Fairfield Nursery

55A Carr House Lane, Shelf, Halifax HX3 7RH
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9.7 18 Reviews
  • Fairfield Nursery, Halifax
Ofsted Outstanding (May 2024), Fairfield Nursery, in the village of Shelf near Halifax, gives children the freedom to have play-based experiences to encourage every child to thrive.

The nursery has specific play areas for all age groups, enabling each child to develop at their own pace.

The nursery's play areas include a garden with vegetable patches, mud kitchens, dens and a story-telling circle.

The nursery's chef prepares home cooked meals with fresh fruit and vegetables, with food sourced locally and organically.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Sadie Fox (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 15

Total Places for Children

  • 62

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Please call or email for more details

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:15-18:00
    Tuesday 07:15-18:00
    Wednesday 07:15-18:00
    Thursday 07:15-18:00
    Friday 07:15-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & 1 week at Christmas

Parking

  • Large car park

Fairfield Nursery Reviews (18)

9.7

Fairfield Nursery has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.742) out of 10, based on 18 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Fairfield Nursery has 18 reviews.

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Review from T D (Mother of Child) published on 16 June 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been at this nursery since he was 7 months old and has absolutely thrived. The caring, attentive staff and amazing outdoor space were big reasons we chose it, and we've never looked back. He's grown in confidence, communication, and curiosity, and it's such a joy to see him so happy every
day - and ready for his next adventure at school. We're so grateful for the warm, supportive environment they provide- highly recommend!
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Review from M A (Mother of Child) published on 23 May 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Amazing place for our little man to be. Staff always organising so many activities for the babies to keep them entertained and help them learn. Our son is always happy to go see his friends in nursery and play. Everyone is really helpful and put me on ease by posting pictures and activities of my son.
Kids have plenty outdoor time as well which is important for us parents.
Definitely 5 star place.
Reply from Anastasia Murphy, Managing Director at Fairfield Nursery
Thank you for taking the time to write a review and for your kind words. I look forward to sharing them with the team.
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Review from Alexandra N (Mother of Child) published on 23 May 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This nursery is by far one the best nurseries in the area. The staff and management are lovely, knowledgable and great with the children. They keep me up to date with all 3 of my children through an app so I know what they have been doing with their day. They do regular events where families can come
and visit and be involved with what the children are doing, eg. Parent play and stay, sports day. My children enjoy doing cooking club and playing outside all day. The staff listen to any requests that I may have with the children. Couldn't recommend this nursery enough x
Reply from Sadie, Nursery Manager at Fairfield Nursery
Thank you for your support and kind comments. I can't wait to share them with the team!
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Review from J B (Mother of Child) published on 23 May 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My Daughter loves going to nursery and often tells me about her day. Since moving into preschool I feel her learning has improved especially in areas of numbers and letters which is down to all the work the preschool staff put in. In particular my child really enjoys the weekly cooking club where they
create different treats every week! My child will be leaving at the end of July to go to school which Nursery have helped to get her ready! We will miss nursery when she leaves but will soon be back with her younger brother! We wouldn't go anywhere else.
Reply from Sadie, Nursery Manager at Fairfield Nursery
A big thank you from myself and all the team for your support and lovely comments!
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Review from Bethany W (Mother of Child) published on 21 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fairfield Nursery has always been there to support both my child and me. They ensure that my child has everything in place that he needs in order to help with his speech. They set up regular meetings so that we can keep track of his progress. The only thing which I would like to comment on is the amount
of meat which he no longer gets at mealtimes compared to when he first started.
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Review from D M (Mother of Child) published on 18 March 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child really enjoys attending Fairfield Nursery. She comes home with a different story about what she’s done at nursery every single day, showing she’s taken part in lots of different and new things. She has a really good relationship with the staff & has come on leaps and bounds since attending.
Cannot fault.
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Review from A B (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Lovely nursery, staff friendly and show so much love towards our child.
Facilities are new, lots of toys/activities - our child is very happy and settled.
They have been in the baby and toddler room, very happy in both.
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Review from Beth B (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended the nursery for two years.
My child enjoys going, has progressed so well and has strong relationships with all of the staff. The staff are very accommodating, caring and are clearly experienced at what they do.
Communication from the nursery is very good, I am kept updated
throughout the day and on pick-up and the nursery holds regular stay and play sessions which we really enjoy attending.
I have not found any faults with this nursery and would happily recommend to anyone for their children.
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Review from Danielle P (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I refrained from putting my first child in a nursery until aged 3 but this time found I had to put my youngest in much earlier. I was really uncertain but loved the new layout and ethos of Fairfield Nursery. I had previously visited under its old ownership.
The staff were all instantly friendly and
helpful and I knew it was the right place for us. My daughter has settled in so quickly and her speech has improved so much. From speaking single words just before aged 2 and now 6 months later, she is able to have 2-way conversations in full sentences! The staff always give us updates on her day and works with us to ensure her targets are being worked on and met in the setting as well as at home.
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Review from Carmel N (Grandmother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
All the staff have been wonderful. It has a lovely learning environment and my grandson has come on in leaps and bounds. The food is nutritional. The staff work very hard with the children and my grandson has quickly got into a routine.
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Review from Rucsana M (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has only recently joined the nursery. I was very worried he wouldn't settle in.
