Fern Hollow Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Stocksfield for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2024. Open since 2005, with 40 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Northumberland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Northumberland 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
NE43 7JLWhat 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, 25 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children and their families receive a warm welcome from staff at Fern Hollow
Nursery. From the moment they arrive, children show they feel settled and secure as staff are there to greet them. Children confidently leave their parents and carers and confidently begin exploring the resources available, alongside their friends.
Staff implement an ambitious curriculum that, overall, supports children's learning needs well. Exciting, fun activities are planned which motivate children and encourage them to join in. Older children demonstrate this when they make kites to fly in the outdoor area. They show patience when the wind isn't quite as strong as previous days and are happy to wait until later when it may pick up again.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus planning more on the skills children need to develop next to fully extend and support their learning n strengthen understanding of the developmental stages younger children go through to plan a more effective curriculum, including in the outdoor area.
- 25 January 2024Good
- 10 April 2018Good
- 13 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Fern Hollow Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.