Rodley Village Day Nursery

A separate baby sleep room and an upstairs preschool space mark the stages of childhood at Rodley Village Day Nursery. This Leeds nursery has capacity for 64 children aged three months to five years, organised across four rooms.

At its August 2021 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good overall, with Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, effective safeguarding and highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Current arrangements include a key person for each child and Tapestry, an online learning journal for tracking development and communicating with families. Attendance requires a minimum of two full days.

Rooms and Ages

Sea Room takes babies from three to 16 months and combines softly lit play space and sensory activities with a designated sleep room containing cots and gentle music. Sleep has its own space. Sea Room’s staffing ratio is one adult to three babies, the legal minimum for this age group. Daily report books supplement direct conversations with staff.

Farm Room covers 16 months to two years four months, with sensory and messy play, stories and music supporting movement, communication and early social interaction. Jungle Room follows, from two years four months to three years two months, with play shaped around children’s interests and an emphasis on independence, confidence and communication. Those are useful distinctions for families considering a toddler’s next stage, rather than simply choosing by room name.

Safari Room serves children from three years two months to school age, upstairs in the building, where serving their own food and practising personal care sit alongside early literacy, mathematics and social skills. School preparation here includes everyday independence. It is about managing familiar tasks as well as developing learning skills.

Room transitions are prepared with parents and key workers. Families receive photographs of the next room and its staff, while children spend time there during the preceding month. That gives parents something concrete to discuss at home and makes the move a gradual introduction to different people and surroundings.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning through play, including communication, literacy, mathematics and personal care. Rodley uses the Birth to 5 document to plan individual development and has written a curriculum around its community and families. Children’s interests shape activities; observations inform their next steps.

In August 2021, making play dough helped older children explore mathematical ideas. Adults extended play through questions, but sometimes intervened too soon, limiting children’s opportunities to try their own solutions.

Visiting agencies bring French lessons, yoga and first aid into the day, adding experiences alongside the core learning arrangements.

Outdoor and Community Life

Natural light and natural furnishings characterise the indoor space, with outdoor access for exploration. In August 2021, children balanced on beams, tackled an obstacle course and painted the fence with water and brushes, combining physical skills with early mark-making.

That August, hide-and-seek encouraged counting and turn-taking. Older children also helped devise their behavioural rules, giving them a part in shaping group life.

Relationships and Communication

Each child’s key person works with parents to understand care needs and build familiarity. Introductions involve an hour with a parent, then two hours independently, including lunch. Families can discuss routines before the child begins spending time apart.

Tapestry, daily conversations and the nursery phone support ongoing communication. In August 2021, staff also suggested learning activities for home, and babies sought adults for comfort and play.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The deputy manager also holds the SENCO role, providing a defined point of responsibility for special educational needs support. Each room has a leader, a staff team and an apprentice. That structure gives parents identifiable roles to understand when discussing care or development, without making assumptions about a particular child’s support plan.

All staff receive first-aid training in line with Millies Mark, a scheme used here to guide training and keep it up to date. Safer recruitment includes references, enhanced DBS checks and use of the update service.

A cook prepares meals on site each day, with breakfast, lunch and tea organised around a five-week menu rotation; the monthly Menu of the month chooses a country through which to explore food and culture. The allergy arrangements include an individual health care plan and communication with staff and the cook, alongside a policy for allergies and accommodation of dietary requirements.

In August 2021, language support included songs and stories, but adults sometimes used informal versions of words instead of modelling their correct pronunciation. Together with the need to allow more trial and error, this was a specific improvement point. Neither concern should disappear behind the overall grade.

Sessions and Attendance

At 55 Rodley Lane, Rodley, Leeds, LS13 1NG, the nursery opens Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm, across the year. It closes for bank holidays and Christmas, charging for 51 weeks.

Bookings require at least two full days. Collection and drop-off can take place within the session; attendance before 9am is encouraged for settling and activities.

Enquiries use the contact form, 0113 2198211 or rodley@calverleynurseries.co.uk. After a visit, families receive an emailed registration form; offers depend on their requirements and availability.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the entitlements described as 9+ months funding (30 hours) and 3 year funding (15/30 hours). Funding can be claimed the term after the child’s birthday, with terms starting in January, April and September. The nursery helps families with the process. These offers should be read alongside the family’s individual eligibility, rather than as an automatic entitlement for every child.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation and contract. Fees are paid monthly in advance, with payment due on the first, and the contract’s monthly amount remains consistent unless changes are made. The fees and opening times page sets out the funding and payment arrangements.

A deposit and registration charge apply when a place is offered, subject to availability. The deposit is returned when the child leaves, but cancelling before starting forfeits it. Families must confirm their days and start date three months beforehand; one deferral of up to three months is permitted, with loss of the deposit and a charge for the first month if they then decide against starting.

Changing days or ending the arrangement requires written notice of at least one month, counted from the beginning of the month. That timing deserves attention before committing to a start date or changing work arrangements.

• A substantial weekly commitment. The minimum is two full days. At a visit, discuss how that pattern fits your child’s routine and the nursery’s introductory visits before committing.
• Independence and language. The August 2021 improvement points concerned giving children time to test ideas and consistently modelling correct pronunciation. Ask how adults now approach those moments in everyday play.
• Allergies and mealtimes. Individual health care plans connect allergy information with staff and the cook. Families affected by allergies should confirm current practice; also request a written breakdown of meals and non-food consumables for their proposed funded or private arrangement.
• Notice and delayed starts. Notice runs from the beginning of a month, and deferral is limited to one period of up to three months. These terms matter if work dates or childcare plans change after a booking.

Rodley suits families who can commit to at least two full days and value gradual progression from baby care to preschool independence. The separate sleep room, planned room transitions and Tapestry communication give that progression practical substance.

The August 2021 judgement was positive, especially on behaviour. Balance those historical strengths and current care arrangements against the attendance minimum and contractual notice and deferral terms.