Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

Houghton Community Nursery School

Ofsted: Outstanding
(Jun 2025)
·
5.0(5 parent reviews) ·Houghton Community Nursery, Nesham Place, HOUGHTON LE SPRING, DH5 8AE · Sunderland
Number of places
52 places
Age range
0–3 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2025
Local authority
Sunderland

About this day nursery

Houghton Community Nursery School is an inclusive early learning environment dedicated to children from birth to five years old. The school is passionate about nurturing curiosity and fostering a love for learning through a blend of classroom activities and extensive outdoor experiences, including Forest and Coastal School programmes.

The curriculum is designed to support each child's individual development, with a strong focus on creating a supportive and engaging atmosphere. The nursery also places a high value on partnerships with parents, offering guidance and resources to ensure a collaborative approach to every child's growth and education.

With a clear vision to provide exceptional early years education, Houghton Community Nursery School strives to prepare children for their future academic journeys while celebrating their unique strengths and needs.

Our ethos

Houghton Community Nursery School is dedicated to nurturing curiosity and fostering a love for learning through a blend of classroom activities and extensive outdoor experiences, including Forest and Coastal School programmes. The curriculum supports individual development in a supportive and engaging atmosphere, with a focus on partnerships with parents to ensure a collaborative approach to growth and education. The nursery aims to provide exceptional early years education and prepare children for future academic journeys while celebrating their unique strengths and needs.

What it's like

The experience this nursery provides for children and their families is of the very highest standard. The provision is built around a well-established culture that holds the care of children and families at its core. The curriculum is exceptionally broad, immersing children in a range of off-site visits, including to the forest and the beach, where they develop a vast array of knowledge and skills.

Forest SchoolCoastal SchoolInclusive Environment

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)
Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm.

Term time / All Year

All Year

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Houghton Community Nursery School

Last inspected 17 June 2025 · Dani Taylor

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding

What it's like to attend

The experience this nursery provides for children and their families is of the very highest standard. The provision is built around a well-established culture that holds the care of children and families at its core. The curriculum is exceptionally broad, immersing children in a range of off-site visits, including to the forest and the beach, where they develop a vast array of knowledge and skills.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders are deeply involved in all aspects of the nursery, investing in staff training and continuous professional development, which ensures the nursery continues to evolve.
  • The curriculum is research-led and bespoke to the individual needs of the children and families, with ongoing support for the progression of children's knowledge and skills across all areas of learning.
  • Staff are alert to responding to children and facilitate high-quality interactions, demonstrating genuine warmth and interest in children's interests to progress their knowledge.
  • Staff continually support conversation skills and model key vocabulary, empowering children through building a repertoire of story knowledge and vocabulary.
  • Children relish the opportunity to spend long periods of time deeply immersed in exploration and investigation, fostering a mindset that celebrates the continuous pursuit of knowledge.
Inspection #10398894 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents and carers describe the care and support their children receive in this nursery as being exceptional

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff establish nurturing bonds with children and use the phrase 'holding children close' to describe the additional care and support provided to vulnerable children. Within daily routines, there is a flexible approach to ensure that children's individual needs are responded to. Staff spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND.

Outdoor space

Children are immersed in a range of off-site visits, including the forest and the beach where they develop a vast array of knowledge and skills, including an extensive vocabulary. Furthermore, they gain a deep understanding of how to stay safe in these environments. These enriching experiences have a powerful impact on the most vulnerable children. For instance children express their awe and wonder of the surroundings in forest school, as they investigate the different types of trees with magnifying glasses. The well-planned approach to forest school provision was demonstrated.

Parent Reviews of Houghton Community Nursery School

5.0
(5)
V
5 years ago

My daughter is in the Den here and she absolutely loves it. She only goes one afternoon a week but it has brought her on so much.

Read on Google
lisa burnham
9 years ago

Couldnt think of better people to leave my children with. Its all about the kids

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Houghton Community Nursery School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: September 2013

  • June 2025Outstanding
  • November 2019Outstanding
  • September 2013Outstanding

Frequently asked about Houghton Community Nursery School

Nearby day nurseries in HOUGHTON LE SPRING

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Houghton Community Nursery School.

Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.

Claim listing

Share this nursery

Send to a partner, friend or family member.

This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more