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Nursery at Fellside Community Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Play, stories and early number work give Fellside’s nursery its character, with social and emotional development sharing the attention given to reading and writing. This is the school’s own provision in Whickham. Its September 2025 admission information described provision for children aged three to four, catering for 52 part-time children, equivalent to 26 full-time places.
Early years provision received a Good judgement at Ofsted’s inspection on 24 and 25 May 2022. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Learning through play is the nursery’s stated approach. Early reading, counting and writing sit alongside developing curiosity and a sense of self, so preparation for school includes learning about feelings and relationships as well as practising academic skills. Named nursery themes include Me and My Family, Journeys and Minibeasts. Bears is another named theme in the nursery’s published curriculum. These give parents concrete starting points for conversations about learning at home.
Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), mathematics uses games, practical tasks and objects children can handle. Children revisit this learning during their own exploration and activities led by adults. The emphasis is on doing and trying, with opportunities to apply an idea beyond the activity in which it was introduced. Outdoor learning space is used regularly, with staff sharing responsibility for children using it.
In May 2022, stories, daily singing and rhymes, and visits to the school library each week were features of early years learning. Adults supported children’s spoken language effectively. Curriculum connections with later learning were established in science and history, but needed further work in other subjects. That remains a relevant point to weigh alongside the positive judgement.
A qualified class teacher leads the nursery. Staffing operates at one adult to 13 children when that teacher is present, changing to one to eight when the teacher is absent. The distinction matters because the staffing arrangement depends on who is leading the class.
Settling has both a practical and a relational side. The school calendar includes home visits for new nursery families. In May 2022, caring relationships with adults helped early years children become comfortable quickly.
Emotional support includes Regulation monsters for early years children to communicate feelings to adults, alongside Zones of Regulation discussions. Classroom calming corners and fidget aids are used when needed. These provide ways to express feelings and take a pause during learning.
Parents can exchange examples of their child’s learning with staff through Evidence Me, rather than receiving updates in only one direction. Conversations with the early years team are available at the beginning or end of the day. For children with SEND, support follows Assess-Plan-Do-Review, with outside agencies involved where necessary, giving families a cycle through which needs and support can be reconsidered.
Attending Fellside’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions; familiarity with the school does not itself secure admission.
Attendance patterns. The September 2025 admission information offered full days from 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, subject to eligibility for the working-parent 30-hour childcare scheme. It also offered two fixed patterns of two-and-a-half days. One combined Monday and Tuesday full days with Wednesday, 8.30am to 11.30am. The other combined Wednesday, 12.30pm to 3.30pm, with Thursday and Friday full days. These arrangements place the shorter session in the middle of the week, which matters when coordinating family schedules.
For nursery enquiries, call the school office on 0191 4887486. Families can arrange a school visit through the main office. School communication also includes eSchools messages and the weekly Fellside Matters newsletter, giving parents routes for keeping track of notices and events.
The September 2025 admission information described provision for children aged three to four.
Early years provision was judged Good at the school inspection on 24 and 25 May 2022. This was an early years judgement within the school’s inspection.
No. Reception requires a separate application through the normal admissions process by the applicable deadline.
Evidence Me allows parents to share their child’s learning with early years staff, as well as receive individual updates.
Call the school office on 0191 4887486 for nursery enquiries. The main office also arranges school visits.
