Whickham Community Centre Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Newcastle upon Tyne for children from birth to 5, open 10:00 to 18:00, 6 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2016, with 45 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 4JLWhat 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, 15 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are well cared for as soon as they arrive by a welcoming and caring staff team. A well-established key-person system helps children to settle quickly and gain confidence. Staff's gentle and warm interactions with children promote their emotional security. As a result, children are very happy, well settled and secure.
Staff provide firmly embedded routines to further promote children's feelings of security. When children see staff turn the egg timer, they finish off their activities and move to sit on the floor for their group activities. Staff empower children to share their 'news' and join in with counting activities. Children show respect for one another, listening carefully to what others have to say and waiting for their turn to speak. They make firm friendships, holding hands as they explore the environment.
Children's trusting relationships have a positive impact on their behaviour and attitudes to learning. There is a wonderful sense of purpose around the pre-school as children become engrossed in activities that interest them. Children take turns with popular toys. Older children start to resolve their own conflicts. When children want the same wellington boots, they negotiate to wear one each and choose another pair for the other foot. Staff celebrate children's successes, giving them plenty of praise and affection when they achieve their goals. This helps to boost children's self-esteem. Children spontaneously applaud others, telling them, 'Well done', echoing language they have heard from staff.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- plan more effectively for the most able children to make the very best possible progress n build on staff professional development opportunities to help sustain and build on good teaching further.
- 15 May 2024Good
- 3 July 2018Good
- 8 March 2018Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Whickham Community Centre 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.