Bright Star Nursery - Birtley
GoodTakes funded hours★ 3.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Chester Le Street for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2017, with 140 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours, 30 hours.
Worth knowing. Funded sessions could be booked as below 15 hours 3 x half days 1 full day & 1 half day 30 hours 3 full days 2 full days & 2 half days 1 full day & 4 half days You can if you so wish, choose to extend your session @ £5 per half hour.
What childcare usually costs in Gateshead
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Gateshead 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
DH3 2PRWhat 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.
- 3 November 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 19 August 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 27 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled in the nursery. Staff greet them as they arrive with their families and gather information to meet their care needs. Children have a close relationship with their key person and the staff team. This helps them to feel safe and secure in the nursery. Staff have high expectations for all children. They provide a variety of interesting activities which children enjoy. For example, toddlers enjoy sensory experiences using water and lentils in a large trough. Older children make animal prints with paints and learn about the Chinese New Year.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively. Staff know how to meet complex medical needs and provide tailored care.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have focused on supporting children's personal, social and emotional needs. Children begin to show confidence in their own ability and recognise their own feelings. Staff use praise to manage children's behaviour positively and support them through challenges. Children benefit from effective communication between the nursery, their family and any other professionals involved. Staff maintain good relationships and share information about children's care and learning. This helps to promote continuity for children.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's understanding of how to provide purposeful activities consistently for younger children n provide parents with opportunities to leave feedback so they can contribute to the evaluation and development of the nursery.
- 27 January 2023Good
- 31 January 2019Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bright Star Nursery - Birtley
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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.
- Is there a place for my child's age? 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.