Little Owls Nursery Hunslet Rylestone

Gardens, sand pits and a strong emphasis on language give Little Owls Nursery Hunslet Rylestone its character. Beside Hunslet Library in Leeds, this nursery combines child-led play with named points of contact for families and an onsite SENDCO supported by a support worker. Those are useful practical foundations: space to investigate, adults who know the child, and a clear starting point for discussing additional needs.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding at its 7 March 2023 inspection. The detail behind that judgement included storytelling, mathematical discussion during outdoor play and close interactions between babies and their key people. These are dated examples rather than a description of every child's day today.

Children can attend from three months to five years, and the nursery has 46 places in total. Its opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care, with play used to develop communication, relationships and practical understanding. Here, curriculum support includes qualified teachers and in-house lead practitioners covering language, communication and maths. Children also have time to choose imaginative play and follow their interests, rather than having every activity selected for them.

In March 2023, stories were revisited over several weeks. Children retold The Tiger Who Came to Tea and used teapots, cups and saucers to act it out. The activity connected listening with speaking and pretend play: children had opportunities to tell the story themselves rather than simply hear an adult read it.

Painting offered another route into conversation in March 2023. Children experimented with combining paint colours and talked about their pictures of animals and patterns. Staff also introduced vocabulary through everyday experiences, including water painting on windows, construction with clear bricks and lunchtime conversation. Concrete objects gave children something to discuss.

Outdoor and Community Life

The gardens and sand pits are used during the day for imaginative play and exploration. This gives outdoor time a place within the nursery's learning, rather than treating it solely as a break from indoor activities. Children can pursue their own interests in these spaces.

A March 2023 example shows how physical play became a mathematical activity. Children drew chalk outlines around one another on the garden's tarmac, then compared heights with help from staff. Standing beside one another made the comparison tangible. The learning grew from what the children were already doing.

Hunslet Library is next door. That is a useful landmark for families locating the nursery, although the nursery's learning offer should be judged on its own activities and spaces.

Each child has a key worker and a second familiar adult, called a significant other, who serve as the family's main contacts. This gives parents identified people with whom to share information about their child. The free Tapestry app complements that contact: it is an online journal carrying photographs, everyday updates and observations about learning and development.

In March 2023, communication also included daily conversations with parents. Staff encouraged families to keep talking with children in their home languages. For multilingual families, that made the language used at home part of the discussion about learning, rather than something to put aside.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged support for children with SEND especially strong, including early identification of concerns, work with other professionals and additional funding used for individual adult support. The current support structure includes an onsite SENDCO and a support worker, with further specialist support possible where appropriate. Families have a specific role to approach about their child's needs.

Babies' relationships received close attention in March 2023. Staff played face to face with them, including using shredded paper in a shared playful interaction. These small exchanges illustrate how care and play can overlap for the youngest children. Staff development at that time also included mentoring apprentices through demonstrations of teaching and discussion of its effects on children's learning.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Whitfield Avenue, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2QE. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, and attendance runs across the year, with bank holiday and Christmas closures. Families can contact the branch by telephone on 0113 378 4210 or email littleowlshunsletrylestone@leeds.gov.uk to make an enquiry.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 and 30-hour funded childcare. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funding and the hours a family needs are separate practical considerations, so the attendance arrangement matters as much as the headline entitlement.

• Funding across the year. This is a full-year nursery offering 15 and 30-hour funding. How would your funded hours fit across the year?
• Support matched to your child. An onsite SENDCO and support worker provide a clear contact structure. At a visit, discuss how those roles would work alongside your child's key worker and any professionals already involved.
• Communication that works for you. Tapestry shares photographs and learning observations, while a key worker and significant other are the main family contacts. Use a visit to discuss how you would exchange information about your child's routines and needs.

Little Owls Nursery Hunslet Rylestone suits families seeking care across the working week, outdoor play within the nursery day and identified adults to discuss their child's development. Its gardens, sand pits and Tapestry journal make that offer concrete. The March 2023 Outstanding judgement adds a substantial inspection endorsement, while the onsite SENDCO and support worker give families a practical starting point for discussing additional support.