Acre Wood Childrens Nursery

Storybooks to borrow, gingerbread to make and a garden to explore give Acre Wood Childrens Nursery in Leeds a practical, playful character in its December 2023 account of daily life. Small acts of independence mattered too: children found their own name cards to mark their attendance.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 20 December 2023 inspection, with improvements needed in learning for the youngest children and the organisation of daily routines. It accepts children aged 3 to 60 months and has 52 places in total. Whole-setting capacity is separate from the number of children sharing a room.

In December 2023, staff used the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. In practice, children explored through play, conversation, stories and physical activities, with both staff-guided experiences and opportunities to choose their own play.

Language ran through everyday activities. During that December visit, adults talked about children's play, repeated useful words and allowed time for answers. Books prompted discussion about pictures, while songs and rhymes gave children further opportunities to use language. Younger children experimented with marks; older children tried writing their names on drawings.

The garden offered space for chasing games and looking for seasonal wildlife in December 2023, alongside seasonal walks in the surrounding community. Indoors, babies explored water, scoops and dried orange peel. Older children made gingerbread biscuits together, practising sharing equipment and following safety rules. These examples show how practical activities brought movement, conversation and cooperation together.

At the December 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and recognised the curriculum's contribution to learning for older children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, while identifying less clearly organised learning for babies and younger children.

Settling arrangements in December 2023 began with information from parents about children's interests and existing skills. Staff used this to shape initial sessions. Key persons observed development and identified next steps, giving families a connection between nursery activities and learning at home.

A lending library let parents borrow storybooks at that time, extending opportunities for talking and storytelling beyond nursery. Safeguarding arrangements included staff training, reporting procedures and collection by authorised adults.

The address is 1 Westfield Court, Lower Wortley Road, Leeds, LS12 4PX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round operation and closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In December 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be distinguished from a family's current childcare agreement.

• Learning for babies. In December 2023, learning plans for younger children needed clearer progression and more consistent implementation. During a visit, ask how staff now build on babies' interests and developing skills throughout the day.
• Waiting between activities. December 2023 routines sometimes left children waiting for lengthy periods, including brief television viewing, rather than playing meaningfully. Ask how transitions now keep children involved.

Acre Wood suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare in Leeds who value practical play and communication about children's development. Its December 2023 strengths included shared cooking, storybook borrowing and support for settling. The questions about younger children's learning and time spent waiting deserve equal weight when choosing it.