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St Catherine's Pre School
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Ladybird Children's Nursery - St Catherine's is based in a classroom in St Catherine's RC Primary School in Sandyford, Newcastle upon Tyne. We are ideally located near the City Centre, Jesmond and Heaton.
Children can start at the age of 18 months and stay until they start their reception class at school. We have excellent links with St Catherine's RC Primary School and other local schools if you wanted to share your child's nursery education between providers.
Here at Ladybird Children's Nursery - St Catherine's we believe the child and their needs should be at the heart of all we do. Children learn through meaningful experiences and this is why we implement the "In the moment planning" approach to learning, we put an emphasis on self-directed play and learning. We respect and encourage children to make their own choices, to be curious, to experiment, to discover and ultimately to learn and grow.
What Ofsted Say......
Staff care deeply about the children. They go above and beyond to support children and their families, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They secure funding and support from the local authority to support families. Parents comment that they don't know where they would be without the support of the playgroup. One parent describes the playgroup as 'a hidden gem'.
Staff place children's personal, social and emotional development at the heart of everything they do. Children grow in confidence as they explore the learning environment and learn to play with the other children. They develop good relationships with each other. One family comments that their children grew and flourished in the playgroup. They say their children have a positive attitude to education that they will carry with them through life
Children are cared for in a home-from-home environment. They settle quickly because of the extremely well-thought-out and flexible settling-in arrangements.
Staff at the playgroup have very good relationships with parents. They work closely with them to find out about their children when they first start. Parents get regular feedback on where children are in their learning. Staff also give them advice on how they can support children's learning at home. Parents comment that they have found the advice that they have been given on toilet training and healthy meals useful.