Sweet Peas Day Care & Teaching Nurseries has acquired Little Owls Rothwell, enabling its high-quality, child-centred ethos to flourish in a new setting, while honouring and enhancing Little Owl’s existing Ofsted Outstanding provision, from January 2026.
Sweet Peas is a trusted, family-owned day nursery providing exceptional early years education and childcare, currently supporting up to 117 children each day. The addition of the Rothwell nursery, beautifully set in green, tree-lined gardens and offering places for up to 49 children, will further strengthen and complement the commitment by Sweet Peas to high-quality care in inspiring environments.
Heléna Strachan, managing director, Sweet Peas said “I’m thrilled to welcome Little Owls Rothwell into our family. My vision has always been simple: a place I’d trust with my own children. Rothwell is an Outstanding nursery, with incredible outdoor spaces that inspire imagination and exploration. The expansion means more children can benefit from the Sweet Peas values we live by every day whilst building upon the high standards already in place.”
Amanda Ashe, children’s centre and early start lead at Leeds City Council added “We are delighted to be working with Sweet Peas who demonstrated not only a deep passion for inclusive, early years education but also provided strong assurances regarding their capability to deliver viable, high-quality childcare that aligns with the standards that you have come to expect at this setting. The team at Sweet Peas brings a wealth of experience in supporting young children and their families, and their commitment to staff wellbeing was evident throughout their application.”
Mrs Strachan is proud of what has been achieved at Sweet Peas. By taking on a struggling nursery 15 years ago, strong leadership, staff development, and a focus on quality quickly turned things around, building a waiting list for places in just two months. Today, it is a high-performing, stable nursery, well regarded both as an early year’s provider and as an employer.
Change can bring challenges and Sweet Peas is committed to handling the transition with clear communication and respect for the existing team. The focus is on retaining staff, ensuring continuity, and putting strong systems in place to maintain and protect the nursery’s Outstanding standards.
With a fresh approach to early years care and education, school readiness is a core focus embedded within Sweet Peas’ EYFS-based curriculum. In addition, unlike most nursery settings Sweet Peas is proud to have a fully qualified early years teacher and SENCO to oversee needs.
To find out more or if you’re interested in working with Sweet Peas, we would love to hear from you.
Visit our careers page https://sweetpeasnursery.co.uk/join-us/
About Sweet Peas
Sweet Peas Day Care & Teaching Nurseries, Garforth, Leeds, is a trusted, family owned day nursery, providing exceptional early years education and childcare. Our approach is distinct and innovative in cultivating the development of children and team members, coupled with building strong collaborative relationships with families. https://sweetpeasnursery.co.uk
PHOTO: Heléna Strachan, Managing Director, Sweet Peas
