Shelf Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Halifax for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 17:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2024. Open since 2009, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
We offer government funded places for 2,3 & 4 year olds and have some limited spaces for under 2’s.
What childcare usually costs in Calderdale
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Calderdale 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
HX3 7NTWhat 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, 11 June 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and eager to see their friends at this welcoming pre-school.
Staff build warm and positive relationships with children and their families. Children feel safe and secure in their care. Staff provide activities to develop children's curiosity. Children explore the outdoor area with interest. They talk about the plants and insects they see. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour.
Children learn to follow the routines of the pre-school. When staff play the tidy-up song, children quickly start to put their toys away. Children's behaviour is good.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- consider the routines of the day to allow children to spend longer periods of time in their play to be able to reach a deeper level of learning n strengthen the supervision process to ensure that all staff continue to improve their practice and subject knowledge over time.
- 11 June 2024Good
- 20 September 2018Good
- 26 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Shelf Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.