Springboard Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Sunderland for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 17:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2023. Open since 2004, with 26 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 Sunderland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Sunderland 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
SR4 6ADWhat 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, 29 June 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
This family-focused nursery is filled with fun and laughter. Children bound through the gate with big smiles on arrival, waving books that they have brought to share with their friends. This shows their confidence and eagerness to play and learn.
Staff provide a safe, warm and welcoming environment, which they plan carefully to support children's learning. They encourage babies to show early imaginative skills. Babies pretend to feed vegetables to staff with a spoon and say 'yum'. They giggle while trying to catch bubbles. Older children search for bugs and dig for worms, checking off the creatures they find on a list. Staff encourage children to learn to take care of plants, exploring the smells as they water herbs and lavender.
Staff plan a broad and balanced curriculum that supports all children. Staff join in with children's play, skilfully helping them to learn and remember more. Children recall what they have learned, looking back at pictures they have made linked to a favourite story. Staff's enthusiasm and encouragement helps children to concentrate during activities. This contributes to children's positive attitudes to learning. For example, children spend a long time exploring texture, shape and capacity while making 'sunshine cakes' from mud, flowers and water.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- encourage reluctant children to engage more consistently in activities n support older children to learn how to resolve their own conflicts that arise during their play.
- 29 June 2023Good
- 14 December 2017Outstanding
- 27 October 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Springboard 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.