Little Acorns Day Nursery

A separate sleep room for the youngest children, child-chosen toys for the older groups and a large outdoor play area give Little Acorns Day Nursery a practical character. Based within the Joseph Rowntree Hartrigg Oaks complex in New Earswick, York, it has capacity for 49 children, with an age range from three months to five years. Its rooms take children from early sensory exploration towards preschool independence.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The detail matters more than the label: relationships and school preparation were strengths, while baby-room mealtimes and the match between activities and individual learning needs required attention.

Morning, afternoon and day bookings suit both term-time and full-year attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Little Acorns combines babies and toddlers in under-two provision with construction, messy, sand and water play. Seedlings is linked into this provision, with books, blankets and soft sleep mats; the names do not represent separate groups.

Young Oaks, for children aged two to three, occupies a large, airy room where key-person activities sit alongside play shaped by children's interests. Mighty Oaks serves the three- and four-year-old preschool group, combining planned activities with toys selected by the children themselves. These arrangements give older children both adult-guided experiences and a say in how they play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the learning framework: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early mathematics, literacy, creativity and understanding the world. It is the foundation of the nursery day, rather than an extra programme. Activities are planned around children's interests and their next steps, with individual learning journeys recording development.

In Young Oaks, computers add another resource for play and learning. Learning journeys move with children into Mighty Oaks, giving the next room information about what they have already explored. Preschool activities include recognising their own name on a plate and serving lunch, so early literacy and practical independence are connected to ordinary routines rather than confined to an activity table.

Between 8.30am and 9.30am, older children choose whether and when to have snacks, washing hands and selecting cups or plates. Their routine includes key-person activities, free play, outdoor opportunities and midday sleep if needed.

In July 2023, stories brought from home became starting points for play: a pirate story led to ship searches and making hats and telescopes. Babies explored buckets in sand and pom-poms of different colours and sizes. However, activities did not consistently extend children's existing skills, and curriculum goals needed more frequent review with staff. For crawling babies, opportunities to practise pulling up and moving with furniture also needed attention.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large outdoor play area serves the nursery's age groups, and the under-two provision gives children opportunities to use it during the day. For Young Oaks and Mighty Oaks, outdoor and physical play feature in both morning and afternoon routines. Movement is woven into the day.

In July 2023, outdoor experiences included large balls, ride-on toys and scooters for the two- to three-year-olds. Children were beginning to consider how to use larger equipment safely. Community links also included fundraising for local charities, adding experiences beyond the rooms themselves.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is built around the child's key person. An initial visit includes completing forms together, followed by further visits when the child spends time with staff independently; the process continues until the child is settled and the parent feels comfortable leaving. This makes familiarisation a sequence rather than a single appointment.

Famly supplies daily updates for the Little Acorns and Young Oaks groups. Written learning journeys provide a longer view of development, while the linked Seedlings provision also uses day sheets. Families therefore have both everyday information and records that accompany children as they move between stages.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that familiar key-person relationships helped children settle, and that coordinated work between the special educational needs coordinator, leaders and outside agencies supported good progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Meetings and shared short-term goals were the concrete mechanisms behind that support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The youngest provision has a separate sleep room/play room, and babies can sleep when they need to rather than only at the timetable's suggested point. Soft mats and blankets are available within the linked toddler provision. Sleep remains part of the older groups' routine too, for children who need it.

Children with particular dietary requirements follow individual diets. A nursery cook prepares lunch and tea, each with two courses, alongside lighter snacks during the morning and afternoon. Parents bring bottles, nappies and spare clothing for the youngest children, making those home supplies part of the daily arrangement.

In July 2023, preschool children used serving spoons to help themselves at meals, and younger children practised putting on coats with assistance when needed. Baby-room furniture was a weaker point: some chairs and tables did not allow children to sit safely and eat independently without straps. Improving that arrangement was one of the required next steps.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, and closes on bank holidays. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm; afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. Day bookings are also offered. Breakfast and lunch are included in the morning session fee, while afternoon bookings include a snack and tea.

Attendance can be term-time only or across the year. Full-year fees are calculated over 51 weeks, compared with 39 weeks for term-time attendance; funded entitlement is calculated over 38 weeks before any stretching arrangement. These are different parts of the bill, so the attendance calendar matters as much as the session chosen.

Booked sessions remain payable, with fees due monthly in advance. Payment options include bank transfer, standing order, Direct Debit, childcare vouchers and Tax Free childcare accounts. A voluntary booking advance offsets the first month's fees. Enquiries use telephone or the contact form.

Getting There

The address is Hartrigg Oaks, Lucombe Way, New Earswick, York, YO32 4DS. The nursery sits within the Joseph Rowntree Hartrigg Oaks complex.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the 30-hour offer for eligible children aged nine months and above, together with Early Learning funding for eligible two-year-olds. Funding starts the term after children reach the relevant age. Funding can be taken during term time or stretched over 51 weeks. Private hours remain payable when attendance exceeds the funded allocation; entitlement should not be read as covering every booked hour.

For funded hours, an additional charge covers food and snacks, trips, the communication app, sunscreen, wipes and other listed items. These meals and consumables are therefore charged separately from funded childcare, while parents supply nappies. The fees information describes the all-inclusive funded-hours payment as voluntary. Families should obtain the current prices and chosen arrangement in a written quotation, using the funding and fees explanation to understand how attendance and entitlement fit together.

• The youngest children's independence. In July 2023, baby-room mealtime furniture and opportunities to practise emerging movement skills needed improvement. On a visit, ask how eating and pulling-up activities now work within the combined under-two provision.
• Activities matched to the child. Curriculum goals and the fit between activities and children's next steps needed attention in July 2023. Ask staff to explain a recent example of how a child's learning journey changed the activities planned for them.
• Attendance and the funded bill. Term-time attendance uses a 39-week fee calculation, while the funded allocation uses 38 weeks; stretching is also offered. Request a written quotation that separates private hours, the funded-hours package and the effect of choosing morning, afternoon or day attendance.

Little Acorns suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as day bookings, with a choice between term-time and full-year attendance. The practical strengths are clear: a gradual settling process, daily communication through Famly, sleep provision for younger children and room-to-room learning records.

The July 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the baby provision and the precision of activity planning deserve careful discussion. For parents weighing this nursery, the useful test is how those specific improvements translate into the child's current day.