Springwood Nursery

A flowing stream, a cave and a stage with lighting give Springwood Nursery’s garden much more scope than a simple run-around space. This Oakwood setting occupies a Victorian stone house, with outdoor exploration woven into its approach to learning. For children who enjoy building, investigating and performing, the surroundings offer concrete starting points for play.

Springwood welcomes children from three months to five years at 3 Springwood Road, Leeds LS8 2QA. At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children were deeply engaged in learning, children with SEND received strong support and safeguarding was effective. That is a dated judgement, rather than a fresh assessment of today’s provision.

Full-time and part-time attendance are offered, with a requested minimum booking of two full days. The combination of a substantial garden and a child-led approach is the clearest reason to consider it; the attendance commitment is the practical starting point.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes the curriculum: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creative work and understanding the world. Practitioners observe what interests each child and use those observations to plan activities, combining children’s own choices with experiences introduced by adults. This gives an individual interest a place in the day’s learning rather than treating every child’s next step as identical.

Progress is tracked and shared with families, with learning needs addressed alongside parents and relevant professionals. The useful connection is between observation and planning: what a child is doing now informs what practitioners offer next. The learning and development page explains this balance between adult guidance and children’s initiative.

In May 2022, children investigated fruit by predicting its interior, cutting it and turning it into smoothies. Elsewhere, model-making involved careful manipulation of materials, while outdoor tasks brought children together to weave fabric and direct water into a container. These examples show the substance behind learning through play: an idea could become an experiment, and a construction task could involve both coordination and cooperation.

Language also had a clear place in the day in May 2022. Group conversations gave preschool children opportunities to speak and listen, toddlers used actions and words during songs, and babies returned to picture books. The activities differed by stage, rather than relying on one language exercise for everyone.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden includes a tunnel, a hill, a large sand area and a mud kitchen, alongside the stream, cave and performance stage. A log climbing area adds physical challenge. Children use the outdoor space across the year, so the garden is part of the curriculum rather than an occasional change of setting.

Those features give play different directions. Sand and flowing water offer materials to investigate; the hill and climbing area invite movement; the stage provides somewhere to perform. The appeal is the variety within one environment, with room for children to pursue different interests.

Curious Minds Forest School, Rhythmn Time and Tots Pretend are activity partners supporting the curriculum, with classes taking place in the community and partners also coming into Springwood. The partnership model extends children’s experiences beyond activities led solely by the nursery team. In May 2022, regular forest school and local library trips, together with yoga and drama classes, were part of children’s learning experiences; those details belong to that period.

Relationships and Communication

Introduction visits begin the relationship with each family, and the key person remains central to sharing information about a child’s interests, wellbeing and experiences at home. In May 2022, settling visits were extended to give children time to build a relationship with that familiar adult. For a baby starting nursery, this is a more useful detail than a broad promise about settling quickly.

Learning Stories bring together photographs, observations, children’s work and assessments, with contributions from both parents and the key person. They show development over time and explain future planning. Parents have a role in the account, rather than simply receiving a finished summary.

Regular Parent Consultation Meetings provide a separate opportunity to discuss development, examine progress reports and contribute to the Learning Story. This creates two routes for communication: an ongoing account of learning and a dedicated conversation about it. Home interests can therefore inform discussions about nursery experiences.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked closely with other professionals to support children with SEND, shared clear developmental information with parents and understood how to respond to safeguarding concerns. Current arrangements include discussing learning needs with families and relevant professionals; the team also undertakes continuing training and enhanced DBS checks with the nursery’s own vetting procedures.

Meals are prepared from fresh ingredients, with seasonal produce and a non-meat menu that includes fish, eggs and pulses; the staff team includes a chef and an assistant chef. Dietary requirements are planned with parents, while staff share meals with their key groups, making eating part of the social day as well as a practical routine.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, across 50 weeks each year. Springwood closes on bank holidays and for two weeks over Christmas. Both full-time and part-time places are offered, although the nursery requests at least two full days: part-time attendance therefore still carries a substantial weekly commitment.

An online enquiry form is the route for registering interest, followed by contact to discuss the family’s requirements. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Getting There

The address is 3 Springwood Road, Roundhay, Leeds LS8 2QA, in the Oakwood area near Oakwood Clock and Roundhay Park, with access from the A58 Wetherby Road. The entrance is approached along a small private road beside the building, a useful detail for planning a visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early education funding is offered to eligible families with children from nine months, including the 15-hour offer and 30 hour offer. Springwood stretches the allocation across its year-round provision, and weekly funded hours are prorated when a child starts or becomes eligible outside September.

Funding covers childcare time rather than meals, snacks, consumables, activities, outings or online learning journeys. These categories need to be considered separately from the funded allocation when budgeting; the fees and funding page explains that distinction.

• A two-day commitment. Springwood requests a minimum of two full days even though part-time attendance is offered. Consider whether that pattern matches the care you need each week.
• The whole funded-place budget. Funding excludes food, consumables, activities, outings and online learning journeys. What would the complete written quotation include for your intended attendance, and which items would you supply?
• Dietary planning. The non-meat menu includes fish and eggs, and dietary arrangements are agreed with parents. Families managing allergies should confirm current ingredient and food-handling practice during a visit.
• Settling into outdoor life. The garden includes water, climbing and enclosed play features, while extended settling visits were part of practice in May 2022. During a visit, discuss how introduction visits and outdoor access would work for your child now.

Springwood suits families seeking either full-time attendance or a part-time pattern built around at least two full days, with outdoor exploration and parent involvement prominent in nursery life. The garden’s stream, stage and climbing opportunities give its play-based curriculum tangible character, while Learning Stories make development a shared conversation.

The Outstanding judgement dates to May 2022. Today’s decision rests on the practical fit as well: the booking commitment, Christmas closure and costs outside funded childcare time all deserve weight alongside the appeal of the setting.