Play & Learn Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Middlesbrough 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 July 2025. Open since 2019, with 57 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 Middlesbrough
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Middlesbrough 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
TS4 3LQWhat 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, 8 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are settled and confident in this warm and welcoming nursery. They are deeply engaged in purposeful play and enjoy the calm, nurturing environment.
Strong, trusting relationships help children feel safe and emotionally secure. They approach staff with ease and show high levels of well-being.
Children benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum that builds on what they already know and can do. Activities are planned around their interests and spark curiosity. For example, during group time, children sing a rhyme about 'big and small', 'fast and slow'. Staff guide the discussion by asking, 'What were we learning about?' and children confidently reply, 'Opposites'. Staff extend learning with thoughtful questions and practical examples, such as comparing how objects move.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen how information about children's next steps is shared across the staff team, to better support staff in building on what children already know and can do n ensure learning intentions are clearly identified in adult-led activities, so that staff can focus interactions and maximise children's learning.
- 8 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 10 October 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Play & Learn 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.