Former outstanding Newcastle nursery now labelled as requiring improvement in two areas
A Newcastle nursery which was previously labelled as outstanding has now been told it requires improvement in two key areas.
Monkchester Road Nursery School in Walker was visited by Ofsted in July 2025, with the resulting inspection report released this month.
It follows a 2023 inspection which labelled the site as ‘outstanding’ under the previous Ofsted inspection method.
The inspection report says: “Children enjoy coming to this school. They build positive relationships with their key workers. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure.”
Ofsted ratings of nurseries are reviewed across four seperate parts. These are the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management. Monkchester Road recorded a ‘good rating in behaviour and attitudes and personal development, with the remaining aspects labelled as ‘requiring improvement’.
The inspection goes on to say: “The school has high expectations for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, in many areas of learning, these aims are not realised.
“This is because the school does not ensure that teaching is matched well to the needs of the children. Children enjoy the opportunities on offer to extend their learning. These wider experiences include weekly cooking sessions and visits to their school forest.
“This helps children to develop their independence skills, for example putting on their own jackets and trousers to work outdoors.”
The report also references changes to the nursery in recent times. It says: “The school has recently taken action to review and revise its curriculum. In each area of learning, the school has identified the age-related milestones that it expects children to reach and the important knowledge that it wants children to learn.
“However, despite these improvements, the school has not ensured that staff have the expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively or design activities that support children to learn well. Some checks on children’s understanding are not effective.
“This has an impact on how well children achieve.”