Growing Minds Day Nursery

Upstairs sensory exploration and downstairs access to the Venture Space give Growing Minds Day Nursery a clear progression from babyhood towards school. The Northowram setting takes children from birth to five, with Inquisitors, Collaborators and Explorers organising the day around different stages of development. The physical distinction matters: the youngest children have an upstairs base arranged around care and sleep, while older children can move freely between indoor activity and outdoor play.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised good progress and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That judgement also came with two specific improvements for babies: greater consistency in practitioners’ approaches and better organisation of lunch. Those points deserve attention alongside the positive findings.

Families can choose longer days or morning and afternoon sessions, with funded attendance offered on both term-time and stretched arrangements. Growing Minds belongs to the Inspired Childcare family, but its appeal rests on the detail of this setting: age-specific activities, outdoor access and communication through Famly.

Rooms and Ages

Inquisitors accommodates children aged six weeks to two years upstairs, combining sensory exploration and objects to handle, compare and make sounds with in a space arranged for personal care and sleep. Exploring different shapes, weights and sounds gives babies concrete experiences from which early language and mathematical understanding can develop.

Collaborators, for two- to three-year-olds, connects activities based on children’s interests with practical independence, including preparing lunch tables, serving food and working with parents on toilet training. Learning here includes the ordinary tasks of the day. Taking part in lunch preparations makes routines something children practise themselves rather than simply follow.

Explorers, for children aged three to five, has a downstairs base with direct access to the Venture Space, alongside book-led learning, phase 2 phonics, early mathematics, writing movements and mindfulness strategies. School preparation therefore includes both early literacy and the practical business of managing feelings and becoming more independent.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build skills through play and activities that develop communication, movement, social understanding and early literacy and mathematics. It is the shared foundation for provision, rather than an extra programme unique to Growing Minds. Here, sensory investigation for younger children and book-led work for preschool children give that framework different forms as children grow.

In March 2022, preschool children investigated ladybirds using magnifying glasses and tally charts, comparing their counts and discussing the purpose of the insects’ spots. Books then helped them investigate how the wings were protected. This linked counting, observation, vocabulary and reference skills around one subject that interested the children, rather than treating each as a separate exercise.

During that same month, practitioners followed children’s ideas while retaining individual learning goals, and allowed time to think before answering questions.

Outdoor and Community Life

Venture Space is the nursery’s outdoor area. Children based downstairs can use it freely in different weather, while the upstairs children go outside daily at times chosen by practitioners. Outdoor access is therefore organised differently for the youngest children, rather than assuming that every age group follows the same routine.

In March 2022, children also visited the local library and could borrow nursery books to enjoy with their families. Back at nursery, they discussed the stories and what they liked about them. Reading extended beyond a group story session into home life and conversations between children and adults.

Relationships and Communication

Famly is the group-wide communication system used here to share children’s development with parents. Its practical tools include photos, daily updates, meal information and direct messages to staff, alongside shared child information and collection notifications. Parents can follow the day and keep useful information together, rather than relying entirely on a conversation at collection.

In March 2022, practitioners shared ideas with parents for continuing learning at home. They also helped children describe emotions and work through disagreements using words. The emphasis was practical: recognising another child’s feelings and finding a way to settle a dispute.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2022, speech and language support included individual work and small groups, helping children practise speaking before contributing in a larger group. Staff also worked with other professionals, and additional funding could pay for individual support or resources suited to a child’s needs. These are concrete support mechanisms, rather than a blanket promise that one arrangement suits every child.

Baby care warrants a closer look. In March 2022, some practitioners did not consistently use the approaches agreed for the baby room, and some babies became distressed after being seated before lunch was ready. The improvement priorities were to make teaching approaches more consistent and reduce waiting at mealtimes. These were dated findings, but they give parents useful questions about how routines work now.

Meals and snacks emphasise balanced food, with children encouraged to explore foods, choose and serve for themselves. For funded attendance, a combined charge covers meals, snacks and consumables; families may bring healthy packed meals.

Staff have access to the group-wide Noodle Now training system, which supplies professional development courses. Growing Minds also closes for two half-days each year so the whole team can train with industry professionals. That creates time for shared learning, while adding closures families need to build into their childcare arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 28 Newlands View, Northowram, Halifax, HX3 7HT. Standard opening runs from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday; an earlier start at 7am costs extra and requires advance booking.

Private attendance patterns comprise a day from 8am to 5.30pm, a longer day from 7.30am to 6pm, a morning from 7.30am to 12.30pm and an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. The choice matters for families who need only part of the day as well as those covering a longer working day.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas, alongside its two half-day training closures. Enquiries go to 01422 646776 or enquiries@growingmindsnursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use 15 or 30 hours of government-funded childcare. Funded attendance has two daily patterns: 8.30am to 4pm, providing 7.5 funded hours, or 7.30am to 5.30pm, providing 10. Additional private wraparound hours can extend attendance beyond the funded session.

Funding can run over 38 weeks during term time or be stretched across 51 weeks, including holidays. For families choosing stretched funding, changes to the hours used or transfers to another setting must be requested at a term’s end and begin with the following term. This is a meaningful planning condition if work or childcare arrangements may change partway through a term.

On funded hours, a combined charge covers meals, snacks and consumables; families may bring healthy packed meals. Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit childcare support are also accepted. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, and the sessions and fees page sets out attendance and funding arrangements.

• Baby-room consistency. The March 2022 improvement points concerned agreed teaching approaches and waiting for lunch. During a visit, ask how practitioners maintain consistent routines and time seating around food being ready.
• Changing funded hours. Stretched funding changes take effect at the next term after a request at the end of the current one. Families expecting a change in working hours should weigh that condition before choosing their pattern.
• Early starts and closures. The 7am start needs advance booking and costs extra, while whole-team training brings two half-day closures each year. Include both in the practical discussion when arranging a visit.

Growing Minds suits families seeking either longer-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, with term-time and stretched funding adding another useful choice. The upstairs Inquisitors base, practical independence in Collaborators and book-led Explorers activities give the age groups a clear identity. Venture Space adds outdoor access that changes with children’s stage of development.

The March 2022 Good judgement provides a positive dated assessment, supported by concrete examples of investigation, communication and individual support. The baby-room improvements remain the sharpest decision point for parents of younger children. For families who value outdoor access, age-specific learning and regular app communication, there is plenty here to assess closely.