Fairfield Nursery

Vegetable patches, mud kitchens and a story telling circle give Fairfield Nursery a clear outdoor character. Its play spaces connect directly to the garden, with separate outdoor areas for different ages. For children who like digging, making and imaginative play, there are concrete reasons to look closely at this Shelf setting.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Fairfield Outstanding, finding a highly effective curriculum that accommodated children needing extra help as well as further challenge. The detail behind that judgement matters: children investigated water, contributed ideas to discussions and practised doing everyday tasks for themselves.

Fairfield accepts children from three months to five years and has 62 places in total. Full-day and sessional attendance sit alongside funded childcare, giving families more than one way to use the nursery.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; in everyday terms, that means learning through play alongside support for communication, movement and relationships. Fairfield's current approach uses imaginative play and exploration, with light, spacious rooms and resources intended for different stages of development.

In May 2024, water play involved more than pouring and splashing. Children followed water through channels and explored using a funnel to fill a container, while staff prompted them to think about its destination. That example gives parents a useful picture of learning built around a child's investigation rather than an adult supplying the answer.

Children also had opportunities to influence the day in May 2024. A daily question invited their responses, and older children joined a council to discuss activities they wanted. Their preferences became something to discuss together. For parents, this is a tangible example of children practising speaking up and listening to other people's ideas.

Books and songs ran through the day in May 2024: babies explored board books, toddlers discussed dinosaur pictures and older children listened to longer stories. Staff used expressions and spoken descriptions with babies, while questions encouraged older children to propose solutions. The experiences changed with children's development rather than relying on one activity for everyone.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden offers several kinds of play in one space. Dens support imaginative games, vegetable patches connect children with growing food, and mud kitchens give them materials to manipulate and experiment with. The story telling circle adds a place for shared stories outdoors. Direct access from the play areas makes the garden part of the nursery's layout, rather than a separate destination.

Physical exploration was also visible in May 2024. Babies practised walking on a slope and across a small bridge; older children used tools and made purposeful marks. These are useful details for families weighing how a nursery balances conversation and books with opportunities to move and handle materials.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2024, children spent time in family groups with their key person, and babies sought comfort from familiar staff. The practical value is continuity: the relationship gave children someone to turn to while they explored and played.

Support extended to families before children started in May 2024. Community play sessions and baby sensory sessions welcomed parents, carers and grandparents, with discussions about feeding and babies' physical development. These sessions brought practical conversations into play, rather than treating support for parents as separate from children's care.

Today, the ParentZone App lets families share moments from home with the nursery. That gives parents a direct way to contribute information about their child's experiences beyond nursery hours. In May 2024, communication also included advice about screen time, which parents valued.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support responsive, with the SENCo seeking outside advice, introducing help while referrals were pending and using additional funding effectively. Home learning bags also supported specific areas of learning beyond nursery. For families needing additional support, the important detail is the action taken during a wait for external services.

Everyday independence received attention in May 2024 too. Babies practised drinking from open cups, toddlers poured drinks, and older children managed outdoor clothing; staff also helped children learn to use cutlery. These small tasks made self-care part of the day.

Meals are cooked on site by an in-house nursery chef, with fruit and vegetables and, where possible, locally or organically sourced ingredients. Herbs and vegetables grown in the nursery garden are used in the cooking, connecting the growing space with children's meals.

Sessions and Attendance

Fairfield is at 55A Carr House Lane, Shelf, Halifax HX3 7RH. Opening hours are 7.15am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, excluding public holidays. The Christmas closure lasts one week, so families needing care during that period will need to plan around it.

Children can attend on a full-day or sessional basis. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01274 673623 or by email at fairfield@portlandnurseries.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Fairfield offers 15 and 30 hours funding. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

• Garden use for the youngest children. Separate outdoor areas and direct garden access are part of Fairfield's layout. During a visit, ask how your child's age group uses these spaces and how outdoor play fits around rest.
• Full-day or sessional attendance. Both patterns are offered within the weekday opening window. Discuss the session pattern you need and how settling visits would work around it.
• Funding and the total bill. Fairfield offers 15 and 30 hours funding. Ask for a written breakdown covering the delivery of funded hours, any additional paid time, meals and consumables, so the arrangement is clear before joining.

Fairfield suits families seeking either full-day care or sessional attendance, especially those who value a garden with several different uses and a way to share home experiences through the ParentZone App. Its May 2024 Outstanding judgement adds weight, with concrete examples of investigative play, children's participation and individual support behind it. The garden's growing areas and their connection to the kitchen give the current offer an appealing practical thread.