However, he has settled in and still cries a little when going in but while he is there he seems to play happily. The staff are lovely, very warm and welcoming which makes it a lot easier for parents to leave their
child.
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Review from S W (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter absolutely loves this nursery. For the past two years, she has become so confident and loves the staff and all her friends. The staff and management are so supportive whenever I want to do things with her in the nursery. I'm so glad I sent her here as it's one of the best nurseries around.
The food is really good and the nursery is always clean.
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Review from F W (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Love the nursery my son is so happy there and learning so much and the staff are fantastic kind and caring and make every day for my son amazing. My son has learnt so much already and continues to every session.
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Review from L A (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
The staff at Fairfield are fantastic and my son loves attending nursery! He does a variety of activities and we love seeing the daily updates on the app, seeing what he has done and looking at the photos from his day.
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Review from S I (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child is always very happy when they come here. They are always smiling and happy when they leave. The nursery staff are always friendly and I am happy my child goes here.
I get regular updates on the app which helps me understand how my child is doing while at nursery too which I am glad to receive.
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Review from Rebecca D (Mother of Child) published on 29 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5
The staff at Fairfield are absolutely brilliant. My child was some lovely relationships with the staff and I know she is well looked after whilst she is there. In terms of my scoring against the management, this is for the Portland Group Management, not the manager of Fairfield. Every time I have dealt
with the Portland Management Team, they have been rude and unhelpful. The outside space isn't good, there isn't anything for the children to play with other than a mud kitchen. I love that my child is now going outside of the nursery, going to the woods, local care home etc. Really think that this will help her confidence grow. I have always had an issue with the new food menu. My child has digestive issues with beans, lentils, pulses etc. Whenever a meal contains this she has to have it without and sometimes I feel she ends up with hardly anything. I also think that it is bad that the nursery no longer has a chef and the nursery staff have to take it in turns to cook.
Reply from Sadie, Nursery Manager at Fairfield Nursery
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, your recognition of how hard the staff teamwork is very much appreciated. We have worked hard around your requests regarding her diet and the menu and…read more
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Review from Sarah O (Mother of Child) published on 13 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
A bit upset the big TV was removed from the toddler room. My eldest learnt a lot and danced and had a good time with the staff. Unfortunately, screen time is the way our children are today using a certain online platform as the norm. My eldest stays in with crowd/peers at school where they use a certain
online platform during PE time. A bit upset there is no cook at Fairfield, although the menu selection does look appetising. A bit upset there are no colourful toys that all kids like to play with. We have toys at home, like the big yellow and red car, kids love plastic tack, so why is there a need for pastel colour wood?
The staff at Fairfield are amazing, do a difficult job very well and both my kids love having cuddles with the staff. Communication from the staff on the parent app is very thorough. A huge thank you to all the Fairfield staff.
Reply from Anastasia Murphy, Managing Director at Fairfield Nursery
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and for the kind words about our fabulous staff team, which we have now shared with them. Our ethos does focus on sustainable, open-ended resources and…read more
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Review from Adele P (Mother of Child) published on 12 February 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been attending this nursery since he was 7 months old. He’s now 3 and will be leaving for school in September.
The staff here are fantastic and have remained constant throughout bar a few natural changes. The attentive care, variation of activities and passion they have for the children
cannot be faulted. We would absolutely not hesitate to recommend the nursery to anyone asking. Seeing your child grow and develop is amazing and it’s in part to the amazing staff here. Along with providing amazing care for the children, they are also really flexible and accommodating if you need short notice days or any tweaks. Thank you all for helping to give our son the best chance to grow, develop and create so many memories!
Reply from Luke, Manager at Fairfield Nursery
Thank you for leaving a review. We are so glad to know you are happy with the nursery and will share it with the staff team!
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Current Review Score: 9.7 (9.742)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.7 (9.742) out of 10 for Fairfield Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 18 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 17 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.742 for Fairfield Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (174 Excellents x 5) + (27 Goods x 4) + (8 Satisfactorys x 3) + (4 Poors x 2) ) ÷ 213 Ratings = 4.742
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Fairfield Nursery is based on 17 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 62 number of registered child places is 12.4, which has been reached with 17 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (0)

Meet the Team (1)

Sadie

Sadie

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2023

I started working with children in 2007 as a trainee practitioner and went on to complete my Level 3 in Early Years Childcare and Development. I became Nursery Manager in 2020 and completed an NVQ Level 3 in Business Management.


I joined Portland Nurseries in 2022 when they acquired Fairfield (formerly Totspots) and have embraced the changes and enhancements that they have brought to the setting.


I enjoy long walks, particularly in the woodland with my two dogs and I love music! During my childhood I performed with brass bands and orchestras and love to incorporate these passions into my days at nursery with the children.


Qualifications: Level 3 in Early Years Childcare and Development & NVQ Level 3 in Business Management.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fairfield Nursery

What is the Age Range of Children that Fairfield Nursery accepts?

Fairfield Nursery accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Fairfield Nursery Open?

Fairfield Nursery is open: Monday 07:15-18:00, Tuesday 07:15-18:00, Wednesday 07:15-18:00, Thursday 07:15-18:00, Friday 07:15-18:00.

How many Children does Fairfield Nursery have capacity for?

Fairfield Nursery has capacity for a total of 62 Children.

How far is Fairfield Nursery to the centre of Halifax?

3.2 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Fairfield Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Fairfield Nursery has an Enhanced Service - more info.