Little Hearts Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Newcastle upon Tyne for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2009, with 20 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 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
NE16 6NUWhat 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, 16 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are very happy and settled in this nurturing pre-school. They confidently enter the pre-school, greet their friends and are eager to start their day. Children use resources to create games and play imaginatively. For example, children add feathers and eyes to dough to create a parrot. They add golf tees to their dough and pretend they are candles in a birthday cake. They enthusiastically sing 'Happy
Birthday' to their friends. Staff encourage children's mathematical development effectively. Children are encouraged to regularly use mathematical language in their play. They confidently count and measure as they make dough. This helps children to develop their understanding of weight and quantity.
Children's behaviour is good. They demonstrate a positive attitude towards learning as they become fully engrossed in activities. For example, children concentrate and work together as they design and create a bug hotel.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's understanding of curriculum intentions to enable them to focus specifically on what children need to learn next n provide children with more time to respond in conversation and independently think through their ideas to extend learning even further.
- 16 June 2023Good
- 14 November 2017Outstanding
- 6 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Hearts Pre-School
- 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.