Almond House Nursery

Two gardens, woodland walks and a monthly Cooking School give Almond House Nursery an appealingly practical character. Children have room to move, things to investigate and food to make. This purpose-built nursery in Almondbury, Huddersfield, combines separate age-group rooms with outdoor exploration and an emphasis on books, conversation and growing independence.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Almond House Good overall, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support through collaboration with other agencies. The curriculum improvement point deserves attention alongside those dated strengths.

Almond House has 50 places in total, accepting ages from four months to under five. Under Twos, Tweenies and Pre-school provide the room structure. Opening hours run from 7am to 6.15pm on weekdays, with a Christmas closure and bank holidays outside the operating calendar.

Rooms and Ages

Purpose-built rooms organise the day around different stages of development. The Under Twos room covers the birth-to-two age band and provides the baby environment; Tweenies, for ages two to three, combines singing, stories and movement with free and organised play, while its spacious room also supports toilet learning and mealtime habits; Pre-school, for ages three to five, emphasises social development, number work and literacy, using storytelling, phonics and letter games alongside outdoor exploration.

Tweenies staffing is one practitioner for every four Tweenies, better than the legal minimum of one adult to five two-year-olds. That gives this age group more adult attention than the minimum requires. It is a staffing measure, however, rather than a statement about how many children share the room.

Each room has a cosy area, with reading throughout the day giving children repeated opportunities to hear stories and language.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for learning, development and care: it brings together children's communication, physical development and learning through play. Almond House adds concrete experiences through its Cooking School and outdoor forest school activities. These are additions to that framework, rather than substitutes for it.

Cooking School takes place monthly for preschool children, who make dishes such as cottage pie and fishcakes and take their creations home. Their finished dishes give families something tangible to discuss at home.

Forest school activities bring learning into the natural environment through shelter building, identifying plants, looking for bugs and nature walks. There is more here than outdoor exercise alone: children investigate living things and work with the materials around them. The rooms and learning page explains how these experiences sit alongside preschool literacy and mathematics.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the planned curriculum was not consistently translated into sufficiently challenging teaching for older children, including opportunities to develop mathematics during play. The concern was whether activities built on what each child already knew.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two gardens provide space for energetic play, with an all-weather approach allowing children to run, climb and jump. Nature Walks extend the setting beyond its own grounds into nearby woodland. The combination gives children both familiar outdoor spaces and opportunities to explore a changing natural setting.

In June 2023, children used bicycles, practised balancing and climbed during daily outdoor play. Preschool children also explored which natural objects could safely be collected and practised assessing risk when crossing roads.

Community experiences in June 2023 included visits to woods, museums and the local library, alongside charity events involving children and parents. Older children used clipboards and pencils to record bugs outdoors and traced letters in sand. Early writing therefore appeared in exploratory play as well as more recognisable literacy activities.

Relationships and Communication

Shared stay and play tasters let parents spend time at nursery with their child. Independent settling sessions are also offered, giving children experience of staying with staff while their parent is away.

Parents' evenings also include food tasting, giving families a direct experience of the meals their children eat. This is a useful connection between nursery routines and home conversations about food, especially when a child is trying unfamiliar flavours.

In June 2023, staff gathered information about children's interests when they joined, regularly exchanged developmental information with parents and helped families continue learning at home. Practitioners also helped parents access appropriate agencies when difficulties arose.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support in June 2023 included tactile resources and books bought with additional funding. Staff working with children who found spoken communication difficult positioned themselves at the child's level, gained their attention and responded to gestures before adding words. These examples give substance to the dated SEND judgement: resources and interactions were adapted to individual children.

Growing independence also featured in daily care in June 2023. Babies practised using spoons and drinking from lidded cups, while older children worked with cutlery; staff helped children handle disagreements and recognise how their actions affected others. School preparation included managing personal care, rather than concentrating solely on letters and numbers.

In-house chefs prepare food from scratch in the nursery kitchen, with dishes including Spanish salsa chicken and fisherman's pie rather than relying on packet sauces or ready-made mixes. They work with families on special dietary needs, making the child's individual requirements part of the food conversation.

Healthy Start provides another practical family link: the nursery exchanges vitamin vouchers for the relevant vitamins and has application forms for families exploring eligibility. This is a specific support mechanism, separate from the childcare offer itself.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 9 Forest Road, Almondbury, Huddersfield, HD5 8EU. Almond House opens Monday to Friday, from 7am until 6.15pm, across the year, closing for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. These are opening hours.

Attendance follows an agreed pattern, and days cannot be swapped. Additional days require management agreement and are invoiced separately. Changing shifts therefore need to fit the agreed attendance pattern.

Absences are charged at the normal rate, as are bank holidays. Fees are calculated across 51 weeks, excluding the Christmas closure, and paid monthly in advance. Ending a place requires at least one calendar month's notice. Together, those terms make the agreed pattern an ongoing financial commitment, including days a child misses.

Enquiries and enrolment use the nursery's contact form or telephone. A brochure can also be requested through its dedicated form.

Getting There

On-site parking and street parking support journeys to the Forest Road setting. Its Almondbury location sits away from the town-centre bustle while retaining access from Huddersfield town centre.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered, including 30 hour funding, with the fees information addressing children aged nine months and over subject to eligibility. Private childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with funded entitlement separate from additional private attendance.

The fees and attendance terms cover payment, absence and notice. Milk or dairy-free alternatives are provided once a child reaches 12 months; that provision alone does not establish what a particular childcare quotation includes.

• Preschool challenge. The June 2023 improvement point concerned consistently extending older children's learning. During a tour, ask how number work and other activities are adapted for a child who already understands the starting task.
• Fixed attendance. Days cannot be exchanged, absences remain chargeable and additional attendance needs management agreement. Families with changing shifts should assess how the agreed pattern would work across an ordinary month.
• The complete quotation. Funded childcare and private attendance sit alongside a nursery food offer. Ask for one written breakdown covering funded-hour delivery, meals, snacks and non-food consumables, so the comparison reflects the whole arrangement.
• Settling and separation. Both shared stay and play tasters and independent settling sessions are offered. Discuss how these options would be arranged for your child.

Almond House suits families who value practical preschool experiences, outdoor space and both shared tasters and independent settling sessions. Monthly cooking, two gardens and woodland exploration give that offer substance. Weekday opening hours also provide a broad window around work.

The decision hinges on how the fixed attendance agreement fits family life and how preschool teaching now stretches children beyond familiar tasks. The June 2023 judgement provides a positive inspection baseline, with a clear curriculum point to explore. For parents drawn to learning through making, reading and outdoor investigation, there is plenty here to assess concretely.