Rocking Horse Montessori Nursery

Small acts of independence gave Rocking Horse Montessori Nursery its clearest character in May 2024: babies practising feeding themselves, toddlers handling serving utensils and older children organising their own lunch things. These everyday tasks give children practical responsibilities alongside their play.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with SEND, made good progress from their starting points. The nursery is in Carleton, Skipton, accepts children aged 5 to 60 months and has 72 places in total.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, the May 2024 examples included movement, conversation, stories and early mathematics. Learning involved things children could handle and try, rather than explanations alone.

In May 2024, babies had low furniture to help them pull themselves upright and begin walking. Toddlers practised balance on ride-on toys and tackled the steps of a small slide; older children experimented with different movements and balancing. Peg activities also gave children practice squeezing and gripping, while water flowing through a chute encouraged close attention to what happened next.

Songs and books threaded through those experiences. In May 2024, babies explored turning board-book pages and joined action songs, while older children selected books to share with adults. Group discussions about pushing and pulling gave children time to recall an activity and explain their thinking. Shape exploration and number activities were extended when children were ready, linking the next task to what they already understood.

In May 2024, key-person relationships gave children a familiar adult to return to while exploring. Mealtimes offered another opportunity to practise independence: toddlers served food, while older children gathered their tableware, poured drinks and cleared used plates. This made care routines part of learning to manage everyday tasks.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCo worked effectively with families and outside agencies to identify additional needs and arrange support. The mechanism mattered: support involved both parents and professionals, rather than relying on nursery staff alone.

Communication was also the main improvement point. In May 2024, pictures helped some children understand routines and some practitioners used signs, but these approaches were not consistently established across the nursery. More consistent use was needed so children could receive the same communication support from different staff.

The address is 1 The Stables, Carla Beck Lane, Carleton, Skipton, BD23 3BU. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with year-round operation except bank holidays and one week at Christmas. The Christmas closure matters for families planning continuous childcare through the holidays.

In May 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

• Communication support. Consistent signing and picture support were the May 2024 improvement priority. Ask how these approaches now carry across practitioners and daily routines.
• Attendance arrangements. The weekday opening window is broad, but the Christmas closure needs planning. Which booking pattern would fit your working week, and how would settling fit within it?

Based on the experiences observed in May 2024, Rocking Horse suits families who value children practising everyday independence, with stories, movement and practical exploration woven into their learning. Its May 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection benchmark. Consistency in communication support is the clearest point to explore before choosing it.