Ofsted report card

Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield

Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne · NE2 1AD

Inspected by Ofsted on 5 June 2026 under the report card framework.

Curriculum and teaching Expected Standard
Achievement Expected Standard
Behaviour and routines Expected Standard
Welfare and wellbeing Strong Standard
Inclusion Strong Standard
Leadership and governance Expected Standard

What each grade means

Each area is judged separately. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear — meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Curriculum and teaching

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Achievement

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Behaviour and routines

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Welfare and wellbeing

Strong Standard

Clearly better than the expected standard in this area, though not exceptional.

Inclusion

Strong Standard

Clearly better than the expected standard in this area, though not exceptional.

Leadership and governance

Expected Standard

The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.

Registration

Ofsted URN
EY225329
Provider type
Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
Ages
0 to 4
Registered places
45
Registered since
4 December 2002
Local authority
Newcastle upon Tyne

On the Early Years Register and the Voluntary Childcare Register.

Where it is

Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne · NE2 1AD. Location from the Ofsted register.

Inspection history

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall rating rather than grading each area.

  1. 5 April 2022 inspection Good
  2. 18 November 2016 inspection Good
  3. 9 August 2013 inspection Good
  4. 5 August 2009 inspection
  5. 16 October 2007 inspection
  6. 9 June 2003 inspection

Common questions

When was Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield last inspected by Ofsted? +

Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield in Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne was last inspected on 5 June 2026. That inspection used Ofsted's report card framework, which replaced single-word overall ratings for early years settings in November 2025.

What did Ofsted say about Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield? +

Ofsted graded 6 areas: curriculum and teaching — Expected Standard; achievement — Expected Standard; behaviour and routines — Expected Standard; welfare and wellbeing — Strong Standard; inclusion — Strong Standard; leadership and governance — Expected Standard. Each area is judged separately, so a setting can be stronger in one than another.

Is "expected standard" a good grade? +

Yes. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear, so meeting it is the pass rather than a mediocre result. Strong standard and exceptional sit above it; needs attention and urgent improvement sit below.

What ages does Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield take? +

Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield is registered for children aged 0 to 4.

How many children can Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield take? +

Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield is registered for up to 45 children at any one time. That is a registration limit, not the number currently attending.

How long has Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield been registered? +

Castle Nurseries at Shieldfield has been registered with Ofsted since 4 December 2002. Its unique reference number (URN) is EY225329.

Nearby settings

Inspection and registration information is published by Ofsted and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Little Bees is not affiliated with Ofsted. The grade descriptions are our plain-English summaries of where each grade sits against the standard, not Ofsted's own criteria.

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