Rooms and our environments

Rooms & our environments

All play rooms (as well as the outside) have designated activity areas, encouraging skills in all areas of development within the EYFS.

These activity areas include: creative/messy, mark making and early writing, literacy, numbers and reasoning, role play, construction, making sounds, the natural world/investigations, sand and water and relaxing/cosy areas.

 

Indoor areas

In addition to our five children’s play rooms, all children also have access to:

Sensory room
In addition to having extensive sensory equipment that is used in all areas of our nursery, we also have a separate sensory room that develops children’s all round senses through a vast amount of equipment, such as a bubble tube and various lights.

We also use this room for specific activities based around all areas of learning within the EYFS, such as Letters and Sounds activities and story-telling.

Soft play room
We also have a separate indoor soft play room, which all of our children access. This offers the children the opportunity to climb, crawl, walk, build, jump, throw, slide, roll, etc., whilst at the same time, developing their language and social skills.

Outdoor areas

Two of our children’s rooms have continuous access to the outdoors which incorporates two enclosed private play spaces. These are resourced to aid the children’s development in all areas of learning within the EYFS and also include resources to promote their interests:

Private Garden
Grassed area | Wooden pergola (outdoor classroom) | Wooden train and carriages | Cosy den | Construction shed | Chalk wall | Sound wall | Various toys to promote all round development

Private Play Area
Large metal climbing frame with slide | Tarmacked area for riding bikes and to pull/push various equipment | Mark making area including chalk boards | Sand and water area | Planter containing soil | Variety of equipment to promote physical development – cones, hoops, balls, coits etc | Construction area | Role play area


Play & learning

Play & learning

At Abacus, we strongly believe children develop more effectively through active learning – to be physically and mentally stimulated by using objects, people, ideas and events, and to allow the children to investigate and discover for themselves.

Play is a vital part of this process.

It is through play that children experiment with and understand the world around them, also enabling them to develop socially and emotionally. It is our aim that all of our children learn through the very highest quality play experiences that are set up, led and supervised by experienced, fun and caring practitioners.

In relation to learning, our recent Ofsted inspector wrote the following: – “All children make rapid progress toward the early learning goals. They demonstrate high levels of confidence and self esteem.” Ofsted Inspector, Aug ’16.

Curriculum & learning

For all children, we offer both natural and man-made resources that provide children with a different experiences in relation to sights, textures, smells, and sounds. This allows for an exciting and engaging experience.

What we offer

Visitors & outings

We invite both professionals and interesting people from all walks of life and as we’re fortunately located in a central location, we’re able to make a number of trips out to the local community.

See where we visit

Parental involvement

We firmly believe that a child’s parents and regular cares are a child’s most important educators. We aim to work in close partnership with parents and cares throughout their time at the nursery.

Find out more

Health & safety

The safety and well-being of our children is our absolute priority in everything that we do. We have comprehensive procedures and facilities to ensure that all children and adults are safe and healthy.

How we keep your child safe

About us

Abacus nursery is a family run business; the owners opened the nursery in January 1996 and majority of our staff have been with us for many years. 

100% of our staff hold the minimum qualification required by Ofsted to be solely responsible for children (level 3 nursery nurses), with many more having level 4 qualifications, others with degrees, teacher status for the early years and additional qualifications in management and health and safety.

The family have invested heavily in the nursery over the years and Abacus can accommodate approximately 100 children between the ages of 0 – 5 years.

Our misson

It has always been our prime aim to ensure that our children are safe and happy. In order to achieve this, we work in partnership with our children’s parents and carers, and any other people that are paramount to their well-being.

When children feel safe, happy and cared for, they then have the confidence to explore and develop. Our children primarily learn through a balance of child-led and adult-led activities.

Why choose Abacus?

Choosing a nursery for your child is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. We strive to ensure that parents and carers are confident that we will continue to provide the care, support and opportunities that parents and family members provide at home, allowing children to develop on an individual level. Our prime aims and philosophies include…

To work in close
partnership with parents

We are available at all times to discuss any aspects of your child(ren’s) development in a sensitive, supporting and caring manner. We plan regular family sessions in which our staff and parents together engage our children and their siblings in fun and meaningful activities.

Happy children are our number one priority

Children who are happy are open and receptive to learning. Staff who are happy, enthusiastic, skilled and experienced will provide an inviting, fun and relevant environment in which children can flourish.

Motivational and engaging learning techniques

Children learn more effectively when they learn through play and the activities are fun, exciting, interesting and at their own personal level of development/relevant to their needs and interests at any given time.

Respond to children’s and families’ individual needs

All children and families are unique and therefore the attention, opportunities and support that they receive should reflect this. We look forward to getting to know our children, their families’ and friends.

Children should be instrumental
in their learning

Opportunities are provided for children to plan their own activities and take responsibility for the decisions they make (and their consequences).

Rewarding
achievements

The children’s achievements are celebrated by their peers and adults. Reward systems and praise are continuous and varied.

Meet the staff

It’s important to know who will be working with and teaching your children through these early years. Our staff are confident and committed to keep your little ones safe and sound.

