Emma Kerfoot's Ladybirds

A weekly, privately booked visit to the Pendragon sensory centre gives Ladybirds a recognisable rhythm beyond its own playrooms. Back at its Northallerton base, a gated archway connects the downstairs rooms for younger children, while preschool children have their space upstairs. This is childcare with room to explore, both inside and out.

Emma Kerfoot's Ladybirds cares for children from birth to five and has capacity for 33 children in total. At its 20 October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The practical offer combines hours arranged around individual families with term-time-only attendance, rather than fixed morning and afternoon slots.

The strongest reasons to consider it are concrete: sensory exploration away from the nursery, food cooked on site, and charges that include meals, nappies, wipes and outings. Funded hours keep that inclusive structure too. For parents comparing the whole cost of care, that matters as much as the hourly booking arrangement.

Rooms and Ages

The baby room, for children up to two, and toddler room, for ages two to three, occupy the ground floor and connect through a gated archway; the Pre-School room is upstairs. That layout is worth considering alongside a child's stage of development, especially when looking ahead to a move between rooms.

In October 2022, babies practised getting upright, toddlers handled rice and small objects with pincers, and older children mixed colours using pipettes. These were different ways of developing control through play. The older children's activities also exercised the hand movements they would later use for writing.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage: learning, development and care are brought together through play, with activities adjusted to each child's needs across its seven areas of learning. Observations, planning and assessment inform those choices, alongside monthly themes. Toys and materials are changed regularly, so independent exploration sits alongside planned experiences indoors and outside.

During October 2022, mathematics was part of practical activity: younger children counted their dough creations, while preschool children explored quantities by pouring water between containers. Science also invited children to make predictions, including guessing what would happen when coloured water was added to oil. The value was in having something to test, rather than simply hearing an explanation.

Language featured in group play that month too. Babies selected objects associated with rhymes, and children joined in through gestures and movement. Toddlers passed musical instruments between friends, practising waiting as well as making sounds. Learning and social habits shared the same activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Pendragon sensory centre is a weekly destination, booked exclusively for the nursery's use during its session. Children can move around and investigate sensory experiences there. It adds a different setting for exploration to the spaces they use at Ladybirds itself.

At the front of the building, a decked area accommodates riding toys, construction play and sand activities. Outings also include parks, woodland, fields and soft play, with participation in community events. In October 2022, children regularly visited the wildlife area called Crocodile Creek and used the nursery's outdoor space daily. Those dated examples complement the current pattern of local exploration.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2022, new babies received close attention and comfort from their key person while settling, and background sound helped them rest in cots. Staff also exchanged information with parents about care and learning, helping families connect nursery experiences with what happened at home. For a baby starting childcare, the relevant questions are about that relationship and daily routine, rather than activities alone.

The current team structure includes preschool leadership, alongside a nursery cook and a setting SENCO. Staff have paediatric first aid training, with renewal every three years. These are practical arrangements supporting the nursery day, rather than a substitute for an inspection judgement.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective SEND support through work with external agencies, but identified inconsistent use of children's home languages and a need for more targeted staff development. These findings deserve to sit together: individual support had strengths, while language inclusion and the development of staff practice required attention.

Food is freshly prepared on the premises, including meals adapted to babies' weaning stages; meat comes from Thompson’s Butchers, and produce from LB Quality Grocers. The nursery's menu policy accommodates allergies and intolerances, making the child's specific dietary needs an important part of planning care.

Sessions and Attendance

Ladybirds is based at Unit 8 & 9, Omega Business Village, Northallerton, DL6 2NJ. It opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 6pm, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and the period from Christmas Eve through New Years day.

Bookings use flexible hours agreed around family needs, rather than fixed session slots. Term-time-only places are also offered, with neither charges nor retainers during school holidays. That gives families two different attendance approaches to weigh: individually arranged hours across the year, or care tied to the school terms.

Invoices are issued monthly in advance, with payment due on the month's final working day. Children's holidays, other absences and illness remain chargeable, while the nursery's bank-holiday and Christmas closures are not. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01609 773333.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible working families using the 15- and 30-hour entitlements, alongside 15 hours for all three- and four-year-olds and 15 hours for two-year-olds whose families receive qualifying additional support. The nursery can provide all or part of those entitlements. Eligibility remains a condition of the relevant offer.

Food and drinks, nappies and wipes, outings and activities are included in private childcare charges. Funded hours are also inclusive, with no additional parental charges during those hours. Term-time-only attendance carries its separate school-holiday arrangement, so the intended attendance pattern matters when comparing quotations.

Ladybirds also participates in Tax-Free Childcare.

• Home languages and staff development. The October 2022 priorities included using children's home languages more consistently and targeting professional development more closely. Ask how these now shape everyday practice, especially if your child uses another language at home.
• Rooms on different floors. Younger children use downstairs rooms, while the Pre-School room is upstairs. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how children move between stages and how that arrangement fits your child's needs.
• Flexible hours and chargeable absences. Bookings can suit individual family schedules, but children's holidays and illness remain chargeable. Compare a written quotation for your intended pattern with the term-time-only arrangement before choosing.
• Dietary planning. Meals are prepared on site and menus can be adapted for allergies and intolerances. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements for their child.

Ladybirds suits families seeking individually arranged hours across the year, as well as those wanting term-time-only care. Its weekly Pendragon sensory centre session, local outings and inclusive charge structure give parents specific reasons to choose it. The room layout and on-site food preparation add substance to the offer.

The October 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with home-language practice and staff development remaining important discussion points. For families whose priorities are flexible attendance and everyday costs bundled together, this is a nursery with a clear practical appeal.