Day Nursery Owned by Phoenix Park Nursery Ltd in Durham

in a loving way and use an approach of heuristic play and Montessori-inspired toys and methods. There are no plastic toys, it's natural materials and lots of open-ended resources. Communication with the carers as well as staff who deal with invoices has always been quick and helpful. There is only one thing that I'm not happy with: the amount of chips the children get for lunch. It's up to 3x a week of some type of oven chips, whilst I personally think we don't have to get children used to cheap fried foods at all, I'd like to see different grains etc. But overall meals are good too, standard nursery catering, no sweet deserts, just plain yoghurt which is great, and the snacks they make themselves are fab.

is flourishing with the support of the practitioners at the nursery.

under the care of experienced practitioners and, in particular, her key workers who she is extremely fond of. New training and ideas are regularly injected into our daughter's play and her ability to develop literacy and numeracy skills through her play and her particular interests has been excellent. I am confident she will be ready for school this year and can't thank all of the staff enough for helping her to become independent and confident to take that next step and supporting us as parents as well. We've been so impressed that we have enrolled our son to start at the nursery in 2025 when I return to work. Would highly recommend it.

both developed strong bonds with the staff. They are great at keeping you up to date with your child's progress on the app and it makes my day to see pictures of them having fun! My youngest's journey at Shotley Bridge Nursery School is coming to an end soon and I'll be very sad to see her leave, but I know the team have prepared her well for the next stage of her education.

is clear and any issues that need addressing are done so in a professional and timely manner. It's clean, has plenty activities for the children and both my boys loved going.

with the new owners. I still have some reservations about the catering.

regular updates on how our children are doing and it is easy to discuss their development etc with their key workers. We are confident that they are in a safe and nurturing environment at the nursery. We are really pleased we chose Shotley Bridge and our children have been very happy there.

so blown away by how great the setting is we decided to send her privately as soon as possible. We even tasted the food at the open day and can say it was better than some restaurants in the area! The nursery is always very clean, the parent app is updated often to show pictures, what they're up to as well as nappies, meals and naps. Both the nursery manager and deputy manager get involved and know all of the children too which is great. We are so grateful for all the staff for the amazing job they do. I could not find a single fault with this nursery.

Bridge Nursery and the commitment, structure and care they provide. As a parent, I have felt heard when voicing any concerns I've had about my child's pace of learning and his key worker has worked with me and our son on this to help him and he is doing great!

The communication is second to none and the care he receives every minute of every day while he is there really reassures me as a parent that it was the best option for him. I cannot praise the staff highly enough. I would definitely recommend this nursery to anyone.

The setting is always changing and the children are stimulated and encouraged to be independent whilst being fully supported and safe. Our son has made some strong attachments whilst at the nursery, and while it will be hard to see them come to an end, we know he has been prepared well for future change and the challenges of school.

play, which my Son loves! All the team are incredibly attentive and genuinely care about each child's well-being and development. Their communication with us is fantastic, keeping us updated with regular photos and progress reports. Highly recommend to any parents seeking excellent care for their children!

updates throughout his nursery days. The compliments we receive are a reflection of the care and support he gets from all of the staff at Shotley Bridge Nursery school and for that we are extremely grateful that he attends this fantastic nursery.

to the engaging activities and great outdoor play area. Communication with parents is excellent, with regular updates on our child's progress. The staff truly go above and beyond to create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere.

in which he has grown a lot over the last few months. The ladies who work there are all super friendly, and the updates they provide on the app every day are great.