Ilkley Pre-school Playgroup is absolutely amazing. Both my kids go there (2 and 4) and they do not…read morewant to come home! They love 'school' days and cannot wait to go there. All the teachers are caring, kind and considerate. The facilities are great. What a great gem!

My son has just left wishing well after 3 very happy years. We have found that the things he learnt…read morethere have given him a really good start at school especially with reading. He is still in touch with some of the children he meet there although none of them go to the same school as him. I also felt very comfortable with the level of care he received. When he left we were given a book that covered all the activities he had taken part in over the years and a CD with all of the photos that had been taken. The staff were always very caring and available to talk at any time not only if concerns were raised but to tell you about any of the things my son had done well at.

My son broke his leg at nursery in 2013. The Headteacher at the time conducted an investigation and…read morewrote a report which concluded that no one was at fault and there had been no unsafe equipment on the playground. My son would not speak about how the accident happened. The member of staff directly responsible for him that afternoon, Homeira Ahmadpour, when questioned what had happened, replied she did not know. When questioned further by myself whether she should have some knowledge, told me that they were not supposed to know what each and every child was doing at any one moment. My child was not given any first aid. He was in severe pain. However, when I arrived, I found him placed sideways on Homeira Ahmadpour's lap, while she was leaning over a table, entertaining some older children. Four years later my son told us that he was climbing up a football net when he broke his leg. I made a formal complaint to the Chair of Governors. The acting Chair of Governors, Helen Whysall, at first dismissed my complaint on the grounds that the Headteacher at the time had concluded that nothing serious had happened. Eventually, she organised a meeting with a panel of three governors. They took six months to schedule the meeting. I waited for another six months to receive a response that told me they concluded that communication with me could have been better planned on the day and that staff training around communicating with parents was recommended. Although my complaint related specifically to the neglectful and arrogant conduct of a particular member of staff, the nursery and its governors took the decision to recommend better communication with parents. I have to this day not been given clear guidance on further stages of the complaints procedure. I have been referred to the Department for Education who claim that they do not oversee the nursery.

My young cousin attended here last year. They were great to him. Heard the staff are very patient…read moreand caring.

If you live or work in the Leeds 26 area (or even if you pass it on your way to work) then this…read morereally is the place to leave your precious ones. I have seen many nurseries in my time (and worked in a few too) and I can honestly say that this is the best I've seen. Sadly it is very hard to trust anyone to care for your children these days and we have all seen 'good' nurseries be exposed as very bad places but this isn't going to happen at Jolly Giraffes! I have seen the way the staff interact with the children when mums and dads aren't around and I have never seen a cross word or gesture (even out of hearing of the children). Staff and children are happy and have loads of fun and I know that safety is very important. I really think that Jolly Giraffes is a great start in education and life for any child.