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Nursery at Wingate Community Nursery 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A greenhouse, a potions kitchen and a cottage beside woodland give Wingate's nursery day an unusually outdoor shape. Children rotate between the main school, the allotment and the Cottage in the Woods, taking their familiar family group and key person with them. Nature is part of the timetable, rather than an occasional outing.
Wingate Community Nursery School is a council-maintained nursery school for children aged two to four. Its main address is Partridge Terrace in Wingate. Younger children share play spaces with older nursery children, while a separate room gives the two-year-olds somewhere quieter to retreat. This combines mixed-age play with a place to pause when the larger space feels busy.
The Wingate Way is the nursery's own creative curriculum, developed around children's interests within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). In parent language, that framework covers learning, development, health and safety. Here, children help shape the work: questions, experiments and problem-solving guide what happens next.
Plan, Do, Review gives that freedom a structure. In family groups, children discuss their intentions, spend more than an hour playing indoors or outside, then gather to explain what happened and consider their next steps. Stories and tidying complete the school-site session. Children practise putting ideas into words as well as carrying them out.
Practical work has substance. In January 2022, Ofsted described children baking from recipes and making wooden objects with actual joinery tools, alongside rapidly developing language. The same inspection found that outdoor experiences developed independence and resilience. These are useful examples of learning through doing.
At the allotment, raised planting beds and a greenhouse sit alongside a pond, chickens and a construction area. Children help with jobs such as tending the hens and making vegetable-plot signs; weaving and peeling introduce specific skills. The Wingateer Award brings together volunteering, physical activity, journeys and skill development.
Cottage stays last three or four weeks per rotation, usually twice during the school year. Children remain with their key person and group, exploring woodland and taking hikes. The cottage itself provides shelter when severe weather makes prolonged outdoor play uncomfortable.
Each child keeps the same key person throughout nursery. That adult follows their progress and leads daily family-group conversations, giving children a consistent relationship across the different sites. Parents can exchange information with staff each day, while Famly carries messages, observations and accident forms.
Settling starts with a home visit. Two accompanied visits on consecutive days usually last an hour and a half each; independent attendance can begin on the third day if the child is ready. Some children need longer. Families should allow flexibility around work rather than assume the full routine will begin immediately.
Lunch is also a practical lesson. Children lay tables in the dining room, serve themselves and take turns helping with drinks while eating home-cooked food. A hot meal is delivered to the allotment. The Supervised Toothbrushing Programme adds a daily-care opportunity to practise cleaning teeth.
For children with SEND, support can include visual timetables, simpler instructions and a quiet space. Individual SEN Support Plans follow Assess, Plan, Do, Review, with parents involved in agreeing and reviewing support. Shorter introductory sessions or quieter visits can make the transition more manageable.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application for primary school through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline; choosing this nursery should not be treated as securing the next school place.
Transition support is separate from allocation. For children with SEN, staff arrange additional visits with the chosen primary school and can accompany the family. Meetings bring nursery staff, parents and primary-school staff together to discuss the child's needs, helping the receiving adults understand the support already in place.
Fifteen-hour places follow five mornings or five afternoons. Main-school sessions run 9am to noon or noon to 3pm; Cottage sessions run 8.30am to 11.30am or 12.30pm to 3.30pm. The main school day is 9am to 3pm. The application form also lets families request flexible arrangements for consideration.
Children become eligible for 15 funded hours the term after their third birthday, without an eligibility code; a 30-hour place requires an eligibility code. Lunch carries a charge, and families are asked for a voluntary snack contribution. Contact the school for current charges. Breakfast and tea club extend the day, with later care arranged through Wingate Childcare.
Changing sites. Families receive a termly site timetable and take children directly to the allotment or Cottage during their group's stay. Plan journeys around that rota. There is no uniform: easy-to-manage, washable clothes and suitable outdoor clothing suit the work. Collection must be by an adult over 18, with advance notice and a security password for a different collector.
Visits can be arranged through the school office on 01429 838206 or wingate.nursery@durhamlearning.net.
The nursery caters for children aged two to four, with younger children sharing provision with older children and having access to a quieter room.
Yes. Children retain their key person throughout nursery, including when their family group spends time at the outdoor sites.
A home visit is followed by two accompanied visits, usually on consecutive days. Independent attendance can begin on the third day if the child is ready, with longer settling available when needed.
No. Families must apply separately for a primary-school Reception place through the normal admissions process.
No. The nursery recommends clothes children can manage themselves and which can get muddy or paint-covered, plus appropriate clothing for the outdoor sites.
