Little Willows Kindergarten
Good★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Gateshead 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 March 2023. Open since 2016, with 120 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
NE9 5ATWhat 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.
- 11 March 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 16 November 2021 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 29 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enter the setting excited, happy and pleased to see their friends and the warm, friendly staff. They settle quickly and flourish in the nurturing environment.
Children independently access a broad range of resources that are set up by staff, who know children and their interests well. For instance, toddlers place trains onto wooden tracks and hunt for bugs hidden in sand. This helps to develop their fine motor skills and hand-to-eye coordination. Older toddlers practise yoga moves with staff, developing their physical skills as they learn how to move and stretch their bodies. They confidently mix mud and pour water in the outdoor mud kitchen. This helps to develop their large- and small-muscle skills.
Older children demonstrate high levels of engagement in small-group activities.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: - strengthen support for staff through coaching and mentoring to raise the quality of education to an even higher level.
- 29 March 2023Good
- 15 September 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Willows Kindergarten
- 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.