North Duffield Under Fives

A purpose-built room for the youngest children and a custom-built outdoor space give North Duffield Under Fives two clear points of appeal. Based at The Pavilion in North Duffield, this village nursery combines baby care with preschool provision, with playing fields and a playground beside the setting. There is room for different kinds of play: quieter exploration for babies and space for older children to move.

Children can attend from three months to five years, and the nursery has capacity for 30 children in total. At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children made good developmental progress. That judgement comes with a specific improvement point about how group activities involve every child.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside an eight-hour day, with term-time attendance or sessions across the year. The charitable organisation is overseen by a voluntary management committee. For families, that adds a practical community dimension: fundraising and opportunities to help support the setting form part of nursery life.

Rooms and Ages

The purpose-built under 2’s room provides an environment for the youngest children. Moving into the main room is gradual: children visit the older group, get to know another key person and spend increasing amounts of time there before completing the move. Children do not move before their second birthday or before they can cope with the change.

In September 2025, the environment supported different stages of physical development. Babies had opportunities to crawl, rise to standing and move along furniture, while toddlers and preschool children tackled balance beams. Older children added sloping obstacles to increase the challenge. These are useful examples of progression within play, rather than identical activities being handed to every age group.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care: children develop skills through play, relationships and everyday routines, with their progress informing what comes next. Child-chosen activities sit alongside experiences introduced by adults. The key person uses observations, interests and information from home to plan for the individual child, so parents contribute to the learning picture rather than simply receive updates.

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that the curriculum suited different ages and supported language development, but asked the nursery to reorganise group times because some children received less useful interaction and became disengaged. The practical distinction matters. Individual play and carefully sequenced activities were strengths; bringing children together did not consistently give everyone the same benefit.

September 2025 examples included babies investigating cereal textures, toddlers searching through soil and older children testing how paints combine. Books extended beyond nursery time through a lending library in the entrance hall. Taking a story home gives families a straightforward way to continue shared reading, while conversation during play helps children put their ideas into words.

Outdoor and Community Life

The custom-built outdoor space, neighbouring playground and playing fields make physical play a substantial part of the setting's character. The setting also includes sensory play, loose parts and a music area. Together, these offer different starting points for children who enjoy movement, making things or exploring materials.

Past activities show how those interests have been used. In April 2023, Camp Preschool brought together footprint tracking, birdwatching and insect searches, alongside construction, counting and exploration of the herb garden and mud kitchen. A May 2023 project added a water tray fitted with pipes and taps for children to investigate flowing water. These dated examples illustrate the setting's practical, exploratory approach; they are not a promise of a recurring timetable.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before settling begins, with a backup identified where possible. Free settling sessions continue for as long as the child and parent need them. The settling policy starts with a familiar adult present, then builds towards short separations and a longer nursery day as the child becomes comfortable with their key person.

This approach asks for parental time as well as trust. Babies' starts are staggered, and children who are settling do not spend the whole day there during their first week. For children with additional needs, the parent, key person and SENCO consider barriers such as medication timings, individual routines and the support required. Settling is treated as a plan to adjust, rather than a single hurdle to clear.

Communication continues through verbal handovers after each session, a development overview each term and discussions with the key person twice yearly. The EYworks parent app gives access to the learning journey and lets families contribute their own observations. Daily diary updates cover sleep, meals, nappy changes and learning, making it easier to connect the nursery day with routines at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The manager holds the SENCO role, and the team includes designated safeguarding leadership and a deputy. Staff have paediatric first-aid certification, while safeguarding practice is revisited at staff meetings. These are concrete arrangements for responsibility and communication, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement above.

For SEND, the support procedure combines observations from nursery and home, agreed strategies and action plans involving parents. Plans specify interventions, responsibility and review dates, with reviews at least termly. Where appropriate, external professionals contribute advice, and the nursery can seek inclusion funding when its core resources cannot meet a child's needs.

In September 2025, staff used care routines for gentle conversation and singing with babies. Older children practised managing coats, boots and toileting, while low tables and chairs helped the youngest children learn to feed themselves under supervision. The emphasis was on small, useful steps towards independence. Children do not have to be toilet trained to attend, and parents can work with their key person on readiness and routines.

Preparation for school includes welcoming teachers to meet children and discuss their needs, sharing learning records and involving parents in development summaries. Additional-needs plans are shared where relevant. This work supports continuity of care and learning as children move to their next setting.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Pavilion, York Road, North Duffield, Selby, YO8 5RU. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year, with public bank-holiday closures. Enquiries can be made through the contact page or by telephone on 07391 076582.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 8am to 6pm. An eight-hour day starts at 8am. After-school care is also offered, and the hourly rate can only extend an existing booking. The minimum commitment is two sessions each week; sessions can be booked for term time only or across 50 weeks.

Three months' written notice is required to withdraw a child; permanent reductions in booked sessions require three months' notice. Fees remain payable for that notice period if less notice is given. Charges are based on the reserved booking, so illness and holidays do not remove the obligation to pay for booked attendance. These terms matter when comparing the flexibility of different attendance patterns.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including eligible two-year-old funding, the universal 15 hours and working-parent 30-hour funding. Attendance can be term time only, and the 30-hour entitlement can be stretched across the year. Eligibility remains conditional; the nursery's funding arrangements should be considered alongside the family's chosen booking pattern. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and its fees and parent information explain the session structure.

Parents provide packed lunches and bring snacks for half-day attendance; an afternoon meal is charged separately for sessions continuing beyond 4pm. The food policy provides for individual allergy risk assessments and identification of allergenic ingredients on menus. Parents also supply nappies, wipes, creams and sun cream, plus formula or milk other than cow's milk where required, so the practical cost of attendance includes supplies from home as well as nursery charges.

• Group activities. The September 2025 improvement point concerned children who were less engaged during group times. On a visit, ask how activities are now organised for different ages and how staff involve children who lose interest.
• Settling requires time. The settling plan involves a parent or familiar adult staying initially, and newly settling children do not attend all day in their first week. Discuss how that process fits your return to work and your child's routines.
• Booking commitment. Attendance starts at two sessions weekly. Withdrawal requires three months' written notice, and permanent session reductions require three months' notice. Consider those terms alongside the choice between term-time and year-round bookings.
• Food and allergies. Packed lunches and snacks come from home, while the afternoon meal carries a separate charge for sessions continuing beyond 4pm. Allergy-affected families should confirm current meal arrangements and how their child's individual risk assessment will work.

North Duffield Under Fives suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with a choice between term-time and year-round patterns. Its strongest practical attractions are the purpose-built space for under-twos, substantial outdoor provision and a settling process built around the key person. Regular handovers and app access give parents ways to stay involved.

The September 2025 Good judgement supports that picture, while the group-time improvement point deserves a direct conversation. The decision also turns on everyday logistics: parental involvement during settling, food and supplies brought from home, and the notice required to change a booking. Families comfortable with those commitments have a clearly defined offer to weigh.