Denbigh Community Primary School Nursery

Sandwich making, painted wooden bears and a teddy hunt: a Teddy Bear Picnic Day brought practical activity and imaginative play together at Denbigh’s nursery. Children made masks, decorated cakes and finished with a shared picnic. It is a concrete example of learning through doing.

Caterpillar Class is the nursery provision within Denbigh Community Primary School in Howdon, Wallsend, with funded provision for three and four year olds. Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding at its March 2025 inspection. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Play and conversation give the early years day its shape. In March 2025, children combined activities guided by adults with exploration they directed themselves. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) experience included purposeful play that developed independence and imagination, with opportunities to practise language through play.

Pretending to catch a plane for a holiday gave children a reason to try out new vocabulary. This is the useful connection for parents: an imaginary journey becomes an opportunity to practise speaking. Clear expectations and routines were taught from early years onwards, helping children understand how the day works alongside their freedom to explore.

Creative learning also combines activities children can choose with teaching organised around a topic. Expressive Arts and Design provides the focus for developing early artistic skills. The nursery’s Teddy Bear Picnic Day illustrates that mix through painting, mask making and food preparation. These were activities for a particular celebration, rather than a description of every session.

Caterpillar Class has nursery teachers and teaching assistants, while the early years team includes an EYFS Manager. A nursery teaching role also carries SENDCO and safeguarding responsibilities. For a family discussing additional needs, that links classroom teaching with the school’s support structure.

An Inclusion Manager covers EYFS and Key Stage 1. Across the school, staff training includes Makaton and British Sign Language, giving families specific communication expertise to discuss with the SENCO. In May 2022, the school had ramps between levels, entrances accessible to wheelchair users and an accessibility toilet frame in EYFS. Those are practical features relevant to children with mobility or care needs.

Children taking the 30-hour provision can bring lunch from home or have a charged school dinner. Snacks, nappies and learning materials carry no direct school charge, so these everyday consumables are included rather than billed separately.

Separate applications. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Denbigh. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for school as two distinct decisions.

For enquiries about North Tyneside school admissions, the Access Team can be reached at school.admissions@northtyneside.gov.uk or 0191 6438724.

The 15-hour entitlement for three and four year olds is arranged as three hours each day in either the AM or PM nursery class. Denbigh also offers 30-hour funded places for eligible working parents. Eligibility brings an 11-digit code to give the school, which must be reconfirmed every three months to retain the provision.

Nursery attendance and consumables have no direct school charge. For children using the 30-hour provision, contact the office for current school dinner charges if choosing that option instead of a packed lunch.

General nursery enquiries go to the school office on 0191 2622509 or info@denbighps.org.uk. The school is on Denbigh Avenue, Howdon, Wallsend, NE28 0DS.