Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm, except for bank holidays
Oakwood House & Forest School
Ofsted: Good
(Jun 2021)
Number of places
101 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2021
Local authority
Kirklees
About this day nursery
Oakwood House & Forest School, situated in Huddersfield, offers a stimulating and engaging environment where children from birth to five years old can thrive. The nursery prides itself on its dedicated manager, who fosters high expectations for every child and has crafted a curriculum rooted in their individual interests and developmental needs.
This approach builds upon children's existing knowledge and skills, with a particular focus on enhancing communication and language in preparation for school. The outdoor spaces, including a forest school area, encourage independent exploration and risk assessment, allowing children to learn in a natural setting.
Staff prioritise building strong relationships with both children and parents, actively incorporating information about children's home achievements to support their learning journey. The nursery also effectively utilises early years pupil premium funding to enrich children's experiences, for example, by developing den-building areas.
With a strong emphasis on independence, self-help skills, and healthy eating, Oakwood House & Forest School aims to nurture well-rounded and confident learners.
What it's like
Children clearly enjoy their time in the setting. The indoor and outdoor learning environments are stimulating and provide good opportunities for children to make safe and independent choices. They eagerly complete their own risk assessments of the forest school areas, making sure that the space is safe for their friends to use, and discuss the rules for keeping safe around the fire pit.
Forest SchoolGood Ofsted ratingChild-led curriculum
Pricing & funding
Funding accepted
15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Pricing on request
This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.
Request pricing →Key facts
Age range
0 to 5
Term time / All Year
All Year
Staff
28 childcare staff
Established
2010
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Oakwood House & Forest School
Last inspected 29 June 2021
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
What it's like to attend
Children clearly enjoy their time in the setting. The indoor and outdoor learning environments are stimulating and provide good opportunities for children to make safe and independent choices. They eagerly complete their own risk assessments of the forest school areas, making sure that the space is safe for their friends to use, and discuss the rules for keeping safe around the fire pit.
Inspector highlights
- Children clearly enjoy their time in the setting.
- The indoor and outdoor learning environments are stimulating and provide good opportunities for children to make safe and independent choices.
- Staff highly value contributions from parents. They use information about children's achievements at home to complement their learning and help them to consolidate new skills.
- Children form close bonds with caring key staff and are confident to leave their parents and carers as they arrive.
- Children grow their own herbs and flowers and use these in their dough play.
Areas to develop
- 1support staff to develop successful behaviour management strategies, to further promote children's positive behaviour as they move between different activities
- 2sharpen the focus on monitoring staff practice to allow more frequent opportunities for staff to discuss their practice and set targets to help raise the quality of teaching and children's outcomes even higher.
Inspection #10117667 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
What parents say
Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection
Parents are complimentary about the staff team and the care and learning they provide.
They are particularly grateful for the advice, support and guidance that staff have afforded them during COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Staff complete regular observations of children. They use these to promptly identify any gaps in children's learning and seek early professional help, when needed. Staff have been proactive in identifying the impact on children's learning and development of prolonged absences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, they have a consistent approach to supporting children's learning, and children are catching up quickly.
Outdoor space
The dedicated manager has developed a curriculum based on what children need to learn next, and it builds on what children know and can do through a varied range of experiences, especially in building their communication and language skills. Children freely explore all areas of the nursery and forest school. They eagerly complete their own risk assessments of the forest school areas, making sure that the space is safe for their friends to use, and discuss the rules for keeping safe around the fire pit.
Parent Reviews of Oakwood House & Forest School
4.4
(9)
James Millner
a year ago
We’ve been nothing but pleased with our experience at Oakwood house with the baby room and beyond. We owe a lot to Oakwood house, and our daughter loves attending nursery. The staff there have been brilliant, providing excellent care and updates with our daughter and are always on hand for queries / updates as we’ve needed them. They’ve also been very accommodating of dietary requirements as/when required. The building and grounds are also just so lovely. So much outdoor space for the children to enjoy and it’s amazing seeing all the outdoor updates. We’re just really impressed and happy with the experience. We’d highly recommend Oakwood house
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Hannah Butcher
a year ago
Most of the nursery teachers of what we have experienced are fantastic my little boy absolutely adores Sam and Chloe who work there they have been amazing and I can not recommend them enough however some of them can be rude, the staff turnover is ridiculous and has had many different key workers since he started plus the staff in the office there has been four different managers since we started who don’t seem to know what they are doing. The nursery only seem to care about is money constantly adding late charges if you are a couple of days late with you’re invoice, haven’t been able to provide me with DBS checks and show me first aid certificates my little boy loves Sam or I would of taken him out ages ago they treat you like a number and not a person.
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EJ Harwood
5 years ago
Outstanding provision. We drive ages to get our son to simply the best! He loves the grand outdoors, is confident, inquisitive, and so over the moon to arrive at nursery - it thrills our hearts.
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Jim
7 years ago
Outstanding Nursery, Our children love attending. They're always learning something new. They've been going from 6Mth to 4yrs old. The staff are amazing, Highly recommended.
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Daniel Rhodes
4 years ago
I went to this nursery around about 11 years ago now and I loved it so much, sad I had to move though.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Oakwood House & Forest School. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: May 2013
- June 2021Good
- May 2013Outstanding
Frequently asked about Oakwood House & Forest School
About the setting
Oakwood House & Forest School opened in 2010. It is one of four nurseries owned by Portland Nurseries Ltd. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm, except for bank holidays. There are 28 childcare staff employed at the nursery. Of these, 24 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, one has early years professional status and one is a qualified teacher. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.
- URN
- EY428586
- Registered person
- Portland Nurseries Limited
- Day care type
- Full day care
- Register
- Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register
- Establishment type
- Childcare on non-domestic premises
- Previous rating
- Outstanding
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