Grass Roots, New Road

A reading corner for younger children, a preschool room opening onto outdoor play, and an allotment woven into its inspection-era story give Grass Roots, New Road a clear character. This Sowerby Bridge setting combines adjacent age-group spaces with opportunities for children to make choices about their play. It has 34 places in total.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Outstanding, highlighting purposeful teaching, children's communication and preparation for their next stage of learning. That judgement is a dated assessment. The current rooms offer their own concrete reasons to look closely: accessible resources, bathrooms supporting growing independence, and an online system connecting parents with daily care and learning.

The Orchard caters for children from 18 months to three years, while The Woodland serves children from three years until school age. Opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Rooms and Ages

The Orchard combines an emphasis on communication, emotions and physical development with a reading corner, pretend play, drawing resources and playdough, giving younger children several ways to explore and express themselves. Its separation from The Woodland still allows contact with older children. Progression is visible rather than happening between entirely disconnected spaces.

The Woodland extends learning into literacy, maths, creative expression and understanding the world, with reading, painting and pretend-play areas alongside access straight into outdoor play. Children can choose between outside and inside. An Early Years Teacher works with the children, including those approaching the move to school.

Personal storage makes independence practical. Children have labelled pegs, with pictures helping younger children identify theirs; in The Woodland, drawers hold belongings and artwork. Both spaces have bathroom provision supporting personal care. In The Orchard, potty-training resources include books, while toilets, handwashing and nappy-changing facilities accommodate different stages of development.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: here, play and adult interaction support communication, movement and emotional development, with older children also exploring literacy, maths and creative activities. The room arrangements make those areas tangible rather than leaving them as curriculum headings.

In February 2023, children chose their activities and moved between indoor and outdoor spaces. Small-group work was adjusted to children's individual needs, and staff used visual resources alongside books and storytelling. For parents, these are useful examples of what the dated judgement rested on: choices for children, alongside activities planned by adults.

A memorable routine also appeared in February 2023: the Mission Impossible theme tune signalled tidying. Children then collected and organised resources. The detail matters because a familiar cue can give children a recognisable part in looking after their shared space, rather than making tidying solely an adult task.

Outdoor and Community Life

A shared outdoor area brings children from different age groups together. Natural materials include pinecones and leaves, with puddles adding another opportunity for sensory exploration. The Woodland's direct outdoor access gives that space a place within the nursery day, rather than making it solely a separate destination.

In February 2023, children made regular allotment visits and also attended a local forest school. The allotment connected food with how it grows. These were concrete experiences beyond the indoor rooms, although the inspection-era outings should be read separately from the current shared outdoor provision.

Relationships and Communication

Daily care is visible to parents through the online system. For The Orchard, updates cover eating, sleep and personal care, alongside observations and developmental milestones; The Woodland also uses digital journals and notifications. This gives families both practical information about the day and a continuing account of their child's learning.

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person system and communication with parents supported individual needs, adaptations enabled children with SEND to participate, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. Those findings describe practice at that point, rather than an assurance about every future experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In February 2023, children used emotion stones during conversations with friends, and a support dog visited daily to help children with additional needs or emotional difficulties. The examples show different ways of making feelings part of the nursery day: something children could discuss together and something supported through an additional visiting presence.

Family help extended beyond childcare in February 2023, with breastfeeding groups, foodbank access and financial guidance. That wider support is an important part of the dated account, especially for parents weighing how a nursery responds to pressures affecting family life.

Meals in February 2023 included vegetables and were shared occasions for conversation, linking eating with social interaction as well as the allotment experiences.

Sessions and Attendance

Grass Roots, New Road operates during term time, across 38 weeks, with opening hours of 8.30am to 4pm from Monday to Friday. That calendar is a central part of the decision: families need childcare arrangements that fit both the shorter opening window and school-holiday periods.

The enquiry form provides the application route. The New Road setting can also be contacted on 01422 417 659 or at grassroots.newroad@gmail.com.

Getting There

The nursery is based at New Road Junior & Infant School, Sowerby New Road, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 1DY. Attending a nursery on a school site does not guarantee a Reception place; families seeking a state-school place still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

In February 2023, the setting provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Contact the nursery about current prices.

• Term-time calendar. The 38-week year and 8.30am to 4pm opening window suit arrangements built around term time. Holiday care and later working hours need to fit around that pattern.
• The youngest children in The Orchard. The room spans 18 months to three years. Discuss how staffing is organised for children under two within that age range.
• School-site expectations. The New Road Junior & Infant School address creates a practical connection with a school setting, but nursery attendance does not secure a Reception place. Keep the school application separate from the childcare decision.
• The visit conversation. With digital updates covering care and learning, how will settling work for your child, and how are funded hours, food and personal-care supplies charged?

Grass Roots, New Road suits families seeking term-time childcare with connected younger-child and preschool spaces, outdoor access and regular digital updates. The Orchard's personal-care facilities and The Woodland's choice between indoor and outdoor play give that offer useful substance. Its Outstanding judgement belongs to February 2023; the practical fit today rests on the rooms, the term-time calendar and an opening day ending at 4pm.