Fixby House Nursery

A country-field Forest School and monthly cooking sessions give Fixby House Nursery a practical, outdoors-minded character. Children explore natural surroundings, while preschool children make food with the nursery chef through Fixby School of Cookery. These are concrete additions to the nursery day: opportunities to investigate the world and take part in making something useful.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and identified more precisely targeted staff training as the improvement needed. That gives families a clear starting point: a positive overall judgement, with a specific development priority to weigh alongside the current offer.

Based in Fixby, Huddersfield, the nursery accepts children from birth to five and has 72 places in total. Purpose-built accommodation separates babies, Tweenies and preschool children, so activities can change as children become more independent. Full-day attendance is offered across selected weekdays.

Rooms and Ages

Babies, for children aged 0–24 months, emphasises relationships, with time spent getting to know families before children start, connecting early care with familiar routines.

Tweenies, for two- to three-year-olds, combines shared play and individual interests with local exploration, including searching for minibeasts and playing among trees as independence develops.

Pre-school serves children aged three to five, with costumes, props, a large messy-play area and an interactive computer table supporting imaginative play alongside playful science, mathematics and literacy.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play and everyday experiences helping children practise communication, early mathematics and social skills. Here, mathematical language is brought into daily routines rather than reserved for a separate lesson. Talking about size, position and quantities makes ordinary play a chance to develop understanding.

Fixby School of Cookery adds monthly food-making with the nursery chef, including dishes such as leek and potato soup and salmon and broccoli fishcakes. Children learn about ingredients and the connection between food and health. The preschool cooking sessions also give children finished dishes to take home, making the activity something families can share afterwards.

In June 2024, regular assessments shaped children's next activities. Dinosaur play prompted children to identify a Spinosaurus, turning an interest into vocabulary practice.

Books connected nursery and home that June: children had access to books, songs and shared stories, while a lending library supported reading with families.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School emphasises child-led outdoor play and social and emotional development, with regular visits to a nearby country field and woodland exploration providing space for investigation and cooperation.

Daily outdoor time continues in different weather conditions. Outings include the nearby woods and local park; recycling and gardening projects bring environmental learning into the routine too.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has both a primary and a secondary key person, based in their room, who records observations through Famly, the app used for children's learning journeys and family updates. Parents can see photographs and receive information about meals, nappy changes and significant moments. That makes communication useful for understanding both development and the practical details of the day.

Two parents' evenings each year complement key-person conversations and appointments. In June 2024, weekend activities included soup ingredients and a recipe, giving families a practical way to extend learning at home.

Settling starts with free Stay and Play sessions from 9.30am to 10.30am, with parents remaining alongside their child. Families can choose how many to attend. Two Settling-In sessions follow around a week before the start date, from 9.30am to 11.30am, including lunch and covered by the booking charge. These introduce a short period apart before regular attendance begins.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities making good progress through individual support plans and links with the local authority and other agencies. Current arrangements include safeguarding lead and lead SENCO roles, providing named responsibilities within the staff structure without relying on a general promise of support.

Dingley’s Promise Mark of Achievement recognises the team's work on inclusive early-years practice. More than 75% of staff completed over 15 hours of specialist training.

Sleep takes place in the Under two’s room, which becomes the sleep room after lunch, with sleep pods for younger children and mats for older children. Bedding is washed daily. Staff follow children's home routines when they begin, including working with parents through weaning, so the transition can account for feeding and rest as well as play.

An in-house chef prepares food from scratch at the nursery, with dishes including fisherman’s pie and Spanish salsa chicken. Special dietary requirements can be accommodated through discussion with families.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 66a Netheroyd Hill Road, Fixby, Huddersfield, HD2 2LS. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with closures for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Full-day attendance can be booked for one, two, three, four or five days.

Attendance follows the agreed weekday pattern: missed days are charged and cannot be exchanged for another day. Additional days depend on management agreement and are invoiced separately. This matters for parents whose work rota changes, because a booked pattern is a continuing commitment rather than a pool of interchangeable days.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at hello@fixbyhouse.co.uk or by telephone on 01484 454854. Fees are invoiced monthly in advance, and ending a place requires at least one calendar month's notice. Bank-holiday and Christmas closures remain chargeable within the fee structure.

Getting There

The quiet, semi-rural setting has access from Brighouse and Huddersfield, with parking both on site and on the street. For families travelling by car, having both options is a practical advantage when organising the nursery run.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, support for eligible two-year-olds and 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged nine months up to three. Eligible working families of three- and four-year-olds can receive an additional 15 hours through the extended entitlement. The 15-hour entitlement is described on a term-time basis, with funding also used to reduce the cost of year-round full-day attendance. The 30-hour entitlement is spread across 51 weeks, giving 22 funded hours each week under that arrangement.

Private attendance and additional paid days are offered alongside funding. Parents supply formula milk, nappies and baby wipes. A booking charge covers the two introductory Settling-In sessions and their lunch; the preceding Stay and Play sessions are free. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the attendance and payment structure explained on its fees page.

In June 2024, staff worked with the schools children were due to attend, invited teachers into nursery and helped families prepare for the change. Trying on school uniform was one practical part of that preparation. This was transition support, helping children become familiar with the next stage.

• Fixed attendance days. Absences are charged and booked days cannot be swapped. Compare the proposed weekday pattern with your working arrangements before committing.
• Funded hours and everyday costs. The 30-hour entitlement is stretched to 22 hours weekly across 51 weeks, and parents provide nappies, wipes and formula. What meals and other consumables would your particular funded or private booking include?
• Babies' rest arrangements. The Under two’s room becomes the sleep room after lunch. During a visit, discuss how your child's usual sleep schedule fits that shared arrangement.
• Training and individual support. More specific staff training was the June 2024 improvement priority, while the team now holds Dingley’s Promise Mark of Achievement. Ask how training and the lead SENCO's work translate into support for your child's particular needs.

Fixby House suits families seeking full-day attendance on selected weekdays, with nature exploration and practical cooking woven into nursery life. Its strongest attractions are tangible: regular Forest School experiences, monthly food-making and a settling process that introduces separation gradually. Famly communication also gives parents a continuing picture of care and learning.

The balance is practical as well as educational. Fixed days require a workable family schedule, and stretched funding needs to be understood alongside the paid portion of attendance. The June 2024 Good judgement supports consideration of the nursery, while the training priority remains a useful subject for a visit.