Precious Ones Nursery

A vegetable garden, a mud kitchen and food cooked on site give Precious Ones Nursery a practical, everyday character. Based at the Austin Burke Memorial Centre in Chapeltown, Leeds, it takes children from 3 months to 5 years and has 35 places in total. Growing, playing and eating provide concrete starting points for its play-based learning.

At its 29 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying further work on staff understanding of wider safeguarding issues and children's independence at lunch. That judgement needs to be read alongside a later safeguarding-related regulatory finding, discussed below.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different ways to use the nursery, with funded hours offered either term-time or stretched across the year.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play provides opportunities to develop language, movement, imagination and early skills. The current approach emphasises children becoming independent, creative learners. Its practical value lies in what children do, rather than a branded programme.

In June 2022, babies explored sound by shaking and striking musical instruments, while toddlers used spoons and sand to practise controlled movements. Staff brought counting and comparisons of size into that activity. Older children used play dough for imaginary cooking, including pancakes and cupcakes. These examples show how an ordinary play resource can support several kinds of learning at once.

Books and conversation also featured in June 2022. Adults used expressive storytelling and invited children to participate; children then tried reading to one another and asking questions. Mark-making offered practice for later writing. Outside, cars on a ramp prompted vocabulary about speed and texture, linking new words to something children could see and handle.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor space includes a climbing frame and slide alongside the vegetable garden and mud kitchen, and is used in different weather conditions. That gives children opportunities for physical play as well as activities involving growing and messy exploration. Outdoor learning is part of the offer rather than an occasional outing.

In June 2022, community activities included shopping for food and borrowing library books. Children also exchanged seeds at the library to grow back at nursery. Visits to the neighbouring Temple and a local church introduced stories and festivals. These were practical connections with the surrounding community, bringing books, food and growing into the nursery day.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2022, children turned to their key persons and other adults when they needed reassurance. Staff encouraged manners and acknowledged children's efforts, and older children practised following instructions. For a parent weighing the emotional side of childcare, these are useful examples of how adult relationships supported the day at that time.

Current communication includes progress assessments, regular feedback and annual parent evenings. Parents contribute information about their children so that staff can build on learning and development. This creates several opportunities to discuss a child's progress, rather than leaving that conversation to a single annual meeting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The June 2022 improvement points were specific. Staff needed deeper understanding of safeguarding matters including domestic violence and witchcraft. Children also needed more opportunities to choose and serve food at lunch, making mealtimes a chance to practise independence as well as eat.

In its complaint outcome dated 25 September 2024, Ofsted recorded that regulatory visits that September found failures to follow local authority designated officer procedures when investigating a safeguarding concern and to notify Ofsted of a significant event. These are material procedural failures; the dated finding should inform a family's discussion about how concerns are handled now.

An on-site chef cooks daily, with seasonal dishes drawing on different cultures and a menu that rotates over four weeks. Meals, snacks and drinks are included in standard private childcare charges; funded attendance has a separate meal arrangement, explained below.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Austin Burke Memorial Centre, 196 Chapeltown Road, Leeds LS7 4HZ. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, with an early start from 7.30am by arrangement. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

A Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm. Morning bookings run from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon bookings from 1pm to 6pm. Early Start covers 7.30am to 8am and must be booked ahead. The minimum weekly booking is one full day or two morning or afternoon sessions, so a single half-day booking does not meet the minimum pattern.

Childcare is not sold by the hour. Sessions beyond the standard full-day window require advance booking. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and a personal nursery tour can be arranged through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 hours and 30 hours of funded childcare, with term-time delivery over 38 weeks or a stretched arrangement over 51.5 weeks. Additional private hours are charged separately. The choice matters: term-time attendance follows a different calendar from childcare spread across the year.

For funded attendance, nursery meals and snacks carry voluntary separate charges, with a packed-lunch alternative subject to the nursery's packed lunch policy. Parents provide nappies and creams, including for funded attendance; responsibility for these items sits with families rather than within the funded entitlement.

Standard private fees are paid monthly in advance and are based on 51.5 weeks. There is a non-refundable registration charge, and notice requirements apply under the terms and conditions. Bank-holiday closures remain chargeable, and sickness or holidays do not bring replacement sessions, credits or refunds. Families should obtain a current written quotation covering their chosen attendance and extras.

• Safeguarding procedures. The September 2024 finding concerned the handling of a safeguarding concern and a missed notification. Ask how designated officer referrals and significant-event notifications are managed now, alongside staff training on wider safeguarding issues.
• Care for a baby. Children can start from 3 months. On a visit, what settling and sleeping arrangements would apply to your baby?
• Minimum attendance. Bookings require one full day or two morning or afternoon sessions each week. This matters if you want only one short session, and early starts need advance arrangement.
• Funded attendance and extras. Term-time and stretched funding serve different calendars, while nursery meals are charged separately on funded attendance. Compare the written quotation with your chosen pattern and the packed-lunch option.

Precious Ones suits families looking for morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day childcare, with a choice between term-time and stretched funded attendance. Its garden, outdoor play resources, on-site cooking and regular parent communication give the offer practical substance.

The June 2022 examples show learning through conversation, books and hands-on play. The September 2024 safeguarding-related procedural failures carry substantial weight in the decision, however. A family's assessment should address those procedures as carefully as the timetable and learning offer.