Sir James Knott Nursery School Nest at Howard Street

Sir James Knott Nursery School Nest at HowardStreet
Unique reference number (URN): 2861121
Address: North Tyneside Council, Howard House, 54 Saville Street, North Shields, NE30 1NT
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 02/10/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Sir James Knott Nursery School Governing Body
Inspection report: 25 March 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement

Expected standard
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.
Achievement Expected standard
Children make steady progress from their starting points and show growing confidence as
they move through the curriculum. They enjoy listening to stories, joining in actions to
familiar songs and copying new words. Children develop early physical skills as they climb
the indoor slide, run at the park and explore sensory materials such as foam and paint. They
show increasing independence, such as when feeding themselves.
Children who find separating from their parents more difficult begin to settle for longer
periods, staying close to familiar adults as they explore. They play alongside others, wait for
a turn and show pride when they achieve something new. Children gain the early knowledge
and confidence they need for their next stage of learning, and they are becoming more
secure in the routines that help them feel ready to engage.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Staff provide a warm and positive environment. They are respectful and courteous to
children and one another. Relationships between staff and children are typically nurturing
and reassuring. Staff stay close during play, so children, overall, feel secure, happy and
ready to learn during activities in nursery. Some parts of the day are less-well organised.
Staff have not established calm and manageable routines, such as when getting ready to go
on outings. Occasionally, at these times, children feel less secure and become restless.
More often, during more settled periods in the day, children show confidence, remain
engaged in their play and move calmly between activities. Staff offer plenty of praise and
encouragement, which helps to raise children's self-esteem. They model kindness and guide
children in simple ways to help them learn to get along with others. For example, they show
children how to use 'kind hands' and encourage them to wave at friends through the window
as they arrive. Leaders support staff with consistent, shared expectations for children's

behaviour at this young age, which are appropriate and clear. Staff understand how
children's experiences can shape their behaviour and manage typical conflicts sensitively,
with a firm and fair approach. This helps children to develop an early understanding of right
from wrong.
Leaders promote the importance of attendance and punctuality. They work closely with
families to support children, particularly those who find separating from parents more
difficult, to settle gradually into a familiar routine at nursery.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Overall, children experience warm, secure relationships with staff who know them well and
respond sensitively to their individual needs. Consistent key person arrangements help staff
to offer close, consistent care so babies and young children feel safe and develop strong
attachments. They know and recognise the staff who care for them. Leaders and staff know
that some less-confident children need greater emotional support. When routines are not
well organised, children can feel less secure and may become restless or unsettled and look
for reassurance from staff. Some staff take longer than children need to respond, so children
do not always settle as quickly as they could. When staff acknowledge children's feelings
and respond promptly with warmth and comfort, children feel reassured and their emotional
wellbeing improves swiftly.
Staff learn about children's routines at home and work closely with parents to support
sleeping, weaning and feeding in ways that reflect each child's needs and stage of
development. They follow established best-practice guidance at sleeping and mealtimes and
supervise children closely, which keeps them safe and comfortable. Staff also follow clear
procedures for managing allergies, administering medication and responding to illness,
which supports children's good health and wellbeing.
Children enjoy nutritious meals and plenty of fresh air, for example, on walks to the nearby
park. Staff share simple, age-appropriate messages about caring for their bodies, such as
guiding children to wipe their noses and showing them how to use tissues hygienically.
Children also hear early reminders about keeping safe, for instance when using climbing
equipment, and they begin to understand how to manage small risks with support.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching, and they are taking
purposeful steps to strengthen practice across the team. Staff follow children's interests and
use assessment well to check what children can do, adapting activities so learning builds on
what they know and can do, including when children may need extra support with some
aspects of their learning.
The newly-designed curriculum meets all areas of learning and development and gives
children experiences that support their steady progress. Staff use songs, stories and simple
language throughout the day to support communication and help children learn new words,
including early mathematical language. For example, at the park, babies hear songs about
'three little ducks' and staff use their fingers to model counting.

