Little Owls Nursery Middleton Laurel Bank Under 3's

A quiet garden and an emphasis on language give Laurel Bank its character. Children have room for physical and imaginative play outdoors, while practitioners lead on communication, language and maths. Despite the Under 3's in its registered name, the nursery welcomes children from three months to five years at 100 Middleton Park Avenue, Leeds LS10 4HY.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. That judgement needs to be read alongside later supervision incidents and the corrective work described below. The practical offer is year-round opening, with funded childcare and a key person supporting the relationship between nursery and home.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play and supporting children's development and care. Here, children can choose resources and follow their interests, with in-house practitioners taking responsibility for maths, language and communication. Qualified teachers support the curriculum. This gives families a clear educational emphasis alongside opportunities for children to decide what to explore.

In July 2023, language work included signing, introducing vocabulary and responding to babies' sounds with words and repeated sounds. Babies and some toddlers used gestures and vocal sounds. These are concrete ways of bringing communication into play rather than reserving it for a separate lesson.

The July 2023 observations also showed older children practising hand control with scissors and a tape dispenser, then talking about their pictures. Babies explored water while washing dolls; toddlers played with pretend food. The activities differed by developmental stage, giving younger children sensory experiences and older children opportunities to explain their ideas.

There were two clear teaching priorities in July 2023. Surrounding activity sometimes interrupted a speech and language group, and staff did not consistently extend play with counting and numbers. Both matter: a planned group needs children's attention, while everyday play offers opportunities to practise early maths.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is a quiet space for movement and imaginative play. Indoor and outdoor resources allow children to pursue their own interests, so outdoor time has a place in the learning day as well as providing exercise.

In July 2023, children grew pumpkins, strawberries and carrots, comparing their produce and recalling what seeds needed to grow. Older children also handled chicks carefully. These experiences connected conversation with living things children could observe directly.

Families contributed to learning about Eid and Wesak in July 2023, helping children explore celebrations beyond their own experiences. Books and positive cultural images supported that work. Parents' knowledge therefore contributed to what children learnt, rather than family involvement being confined to updates about individual progress.

A key person works with each family from the initial visit through to the child's move to school. That gives parents an identified relationship around which to build communication. The group-wide Tapestry app, used at this branch, is an online journal for sharing moments from the nursery day and maintaining contact with home.

In July 2023, staff visited children at home before they started, giving families time to explain their child's needs. In July 2023, children settled readily at the nursery and showed close bonds with staff. The useful detail is the opportunity to discuss a child in familiar surroundings before nursery care begins.

Support in July 2023 included targeted strategies while children awaited outside assessments, and additional funding was used to purchase resources matched to individual learning needs. This describes practical intervention rather than simply a broad promise of inclusion. Children also received nutritious meals at that time.

Ofsted's later compliance documents described supervision incidents in October 2023 and May 2024, followed by changes to staff deployment, checking procedures and room-door security; they recorded that the safeguarding and welfare actions were met, including further actions concerning babies' resources and hazard management in July 2024. Supervision was a repeated issue, so these events remain relevant even though the actions were subsequently met. They should form part of a family's assessment alongside the earlier Good judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holiday closures. For parents organising work and childcare, the opening window establishes when the nursery operates; the attendance arrangement belongs in the family's booking discussion.

The nursery is at 100 Middleton Park Avenue, Leeds LS10 4HY. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0113 2714706 or by email to littleowlsmiddletonlaurelbank@leeds.gov.uk. Families can also register their interest through the nursery's enquiry form.

Funding and Paid Extras

The branch offers 15- and 30-hour funded childcare. These options are relevant to families combining early education with childcare across the year. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Repeated supervision incidents. The October 2023 and May 2024 incidents were followed by corrective action, and the safeguarding and welfare actions were met. At a visit, ask how staff supervision and checks on children's whereabouts operate now.
• Attention and early maths. In July 2023, group activities could be interrupted and counting was not used consistently enough during play. Ask to hear how language groups are organised and how practitioners bring numbers into everyday activities.
• Your attendance and funding arrangement. Year-round opening and 15- and 30-hour funding are useful starting points. Before booking, ask for a written arrangement covering attendance times, funded-hours delivery, meals and non-food consumables.

Laurel Bank suits families seeking year-round childcare from infancy through to school age, with a quiet garden, learning through play and an identified key person. Its communication emphasis and Tapestry journal give parents concrete ways to understand the nursery day. The July 2023 teaching priorities and subsequent repeated supervision incidents make current practice an essential part of the decision, alongside the corrective actions already completed.