Learnaid Nursery

Seeds grown for the kitchen, an Islamic ethos and rooms built around play give Learnaid Nursery a clear identity. At its 23 May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good across all assessed areas and judged safeguarding effective. The strongest practical attractions today are its outdoor growing area, separate spaces for younger and preschool children, and opportunities for families to spend time reading and playing together.

Based at 48 Bottom O'th Moor, Oldham, OL4 1JZ, the nursery has 48 places in total and accepts children aged 24 to 60 months. Those places describe the whole setting, rather than the size of an individual room. A sensory room adds another space for activities shaped around children's needs.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to organise attendance. The educational character matters just as much: Islamic teaching sits alongside play, early language, physical activity and preparation for school.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillars Room combines construction and small-world play with sand, water, creative materials and early writing activities; its daily routine also includes music, movement and smaller-group time with a key person.

For children aged 3 to 4, Butterflies Room has free-flow play, a home corner and spaces for construction, role play, literacy, mathematics and technology, bringing independent exploration and more directed learning into the same room. An extensive hall accommodates the preschool provision.

The physical layout includes a separate room where families can read and play with their child and seek staff support.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the shared early-years framework, covering children's communication, movement, relationships, early reading, number work and creative development. Here, that learning sits alongside an Islamic ethos: children learn about the Sunna and Duas and about being Muslim within a wider community. For families seeking faith within everyday nursery life, this is a central part of the choice.

In May 2023, vocabulary work connected books with practical activities. A Squash and a Squeeze supplied words that children then explored while making fruit juice.

Children also voted weekly for a book in May 2023, and families could borrow reading material to share at home. Group activities were adapted by developmental stage: older children worked on letter sounds, while younger children explored animal sounds. This was a specific approach to listening and attention, rather than expecting every child to tackle the same task.

Outdoor and Community Life

Learnaid Family Grow Your Garden gives children opportunities to sow seeds and explore how plants develop. Mint, garlic and coriander grown outdoors are used in nursery meals, connecting the growing area with food children encounter later. It is a tangible link between an activity and its everyday use.

Outdoor water, sand and construction activities extend familiar indoor play into another setting. Children can run and jump, while a sheltered part of the playground supports outdoor activity in wet weather.

Relationships and Communication

Key-person relationships are built into smaller-group activities in Caterpillars Room. Visits and inductions are planned as toddlers approach their third birthday, giving a room change its own preparation. For a child who finds unfamiliar routines difficult, the process deserves attention alongside the activities in the receiving room.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found close relationships between children, staff and parents, alongside strong parent partnerships and effective support for children's growing independence. One everyday example was preparing snacks: children practised spreading butter on crackers. Such small tasks gave them something useful to do for themselves.

In May 2023, communication included daily information, an app, parent meetings and workshops. Parents could stay and play on Mondays. These were different ways to take part: brief updates for everyday contact, longer conversations about development, and time alongside a child during nursery activities.

The parent leadership group also influenced learning in May 2023. Parents raised online safety, and staff developed activities suitable for young children in response. That example shows how a parent's concern could become part of what children explored, rather than remaining a topic discussed only between adults.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A learning and sensory room provides a separate setting for activities supporting individual needs. This gives children a setting for sensory activities alongside the main play rooms.

In May 2023, staff used language screening with all children to identify their language skills and possible support needs. Where a need emerged, staff shared activities for parents to use at home. The nursery supported children learning English as an additional language, so communication between home and nursery was part of this work.

Meals are cooked fresh in the nursery's kitchen, with herbs from the growing area used in the food. Nursery dinners and nursery-provided afternoon snacks carry separate charges; families supply nappies and wipes. These arrangements matter both for the daily bag and for understanding the total cost of attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. The full-day booking runs from 9am to 3pm; morning sessions run from 9am to noon and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm. Half-day bookings cover either of those shorter periods. The opening window and the booked sessions are therefore different, which matters when planning working hours around childcare.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through an online message form. Families can choose between a shorter session and the full-day pattern, rather than treating the opening hours as the length of every booking.

Getting There

The address is 48 Bottom O'th Moor, Oldham, OL4 1JZ. An on-site private car park provides a parking option, and Oldham Mumps Tram Stop is a short walk away. These are useful alternatives for families organising collection around other journeys.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children with a valid government funding code can use 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare. Funded morning and afternoon sessions run Monday to Friday, from 9am to noon and noon to 3pm respectively, with no charge for the funded hours themselves. Eligibility remains a condition, rather than a guarantee attached to every booking.

Food is separate from the funded hours: a nursery dinner costs extra when chosen for a morning session, and a nursery-provided afternoon snack also costs extra. Parents provide nappies and wipes. Activities beyond the core provision can carry a separate charge where parents have agreed them beforehand, so the distinction is between the funded time and the extras chosen around it.

Paid childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out the session and charging structure. For families combining funding with paid attendance, keeping the booked hours, food and agreed activities separate makes the arrangement easier to assess.

• Faith within the day. Teaching about the Sunna and Duas is part of the nursery's Islamic ethos. On a visit, discuss how that teaching fits your family's expectations and your child's everyday experience.
• Changes between activities. In May 2023, inconsistent signals during tidying and moves between indoor and outdoor play sometimes left children unsettled. Ask how staff now make those changes predictable and calm.
• Age and room placement. The nursery accepts children aged 24 to 60 months, while Butterflies Room is aimed at ages 3 to 4. Discuss the room and induction plan for your child's age, especially around a move from toddler provision.
• Support for an individual child. A sensory room supports individual needs; in May 2023, staff also used language screening to identify support needs. If your child needs additional support, use a visit to discuss their particular needs and how referrals and home communication would work.

Learnaid Nursery suits families seeking an Islamic early-years setting with morning or afternoon sessions as well as a full-day booking. Its strongest current features are concrete: a growing area linked to the kitchen, sheltered outdoor play, play-based rooms and space for families to read together.

The Good judgement from May 2023 provides a dated assessment, with language learning and parent relationships prominent in that account. The same period also brought a clear concern about changes between activities. A family's decision should weigh the faith ethos, the session pattern and their child's room and support arrangements together.