The Old School House Nursery School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Sheffield for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 07:30 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 They do not publish prices, so ask.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 2022. Open since 1992, with 123 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
30 hours funded childcare for children aged from 9 months to 4 years old; 15 hours funded childcare from the term after their child's third birthday.
Worth knowing. Funding is normally provided for 38 weeks of the school year. At Old School House Nurseries, we offer the option to stretch funding across 51 weeks of the year. When funding is stretched across the year, 15 hours becomes approximately 11.17 hours per week, while 30 hours becomes around 22.35 hours per week.
What childcare usually costs in Sheffield
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Sheffield 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
S10 5NFWhat 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, 4 May 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are very happy and engaged in this warm and welcoming nursery. Babies and children make a smooth start to their learning experiences and form strong bonds with the staff who care for them. Staff work closely with parents to thoroughly understand children's interests, needs and routines. They use the information well to plan carefully, overall, for children's progress in all aspects of their learning. Children are thoroughly prepared for their future learning, including starting school. For example, they learn to concentrate well in group and individual activities, such as musical tasks, to listen and follow instructions.
Children feel safe. They behave very well. They learn to be polite and considerate towards their friends and those who care for them. Mealtimes are very sociable occasions. For instance, children learn to patiently serve themselves and chat to staff and each other. Staff help children to make considered decisions about their play and learning and to challenge themselves. For example, staff encourage children in their jumping and balancing activities to try hard and reach further.
The manager and her staff have high expectations for every child to get the most from their time in the nursery. Parents are very appreciative of the nursery, particularly that it remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for vulnerable children and children of key workers and maintained good communication and support with families.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus staff development on ensuring that all children are consistently challenged and supported to further enrich their vocabulary and deepen their understanding.
- 4 May 2022Good
- 23 April 2014Outstanding
- 19 October 2012Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Old School House Nursery School
- 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.