own and readily joined conversations. The nature area supplied wildlife to observe and discuss, making new words part of something children could see.

Weekly sessions in the on-site Forest School take place across seasons and weather conditions. Alongside the outdoor learning area, this gives children different settings in which to explore, solve problems and practise working together.

Parents have practical ways to contribute to learning. Termly Stay and Play sessions and Parent Workshops bring families into school activities. Each child also has a Learning Journal, developed with contributions from staff, the child and parents. Observations from home help connect what a child does with their family to their learning in nursery.

The staff structure includes an Early Years/SENCO and Thrive Lead Teacher. For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the school’s approach is to adapt teaching and provide support while retaining access to the curriculum and shared experiences. Parents can contact the SENCO about their child’s needs on 0191 5373373, giving families a direct route into that discussion.

A nursery place does not guarantee admission to Hedworthfield’s Reception class. Treat Reception as a separate application: families must apply again through the normal admissions route by the relevant deadline. Choosing the nursery should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself.

Within early years, children work with different staff during parts of the day and have opportunities to spend time with younger and older children across the year. These are useful opportunities to build familiarity with other people, separate from the admissions decision.

Morning sessions run from 8.40am to 11.40am; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. The provision labelled 30 Hours runs from 8.30am to 3.30pm. These different start and finish times matter when planning collection around family commitments.

Visits can be booked through the school office on 0191 5373373. This provides a direct way to arrange a look at the nursery before making an application.