Belmont
Purpose-built in 2007 to provide first class childcare facilities, Clever Clogs Nursery in Belmont was the first of two Clever Clogs settings and is rated as outstanding by Ofsted.
Located just two minutes off the junction of the A1 and A690 in Belmont, Durham, Clever Clogs Belmont is ideally located for those who live in the surrounding area or who commute to Durham City Centre.
Our Rooms
Clever Clogs Belmont has five rooms which follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and where babies and children are encouraged to stimulate all aspects of their development through a wide range of opportunities and activities.
Each of the rooms – Little Hedgehogs, Little Squirrels, Little Badgers and Little Owls & Foxes – is led by a senior member of staff who is supported by highly experienced and qualified nursery practitioners.
From the moment they arrive until the moment they leave us to start school, the children at Clever Clogs Belmont are supported to ensure they receive the right emotional, social and educational balance through a wide range of opportunities and activities, with the emphasis very much on having fun.
We equip the children with the essential knowledge they need to prepare them for their future success and giving them the best possible start to their early education.

Little Hedgehogs
Younger Babies
Little Hedgehogs is the room where younger babies begin their journey at Clever Clogs Belmont. Here, we follow your baby’s home routine with our staff encouraging them to learn through play. We follow The Curiosity Approach which brings old and new resources together to create a stimulating environment for the children.
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Little Squirrels
Older Babies up to 2 Years
Little Squirrels is our room for older babies up to two years. We still very much follow the home routine whilst encouraging the children to fully explore and investigate their surroundings. Our older babies spend their day playing with a range of developmental/educational toys, again taking the open-ended heuristic approach.
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Little Badgers
Toddlers 2-3 Years
Little Badgers is our room for children aged two to 3 (toddlers). At this stage of their development we start to introduce a basic routine so they are ready for their eventual move to pre-school. We encourage the children to develop at their own pace, giving them many opportunities to thrive.
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Little Owls & Little Foxes
Pre-School 3-5 Years
We have two pre-school rooms at Clever Clogs, one for children just finding their way at the age of three and the other for children who are about to leave to start ‘big school’. Following the Early Years Foundation Stage, the children work towards seven key learning goals.
Find out moreActivities
Clever Clogs Belmont delivers a varied programme of activities that are not only fun for the children but complement the learning goals set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Following The Curiosity Approach, which involves using natural materials and items you would normally see at home, a typical day at the nursery may include junk modelling, painting, crafting, reading, singing, building, dressing up and role play and plenty of outdoor play regardless of the weather (after all that’s what hats, scarves and gloves are for!).
We theme activities around important dates in the calendar, such as Christmas and Easter, and look at British values, underlining the importance to the children of a sharing and caring society.
We also offer Football, Mighty Monsters & Lingotots for a small extra charge.
Meet the Assistant Manager
Dawn Sweeney is the Assistant Manager of Clever Clogs Bowburn.
She has worked in childcare her whole career (23 years) and has experience, including management experience, in various early years settings. Dawn has a Degree in Early Years Education.
In her role as Assistant Manager, she is responsible for the day-to-day running of our Belmont nursery.
Dawn says: “I only ever wanted to work in childcare and Clever Clogs feels like a home from home to me. It’s a fantastic nursery with a great staff team.”


Healthy Eating
We believe that mealtimes should be a happy, social time where healthy, home-cooked foods can be enjoyed and eating skills can be developed at the same time.
All our menus include a hot two-course lunch, freshly prepared on the premises by our chef. We buy our produce from local suppliers and the menus are planned to encompass a healthy and well-balanced diet using the ‘Eat Better, Start Better’ NHS guidelines. The menus are reviewed regularly and we ensure that all of the five food groups are included in our four-weekly menus. Different diets and cultural needs can also be catered for.
In addition to lunch, we offer snacks in the morning and afternoon and water is freely available all day. For babies, parents are asked to provide formula milk and food until a blended nursery menu can be taken.
Our kitchen at Belmont has a 5-star food hygiene rating.

We’re Outstanding!
Clever Clogs Belmont is rated as ‘OUTSTANDING’ by Ofsted with inspectors noting that the “children display high levels of positive behaviour as they form warm and caring attachments with staff and with their peers. Staff are excellent role models to the children and ensure children are exceptionally well cared for.” Read the full report here.