Silkwood Private Day Nursery & Creche

A nursery inside the Total Fitness Centre, with access for families who never use the gym: that is Silkwood’s practical point of difference. Its single-level, open-plan accommodation includes air conditioning and a secure outdoor play area. Children aged 0 to 5 can attend, so the offer spans baby care through to preparation for school.

At its 14 October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Silkwood Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of today’s staff practice. The strongest detail from that period concerns children’s relationships with their key person, opportunities to choose their play and communication between staff and parents.

Full-day, morning and afternoon nursery sessions sit alongside a separate short-booking crèche service. The distinction matters: families can consider regular nursery attendance and occasional childcare as different arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

Under 2’s caters for babies and toddlers who are still developing steady mobility, with equipment selected for that stage. The room’s purpose is a gradual introduction to nursery life. Rest is also part of the building’s planning, with rooms arranged to allow children to sleep when needed.

For 2-3 Year Olds, activities include making art, exploring messy materials, pretend play and quieter time with books, while larger play equipment adds opportunities for movement. Children begin to participate in shared routines for eating and resting. During settling into this unit, their familiar key member of staff from the Baby Unit stays involved, giving the move a recognisable human connection.

Pre-school activities cover language, number work, movement, creative expression and understanding the world, alongside social and emotional development. The emphasis is on preparation for the next stage. Child-sized toilets and sinks offer a concrete setting for practising everyday self-care, rather than leaving all such tasks to adults.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play and interaction support communication, physical skills and growing independence. It is the common framework for early-years provision, rather than an additional programme unique to Silkwood.

In October 2022, children chose activities and explored both indoors and outside. Younger children experimented with sand, bubbles and water; older children made drawings of their families and talked about experiences at home. These examples show how familiar experiences could become material for conversation and imaginative play.

An autumn theme in October 2022 brought together acorns, conkers, leaves and books connected to the activity. Water play also gave children opportunities to compare containers and use words about quantity. Learning was embedded in handling objects and talking about them.

Outdoor and Community Life

The secure outdoor play area provides space beyond the open-plan rooms. In October 2022, outdoor activities included aiming balls at a basketball hoop and playing with sand and water. A play hut became the setting for pretend cooking, with children inventing food together. These are useful examples of movement and shared imaginative play occupying the same outdoor space.

Silkwood uses a key worker system, giving each child and their parents a particular member of staff to relate to. That named role matters for continuity: families have a familiar contact rather than relying only on whichever adult happens to be nearby.

Baby care is communicated through a daily sheet covering feeds, sleep, nappy changes and activities, discussed with parents and sent home after each session. This makes the handover practical. Parents can see what has happened during the day and use that information when planning the evening’s care.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted praised parent communication, including daily photographs in online learning records, and found that children formed close relationships with their key person. The current open-door arrangement also welcomes parents to discuss development and share their knowledge of their child.

In October 2022, a nursery cook prepared fresh food each day, and activities included practising toothbrushing on model teeth. Health was therefore addressed through both meals and play. Children also took responsibility for putting resources away, providing small opportunities to do things for themselves.

There were two clear development points in October 2022. Adults sometimes moved on before children had enough time to think and answer, and staff needed more opportunities for training targeted at supporting learning. Those points deserve attention alongside the positive account of relationships and daily activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Total Fitness, Silkwood Park, Fryers Way, Wakefield, WF5 9AD. Nursery opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning is 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoon is 1pm to 6pm. These are three separate booking patterns, allowing attendance to cover the whole working day or one part of it.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. That closure is a practical consideration for families planning year-round childcare.

The Crèche Facility accepts children aged 0 to 5 for bookings of between one and three hours. Bookings can be made up to seven days ahead, subject to space, and each child needs a completed registration form before booking. A non-refundable registration charge applies to this service. It is a separate arrangement from the nursery’s morning, afternoon and full-day sessions.

Getting There

The Total Fitness Centre is just off the roundabout at junction 40 of the M1. Nursery care is open to both gym members and non-members, making membership unnecessary for using the day nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

In October 2022, Silkwood provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. For paid nursery attendance, current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the Hours & Prices page sets out the session structure.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01924 416128 or through the contact form.

• Moving between age groups. Children settling into the 2-3 Year Olds unit retain support from their familiar Baby Unit staff member. On a visit, ask how that continuity works across your child’s proposed attendance days.
• Conversation and staff development. The October 2022 development points concerned time for children to answer and more targeted staff training. Ask how practitioners now allow thinking time and develop their teaching practice.
• The complete childcare quotation. Nursery sessions and short crèche bookings follow different arrangements, with a non-refundable registration charge for the crèche. Ask for a written breakdown covering your intended pattern, any funded hours, food and non-food consumables.

Silkwood suits families weighing full-day nursery attendance against morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those considering a separate short crèche booking. Its gym setting does not restrict the nursery to members, and the single-level layout, outdoor play area and baby handover sheets give the offer concrete practical substance.

The October 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection reference, with useful detail about relationships and parent communication. The corresponding development points keep the assessment balanced. For a parent choosing between attendance patterns, the clearest strengths are the explicit session choices and continuity of contact through the key worker system.