Little Scholars Nursery

Individual learning plans and an optional Islamic syllabus give Little Scholars Nursery a clear identity. Based at Madina Academy in Dewsbury, it combines attention to each child's interests with an offer that lets families choose whether religious learning forms part of their nursery experience.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children made excellent progress from their individual starting points. The detail behind that judgement matters: conversations extended children's vocabulary, practical activities brought mathematics into play, and families took part in learning beyond the nursery.

There are 40 places in total, and the current age offer is two to five years. Attendance is term-time only, with morning sessions, afternoon sessions and flexible hours.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning framework, covering communication, physical development, relationships, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. In everyday terms, this means that play, conversation, movement and making things all contribute to children's learning.

Each child has an Individual Educational Plan, shaped around their interests, needs and next learning steps. That gives planning a personal starting point rather than treating children of the same age as interchangeable. Morning and afternoon activities are adapted to children's development, with both adult-directed activities and play that children choose themselves.

The optional Early Years Islamic Syllabus adds religious learning alongside this framework. Its content includes Arabic letters and numbers, beliefs, prayer, greetings and everyday religious practices. Participation has a separate parental consent form. Families seeking Islamic learning therefore have a concrete programme to consider, while its optional status is an important part of the offer.

In March 2024, language learning reached into ordinary exchanges. Staff explained unfamiliar vocabulary during conversations about spiders, and children used the terms author and illustrator when discussing books. These were opportunities to build understanding through subjects children were already exploring.

Mathematics also had a practical purpose in March 2024. Making currant buns from dough prompted discussion about quantities changing when one was sold; painting led children to explore symmetry and predict colour mixtures. The value lies in connecting ideas to actions, so counting and reasoning have something tangible behind them.

Outdoor and Community Life

In March 2024, the outdoor area included slopes and steps for children to practise climbing and moving with control. Indoors, handling tongs, squeezing paper and working dough provided smaller movements alongside those larger physical challenges. Outdoor activity and preparation for writing were both part of the day.

Family experiences in March 2024 extended to museum journeys by train, horse riding and soft-play visits. Science workshops added further exploration, while library visits included help for families to obtain memberships. That last detail gave reading a route into home life, beyond the visit itself.

Relationships and Communication

A free settling-in session gives children an introduction to the setting. The registration form asks about familiar routines, favourite toys, interests and words, providing useful starting points for staff getting to know a child. It also seeks consent for a key person to follow learning and development.

Tapestry Learning Journal is the online system for sharing photographs, videos and written learning observations with parents. Families can contribute experiences from home too. The autumn 2025 newsletter described this two-way exchange, making communication about learning something parents can participate in rather than simply receive.

In March 2024, parent workshops covered speech, language and early reading. They gave families practical ways to support learning at home. The Colour Monster story also helped children discuss emotions and consider kind actions, including inviting someone else into play.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and observed secure relationships between children and staff. Current collection arrangements require the collecting adult to be known to the nursery and to know the family's password; changes or delays must be communicated.

The registration process gathers information about additional needs and involvement with the Early Years SEN Support Team or Kirklees Portage Services. It also asks about medical needs, food intolerances and dietary requirements. These questions create a starting point for discussing a child's particular circumstances, rather than assuming that one routine will fit everyone.

In March 2024, supervised toothbrushing formed part of health learning. Children discussed tooth decay and practised doing tasks such as putting toothpaste on their brushes themselves. The timetable also includes an afternoon resting period, acknowledging that activity and rest both need space in the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Madina Academy, 1 Swindon Road, Dewsbury, WF13 2PA. Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning Session, Afternoon Session and flexible hours are attendance options; the registration form lets families specify their preferred days and hours.

The daily routine includes Breakfast Club, lunch and tea, alongside group activities, stories, snack preparation and indoor and outdoor play. These are parts of the nursery day. Enquiries can be made through the nursery contact form or by telephone on 01924 731007.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education includes 15 hours per week for three- and four-year-olds, with some two-year-olds eligible too. Private childcare is also offered: children attending beyond those funded hours, and children without funding eligibility, pay for their attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees page explains the charging structure.

Sugar & Spice, a local caterer, supplies daily hot lunches, which are charged separately and ordered ahead. The menu rotates over three weeks, and its allergy instructions ask families to declare allergies before ordering.

• Term-time attendance. Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and flexible hours operate within the weekday opening window of 8am to 4pm. Families needing holiday care should weigh that term-time pattern against their working arrangements.
• Settling and individual planning. The free settling-in session and Individual Educational Plan offer useful starting points for a visit. Ask how your child's routines and interests will shape their first sessions and subsequent planning.
• Optional religious learning. The Early Years Islamic Syllabus includes Arabic learning and religious practices, with parental consent for participation. Discuss how the optional arrangement works during your child's chosen sessions.
• Lunches and additional costs. Hot lunches carry a separate charge and require advance ordering. Ask for a written breakdown covering funded attendance, snacks and non-food consumables, and confirm current allergy arrangements if these affect your child.

Little Scholars Nursery suits families seeking term-time morning sessions, afternoon sessions or flexible hours, especially those interested in an optional Islamic syllabus alongside individual learning plans. Its March 2024 Outstanding judgement gives the educational offer substantial inspection support.

The strongest examples are practical: mathematics through dough and painting, language through conversation, and library membership support that reached beyond nursery. The choice rests on whether that learning approach, the optional religious programme and the term-time attendance pattern fit the child and family.