Portland House Nursery & After School and Holiday Club

A giant oak tunnel, a hobbit den with a turf roof and vegetable-growing beds give Portland House a clear character: this is a nursery where outdoor exploration has substantial space and resources behind it. Gardens are part of the learning offer, with wooded areas, nature trails and places to dig, build and imagine. There is plenty to investigate.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Portland House Outstanding, finding that carefully sequenced experiences helped children become absorbed in learning and make excellent progress. That judgement belongs to the inspection date; gardening and science activities feature in children's learning, and in spring 2026 the nursery began introducing a preschool programme to help children understand emotions and relationships.

The Lindley setting accepts children from three months through to five years and has 98 places in total. Full-day and term-time attendance sit alongside after-school and holiday provision, giving families different ways to use the setting as their children grow.

Rooms and Ages

In spring 2026, Babies 1 planned sensory and messy exploration indoors and outside and participated in the Maths Champion project, using songs and books to introduce numbers; Babies 2 planned activities about new life, including spring planting and stories about parent and baby animals; Toddlers brought stories into sensory play and planned planting, tending and harvesting food in its toddler allotment. In summer 2026, Preschool activities combined phonics and practical investigation with work on independence and preparation for school.

Spring 2026 toddler storytelling used natural materials and objects to help children retell familiar stories.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences build communication, practical abilities and growing independence. Portland House adds a Forest School approach, using exploration of the natural world alongside that framework. The gardens give this approach tangible resources, including planting beds, wooded spaces and nature trails.

In spring 2026, Portland House began introducing Think Equal with preschool children to develop emotional understanding through stories, discussion and activities. It covers recognising and expressing feelings, empathy and respectful relationships, with activities also intended for home. This gives families a specific account of what the programme adds to the day.

STEAM brings science, technology, art, engineering and maths together through practical investigation. In summer 2025, preschool children built boats from corks, pipe cleaners and elastic bands, then tested them using an outdoor water channel. By summer 2026, their investigations included magnets and identifying magnetic objects. Ideas become things children can try out.

Language and music have their own place. In autumn 2025, preschool children learnt nursery rhymes in French, while spring 2026 activities included rhythm, rhyme and body percussion alongside continuing Music, Rugby and French. These experiences combine listening and physical participation, rather than presenting school preparation solely as early writing.

Outdoor and Community Life

The hobbit den's growing roof, tree platforms and giant oak tunnel offer different ways to explore height, enclosed spaces and natural materials. Mud kitchens and sandpits provide room for experimenting with texture and imaginative play; raised beds connect growing plants with food children can later harvest.

In July 2023, children investigated a water pump and reused its water, while conversations with staff connected the activity to recycling. Cooking visits to the science kitchen included food preparation and learning how to use an oven safely. The connection between growing, cooking and everyday resources was practical and visible.

More recent outdoor experiences have included bubble experiments in the Poppy room, using objects such as sieves and wooden curtain rings, and a park outing for some older babies in summer 2026. Preschool children have also helped care for stick insects. These examples offer different scales of discovery, from watching a small animal grow to testing what makes bubbles.

In summer 2026, children and the preschool council completed environmental activities for the Eco Schools Award. Councillors also replenished the community library for families to borrow and return books, extending reading beyond nursery.

Relationships and Communication

Monthly Stay and Play sessions let parents join activities, meet families and speak with their child's key person. Parent Zone shares children's information and supports activity discussions; finance and attendance queries go directly to the nursery.

Parents and relatives share stories, interests and knowledge of their jobs, bringing familiar adults into children's learning.

In July 2023, communication support included simple signs alongside speech for babies, repeated words and opportunities to hear stories. Everyday independence was developed progressively: babies practised feeding themselves, toddlers poured drinks and preschool children helped with serving and clearing meals. These were practical opportunities to attempt tasks themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified strong support for children with SEND, including additional funding used for specialist resources or individual adult time that helped children make outstanding progress. The support was tied to children's learning needs, rather than described only as a general intention.

Current arrangements include a prohibition on mobile-phone use throughout the nursery's indoor areas and garden. Also, a child will not be released until an appropriate seat is provided if staff identify a problem. These are concrete procedures for families to understand before attending.

School transition work includes conversations about children's new schools, activities supporting independence and planning with the key person once a family shares its school allocation. Preparation is woven into everyday learning and relationships, rather than confined to a leaving celebration.

Sessions and Attendance

Portland House is at 55 New Hey Road, Lindley, Huddersfield, HD3 4AL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, excluding public holidays. Nursery attendance includes full-day and term-time patterns.

The nursery closes for two staff training days each year. The next closure is Wednesday 14 October 2026; the Christmas closure runs from Friday 25 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027, with reopening on Monday 4 January. Those additional dates matter when arranging care around work.

Fun Club provides after-school and holiday care for children of infant and primary-school age. Its Walking Bus collects from Reinwood Infant and Junior School, and holiday provision includes ad hoc sessions. In summer 2026, club activities included cooking tea, dance workshops and learning the alphabet in BSL, alongside community trips and football and rugby with the Huddersfield Giants.

For nursery enquiries, contact portland@portlandnurseries.co.uk or telephone 01484 538880. Allocated parking spaces are provided on site.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 & 30 Hours Funding. The stretched offer spreads entitlement across the year with fewer hours each week; the summer 2025 funding information also describes 30 hours for eligible working parents with children aged nine months and above. Eligibility remains a condition of that entitlement.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. For children who need an alternative because they react to the nursery's sun cream, parents supply their own to keep at nursery. Families should give a calendar month's notice when leaving for a September school transition.

• Outdoor participation. Gardens, planting and messy play feature throughout the age groups. Children need suitable clothing, including wellingtons and cold-weather accessories, so this suits families comfortable with regular outdoor activity.
• Care around closures. The 51-week opening pattern also includes public-holiday and training closures. The October training day and Christmas break need to fit the family's care arrangements.
• The written cost breakdown. Funded entitlement and a stretched offer are part of the attendance options. When discussing a place, what does the quotation include for meals, snacks, nappies and wipes, and how does that differ between funded and private hours?

Portland House suits families choosing between full-day and term-time nursery attendance who want outdoor exploration to have a substantial place in children's learning. The oak tunnel, planting beds and wooded areas give that preference a concrete setting; practical science and French add other dimensions, alongside the Think Equal programme introduced in spring 2026.

After-school collection and ad hoc holiday care also make the setting relevant beyond preschool. The dated Outstanding judgement is a strong starting point, while the practical choice rests on how the attendance pattern, outdoor routines and scheduled closures fit family life. The most persuasive detail is the connection between learning and doing: growing food, testing materials and gradually taking more responsibility.