Our staff

Read More

We're proud of our 'Outstanding' assessment from our two recent Ofsted Reports, April 2013 and August 2016.

Ofsted reports


Our staff

Our staff are professional, committed, confident and take pride in ensuring that all of our children are encouraged to be themselves and fully explore and enjoy their time at nursery.

All staff are qualified (as a minimum) to the equivalent of a level 3 nursery nursing qualification in relevant courses. The majority of our staff have worked with us for many years and have come to know many families within Hebburn, Jarrow and the surrounding areas.

You can learn about our senior staff below:

Debbie Johnson

Debbie is the owner of the nursery, along with her husband Jason. Debbie set up the nursery in January 1996 after teaching for five years.

She has a BEd (Hons) degree in education, and has also gained Early Years Professional Status (the equivalent of an Early Years Teacher).

Margaret Campbell

Margaret, our nursery Manager has worked in Early Years since qualifying in 1996.

Margaret achieved a BA (Hons) degree in 2012, and has worked in Management since 2006. Margaret joined us in October 2015.

Sarah Taplin

Sarah joined us in 2015, after re-locating to the North East.

Sarah qualified in 2006 and she is a Senior nursery nurse in the Tinkers' room.

Louise Green

Louise achieved Early Years Professional Status (the equivalent of an Early Years Teacher) in 2008 and has since worked at Abacus.

She is office based and focuses on ensuring high quality teaching, learning, development, assessments, while providing rich, varied and nurturing environments across the nursery.

Laura Wiblin

Laura joined us in 2010 after qualifying as a nursery nurse, and was also a student at Abacus. Laura is now a Senior nursery nurse in the Tweenies’ room.


Facilities

Our facilities

One of our prime aims is to ensure all of our children are safe and happy. We have an extensive range of facilities and environments for our children.

Rooms & our environments

All of our indoor and outdoor areas have been tailored to ensure we encourage the development of skills for children across a range of ages. From standard learning such as numbers and literacy to creative to relaxing areas.

Explore our rooms

Ages

The early years are some of the most important in how a child learns about the world around them. From Bunnykins (0 – 16 months) to Rascals (40 – 60 months), Abacus is the nursery you can count on to provide all the support and learning that they will need.

Find out more

Food & nutrition

We provide a variety of food for all of our children from different cultures. By using locally sourced and fresh food we’ve been awarded the ‘Eat Better, Do Better’ award from the Children’s Food Trust.

Find out more

Additional requirements

We have an excellent reputation for caring for children with additional needs. We have staff who have cared for a number of children with complicated medical conditions and various developmental difficulties.

Please contact us if you have any questions about additional needs for your child.

Diverse backgrounds

All children are unique and therefore this has to be reflected in the care and education that each child and family receives.

We have many strategies and methods for ensuring that everyone is equally respected and receive an individual approach.


Contact

We’re here to help answer any questions you may have.

We have an open door policy – call in at any time to pick up a prospectus and meet our staff and children. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone or send us an email using the form below.


    Address & phone

    1-3 Station Rd,
    Hebburn,
    NE31 1NX

    0191 4836040


    We are open 51 weeks of the year during the following:
    Monday to Friday, 7.30am – 6pm



    Ofsted Reports

    “The quality of teaching is superb. The extremely dedicated and highly qualified staff demonstrate an exceptional understanding of how children learn.”

    - Ofsted, August 2016

    Ofsted Report

    We were inspected in April 2013 and August 2016 and were graded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in all categories. Despite this achievement, we continue to strive to improve the care, support and education we offer to children and their families.

    Abacus became a Ltd Company in November 2014, therefore, were required to re-register with Ofsted and were given a new registration number, therefore no reports are available prior to this date.

    We’re proud of what we have achieved at Abacus. You can find our latest Ofsted report here.


    Home

    At Abacus, we believe in encouraging engagement

    Our priority is that our children are safe, happy and are confident to explore and learn. We’re privileged to play such an important role in your children’s lives and we view each child as unique. This is why Abacus is a nursery you can count on.

    Explore, engage and inspire

    Explore our rooms

    Abacus has a range of engaging areas to ensure we encourage the development of skills in all areas. These include construction, sound, exploration, creative and many more.

    Environments

    What we offer

    We strongly believe children develop more effectively through active learning, to be mentally and physically stimulated by objects, people and events.

    Resources

    Find out more

    For children aged between 0 - 60 months, we're well equipped to provide support and learning for those important developmental years.

    Ages

    Why you can count on us

    Choosing a nursery is a tough decision. From individual needs to engaging learning techniques, let us tell you why you can count on us.

    Why Abacus?

    Why we're a favourite

    We've seen many children grow with us over the years and we've had great feedback from parents.

    Testimonials

    How we keep your child safe

    Health and Safety is an absolute priority. We've implemented comprehensive procedures to ensure that all children and adults are safe and healthy.

    Health and Safety

    Stories

    Learn about everything we’re doing at Abacus – from news to keep you updated about nursery life, and the many events and activities that occur throughout the year.

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