Staff prioritise children's physical development. They offer close support, for example, when
children are developing their confidence to take their first steps. They encourage children to
play together and use meal times as social occasions, modelling conversation and polite
manners. Leaders are supporting staff to deliver the curriculum for children's emotional
development with greater consistency.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff know children well and identify their individual needs with care. They
notice small gaps in learning quickly and use simple, well-matched strategies to help
children stay on track. Staff draw on relevant guidance to adapt experiences so all children
can take part, including those who are not yet speaking, who use signs and gestures to
make their needs known. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals, so
children receive timely support. They review children's progress regularly to check that their
help is making a difference.
Leaders recognise separation anxiety as a barrier to learning. Children who are new meet
staff, both in their own home and in the nursery, before they begin to attend. This helps them
to become familiar with who will care for them. Leaders have begun to provide training so
staff can support children more confidently and help them to settle into their play and
learning quickly. Some staff are applying this in practice, although this is not yet embedded
across the whole team. Leaders provide training and support to help staff understand how to
assess, plan and review support for children with emerging needs.
Leaders understand how to use funding to strengthen early support for disadvantaged
children, for example to widen their access to experiences that build confidence and
communication.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and the areas they want to
improve, and they take purposeful action to strengthen the quality of education and care.
They have recently strengthened the leadership structure to share leadership
responsibilities more effectively across the team, building greater consistency in everyday
practice. Leaders review provision regularly and invite professional challenge so they can
evaluate their work with a fresh perspective. This reflective approach informs their
development plans, which focus firmly on children's wellbeing, care and learning. As a
result, the quality of provision is strengthening quickly in this newly established setting.
Leaders actively seek and act on feedback from parents. Families speak overwhelmingly
positively about the care and learning their children receive and praise the attentive, kind
staff who help their children grow in confidence and make progress in their learning.
Leaders create a culture where staff feel valued and supported in their professional and
personal growth. They monitor staff workload and involve the team in shaping
improvements, such as recent developments to the curriculum. Leaders recognise
occasional inconsistency in how some staff promote young children's emotional wellbeing.
They have begun to address this through targeted training to strengthen staff's
understanding of how the youngest children show their early feelings and how to respond

confidently. Leaders are now cascading this training through the team so that approaches
become more consistent across the setting.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children enjoy their time here, in the care of familiar staff who know them well. They move
confidently between activities in this well-presented nursery where they have plenty of space
to play. For example, they eagerly climb in to the sand tray, exploring how it feels between
their fingers. They make early marks as they trace their fingers through foam and paint.
Children show curiosity and often return to their favourite experiences, such as bringing
books to staff to share their most loved stories. Children have time to practise new skills,
and they show pride in their achievements. They build on what they know and can already
do and make steady progress through the broad and balanced curriculum. Under staff's
careful guidance, they develop a secure foundation of knowledge and skills that prepares
them well for the next stage in their learning.
Children show trust in staff, such as when they seek them out for reassurance, a warm hug
or help with their play. Toddlers smile and giggle, copying the actions to a familiar song while
a member of staff sings. They show they feel safe, building self-assurance and becoming
more confident to move away from their key person and play independently alongside other
children. Staff are mindful of the experiences children bring with them and about their
interests and preferences. They tailor care and learning responsively to help children to feel
at ease, valued and important.
Children's confidence grows as they become increasingly familiar with the nursery
environment. Staff help them to develop a sense of belonging, for example, when they
weave in experiences that reflect children's heritage. Parents are welcomed in to the nursery
for events such as fun days and community events. Staff also give children experiences in
their local community, such as walks to the park and visits to the library or nearby fish quay.
This helps children to develop a sense of themselves as a valued person and about their
place in nursery, in their family and in their community.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to build staff's confidence and expertise in supporting children's
emotional wellbeing to the highest levels more consistently.

Inspector:
Clare Wilkins
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2861121
Address:
North Tyneside Council
Howard House, 54 Saville Street
North Shields
NE30 1NT
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 02/10/2025
Registered person: Sir James Knott Nursery School Governing Body
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 17:30
Local authority: North Tyneside
Leaders should support staff to refine the organisation of activities and daily routines so
children continually experience a calm, well-paced environment that helps them stay
settled and ready to engage.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and children during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 25 March 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 1
Total number of places
15
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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