The Counting House
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Birstall for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2015, with 102 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
From 9 months to 2 years: 15 hours per week for eligible working parents, increasing to 30 hours from 1 September 2025; 2 Year olds: 15 hours per week for eligible working parents, 15 hours per week for families receiving additional support, increasing to 30 hours from 1 September 2025; 3 & 4 Year olds: Universal entitlement: 15 hours per week for all children, additional 15 hours per week for eli.
Worth knowing. NEF is funded for 38 weeks per year only. You will need to pay full nursery fees for any additional weeks your child attends. A Nursery Care Package fee is applied for funded sessions.
What childcare usually costs in Kirklees
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Kirklees 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
WF17 9RGWhat 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, 23 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle quickly with nurturing staff, who understand their needs. This helps children to feel safe and secure during their time at the nursery. Staff have high expectations for all children. They teach children to be kind to each other and to look after their toys and books. Children share with their friends and take turns.
They learn what is expected of them.
Children develop their language and communication skills as staff talk to them as they play. Staff say words such as 'baby', 'head', 'hands' and 'eyes', as babies play.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop existing performance management processes to ensure that staff have a consistent understanding of high-quality education.
- 23 May 2023Good
- 12 October 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Counting House
- What it costs
- 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.