Moorfield School & Nursery: Nursery Review

Climbing equipment, wheeled toys and woodland give Moorfield’s youngest children plenty to explore. This is the nursery within an independent school welcoming children from age two, based at Wharfedale Lodge in Ilkley. Its character comes through in practical play and conversations with adults, with learning extending beyond the classroom.

ISI’s inspection of 1 to 3 October 2024 found that early years children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progressed well from their individual starting points. That gives parents a dated assessment of the early years provision, rather than a nursery grade borrowed from the wider school.

Learning takes several forms. Craft activities sit alongside building, pretend play and investigations involving technology. Activities are planned around individual children, so the same broad curriculum can accommodate different starting points. Adults use their conversations with children to expand vocabulary and help them express ideas with confidence.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum covers seven learning areas. Here, that means development involves practical exploration, communication and growing independence alongside early classroom skills. In October 2024, the early years curriculum supported good progress across those areas. Learning through play has a clear purpose.

Outside, children can climb, use wheeled toys and explore a woodland area. These give them opportunities to practise movement and coordination alongside the smaller hand movements developed indoors. During the October 2024 visit, pre-school children building models in free play adjusted how they worked so they could cooperate with one another. Sharing is part of the activity itself.

A well-established key person system gives children an adult who knows their needs. In October 2024, children were happy and their care needs were met. From nursery onwards, they also learn to share and handle disappointment, making emotional development part of everyday learning.

Communication extends to home through an online platform used by the nursery to update parents. That gives families a way to follow their child’s progress beyond conversations with staff. For children with SEND, the early years activities are personalised, with good progress from their starting points documented in October 2024.

Care has specific safeguards. Early years staff have paediatric first-aid training, supervision meets the required early years ratios, and risk assessments include daily early years checks. Sleeping children are checked every ten minutes. Photography requires permission under the early years policy on devices that take images.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Ask the school about Reception application requirements and deadlines. Familiarity with the school should not be treated as an admissions entitlement.

Learning to cooperate and manage disappointment provides useful preparation for the next classroom. That developmental preparation is separate from securing a place.

For enquiries or a prospectus, contact the school office on 01943 607285 or email enquiries@moorfieldschool.co.uk. Visits can be arranged through the school, giving parents an opportunity to meet the setting before choosing it.

Assessment oversight. The October 2024 inspection identified weaker senior leadership oversight of assessment across the school. This is a wider management concern relevant to questions about how children’s progress is tracked. The attendance policy was also initially missing from the website, but was added before the inspection ended.