Ashfield Nursery & ELC
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in South Shields for babies from a few weeks old up to school age, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2022. Open since 2002, with 72 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Free Childcare available (ask management for more details); If your child turns 3 years old before the 31st of August, they automatically qualify for 15 hours of free childcare. This entitlement can potentially increase to 30 hours depending on personal circumstances.
What childcare usually costs in South Tyneside
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in South Tyneside from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
NE33 4RTWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 12 December 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are very happy to attend this friendly nursery. They benefit from a broad variety of learning opportunities that staff plan to help them achieve the next steps in their learning. For example, staff identify that children need support to develop their hand muscles in preparation for writing, so prepare a range of activities for them to practise handling tools. Older children use paintbrushes, pens and scissors to create Christmas pictures and cards. Babies make marks with large chalks.
Children are proud of their achievements. For instance, they beam when they are nominated to go on the 'proud cloud' display for good listening.
Children behave well. They learn to share, take turns and show a keen interest in what their friends say. Children enjoy playing together as they make dens and light pretend campfires to keep warm in the icy weather. Staff set clear expectations during group times and reinforce these in a lovely way. For instance, they use singing well at routine times of the day. This helps children to prepare for the next activity in a calm and happy environment. Older children in particular learn good skills to help their independence ready for school. For example, at mealtimes, they pour their water from jugs and scoop yoghurt into their bowls. Afterwards, children are keen to show the inspector how they can line up to scrape their waste into bowls.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- continue to improve staff's skills to help them make the most of all opportunities, including mealtimes, to strengthen children's understanding of how self-care and hygiene routines can help to maintain their good health n develop strategies used by staff working with younger children to enhance their communication and language skills and support their growing vocabulary.
- 12 December 2022Good
- 30 June 2017Good
- 25 April 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Ashfield Nursery & ELC
- What it costs
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.