Esscroft Private Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Ilkley for children from birth to 5, open 07:45 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2022. Open since 2017, with 98 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Bradford
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Bradford from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
LS29 7HLWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 19 January 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy, safe and secure in the nursery. Staff are nurturing, professional and very passionate about their work with children. They have the highest expectations for them and meet their individual needs very well. Babies thrive and make very good progress physically and socially. Children who show delay in their learning are quickly identified and supported with individual plans.
Older children show high levels of confidence in their own ability. They are keen to join in with experiences, which help them develop the skills they need to start school. For example, at mealtimes they show good levels of independence as they self-serve lunch and carry their plate back to the table. Staff praise children consistently for their positive behaviour. Older children have impeccable manners and young children learn how to be kind to each other during play.
The manager prioritises staff's well-being and effectively supports her team. They work together to drive forward improvements in the nursery and use feedback from parents and children to make changes. For example, the outdoor learning environment has been enhanced to provide a challenging curriculum for children who prefer to learn outside. During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents were unable to come inside the nursery to drop off and collect their children. Staff worked very hard to maintain communication to minimise any negative impact on continuity for children. This helped children to continue to be settled and their individual needs met effectively.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support less-experienced staff to build confidence in their role and raise the quality of their practice n explore more efficient ways to share children's ongoing photos with their parents, so they continue to receive daily updates and it is less time consuming for managers and staff.
- 19 January 2022Good
- 27 March 2018Good
- 10 October 2017Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Esscroft Private Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.