We Are Local
Dedicated to the education and care of young children in MiddlesbroughAs a local and family owned early learning provider, we know first hand what our community needs and are dedicated to providing the highest quality, personalised childcare and education.
Here at School House we want to change the perception of what “daycare” should be and to far exceed the expectations of parents. We believe that your child deserves the best care and attention and we want their earliest memories to be filled with happy and enriching experiences!
Nutrition & Menu
A nutritionally balanced menu prepared on site dailyChildren are provided with breakfast, mid-morning snack, Lunch, afternoon tea and a late fruit snack. Milk is offered to the children at mealtimes and Water is always available and encouraged.
All meals follow a 4 week meal planner that are prepared using seasonal produce that are locally sourced when possible. We promote healthy eating by involving the children in the preparation of snacks and regular cooking activities. Older children are encouraged to serve their own food at meal times, both inspiring children to develop likes and dislikes and personal preferences all the while being conscious of the needs of their peers.
Our Mission
Providing a safe and enriching enviromentOur mission is to create an exceptional experience for young children and their families. We believe that children thrive in a caring and enriching environment that supports them in feeling comfortable, confident, and safe. We also believe that the basic building blocks of learning are play, curiosity, creativity, questioning, and imagination, and we believe that schools which embrace this theory of learning have the best influence on children’s personal, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.
Our Vision
Designed to feel like a home away from homeSchool House embraces childhood as a magical time that is best lived in an environment that is rich with possibilities, which is built on a strong foundation of relationships. The nursery is designed to feel like a home away from home for children and their families. We believe nursery should be a place where parents feel confident that their children are loved and respected.
School House nurtures the child physically, socially and intellectually by providing high-quality and nutritious meals, experiences in the outdoors, individualized experiences, small group interactions, and an intriguing, interesting, well-organized, clean, aesthetically-pleasing environment in which to explore and learn.
The nursery recognises the role that families play in creating deep and meaningful experiences for children. With this in mind, School House is always open to the unique perspective and points of view of parents and other important caregivers in the lives of the children.
Allison O'keefe
Owner/ManagerI am a qualified Early Years Teacher (BA Hons) and I have taught Nursery and Reception for ten years across Merseyside and Teeside. Within this time I have been the Leader of a large Early Years department within an outstanding Middlesbrough primary school.
My background and experience:
I am a qualified Early Years Teacher (BA Hons) and I have taught Nursery and Reception for ten years across Merseyside and Teeside. Within this time I have been the Leader of a large Early Years department within an outstanding Middlesbrough primary school. I have also worked as an Early Years Advisor supporting and helping to raise standards in local private and voluntary nursery settings and I have taught in a multidisciplinary unit supporting children with additional needs.
My motivation:
Even as a small child I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I love children; I love their honesty (never a dull moment!), I love their curiosity and most of all I love to see their little faces light up when they have accomplished something for the very first time. For me, helping children is the best job in the world!
I am a very proud mummy of a beautiful 3 year old little girl named Beau. It is my experience of finding a childcare provider for Beau that inspired me to develop School House Day Care and Preschool.
My Journey:
As I approached the end of a wonderful year of maternity leave with my precious little bundle, I was in exactly the same place that many of you looking at this website are probably in at the moment. I was due to return to work and I needed someone to take care of Beau. I was anxious about leaving my little baby for the first time. I wanted to find a nursery environment for Beau which was happy, safe and calm, which provided her with the very best care. I was looking for staff who were genuinely kind and caring who would offer cuddles and make Beau smile if she was feeling tired or sad.
I knew that choosing the right nursery for Beau as well as for me was one of the most important parenting decisions I was ever going to have to make.
After visiting numerous nursery and daycare providers in Middlesbrough and never quite finding 'the one', we finally found our perfect fit in a wonderful nursery outside of Middlesbrough which was an hour round trip from my place of work. Beau has had such an amazing experience at her nursery and has recently said goodbye to her extended family as she is due to start full time education in September.
This personal experience is what encouraged me to explore how I could use my experience as a specialised Early Years Teacher and as a mother to provide the high level of love, care, nurture and stimulating opportunities that I searched high and low for in Middlesbrough for my own daughter. This is what inspired my vision of School House Daycare and Preschool. After years of research and months of development, I am so proud to have created this very special place where your child is at the heart of everything we do.
