Leafield House Nursery

While the nursery boasts an impressive building, a great outdoor play area, and some genuinely lovely and dedicated team members, our overall experience during the year our son attended was one of ongoing dissatisfaction with how the nursery was managed. From our perspective, the nursery suffers from fundamental disorganisation at the leadership level. We remained enrolled through the Ofsted closure — which was poorly managed and communicated — as well as through multiple inadequate ratings. Our decision to stay was based solely on not wanting to disrupt our child’s routine and familiar environment. We found that management often glossed over serious concerns and were slow to implement meaningful changes as well as failing to support a very young staff base. Transparency with parents was lacking unless we proactively and persistently pushed for information. The final straw came when the nursery attempted to charge parents illegal top-up fees amounting to thousands of pounds annually. These were only rectified after we escalated the matter to the local authority. Alongside frequent clerical errors, confusing invoices, and questionable consumable charges that do not match what is provided, ask for a breakdown if you are enrolling, it became increasingly clear that the directors were prioritising profit over providing safe, high-quality childcare. We were offered a personalised reduced rate of the consumables charges on the understanding that “we didn’t share this information with other parents” which further cemented these feelings. Ultimately, this misalignment in values led us to withdraw our child from the nursery. On a final note, during our last month, I was unexpectedly removed from the facial recognition system used for pick-up, making it more difficult to collect my child. I was told it was a technical issue affecting the external camera, despite it affecting the internal rooms too— though no other parents reported the same problem. The timing felt both petty and deliberate, which sadly reflected the overall management approach we experienced. To prospective parents, please do your research, ask the right questions and be fully informed if you choose to use this nursery.

My daughter has been attending the nursery for over a year now. We viewed multiple nurseries across Leeds and had the best feeling from Leafield. Whilst there has been added stress and nervousness due to the ofsted inspections we are very happy with the care, love and development we see. The staff have worked hard to improve the rating which we believe matches the care we see. Looking forward to seeing how the nursery continues to build on this positive step forward.

Our son has been attending Leafield House Nursery for nearly a year and a half, and we couldn’t be happier with the care he’s received. From the very beginning, the staff have been welcoming, attentive, and genuinely caring. He absolutely loves going in each day, he looks forward to spending time with both the children and the amazing team in his room. The range of activities offered is fantastic and thoughtfully planned to keep the children engaged, learning, and having fun. He especially enjoys outdoor play, and the nursery's outdoor setting is truly exceptional, it's one of his favorite parts of the day! We were naturally concerned during the temporary closure, but we never doubted the dedication and professionalism of the staff. It’s clear how much they care about the children, and our son's ongoing enthusiasm to attend speaks volumes. We’re grateful for all they do and hope others see the positive impact the nursery continues to have on the children and families it supports. Thank you, Leafield House Nursery, for the love and care you give every day.

This nursery are charging parents unfairly. Consumable fees are voluntary payments legally speaking and parents should be able to choose not to pay for items like nappies and wipes if they don’t use them or want to provide their own. However the nursery is trying to force parents to pay for the consumables under the guise of having them share the cost between other parents and children. This practice is illegal and immoral. Please be aware that this is an unethical practice and the directors are aware of their legal obligations but choose to ignore them.

Our child has been attending the nursery since October last year and overall, we’ve had a positive experience. They’ve settled in well and have really thrived in each room they’ve been part of. A lot of credit goes to the staff, especially in the Olive and Willow rooms, where most of their time has been spent. The consistent care and support there have played a big part in their development. The recent closure was understandably disruptive, and out the blue but it was addressed quickly and communication during that time was handled well. It’s clear that the team takes the children’s wellbeing seriously, which we appreciate. There is room for improvement to make the experience even better for parents. But overall, we feel confident with the care our child receives and are grateful to the team for the work they put in every day.