Willowdene Nursery School

Home routines shape the baby day at Willowdene Nursery School: feeds, sleep and quiet time follow the individual child, while older children gain more structure and independence. Garden access runs through the offer. This is a nursery whose practical character rests on continuity between home and care, rather than a heavily timetabled baby day.

At its May 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated Willowdene Good. The setting accepts children from three months to five years at its Chineham address in Basingstoke. Little Willow, Walkers & Talkers Room and Pre-School Room provide separate stages, with the Parentzone App keeping families connected to children's activities.

Attendance combines full-day bookings for the younger rooms with hourly bookings for children over three, subject to minimum weekly commitments.

Rooms and Ages

Little Willow serves the baby stage, with a sleep area, changing facilities and access to a garden; its emphasis is play fitted around the child's established routine. A comfortable armchair gives milk feeds and cuddles a domestic setting. The practical benefit is continuity: bottles, rest and snacks can follow the pattern parents have already developed at home.

For children aged two to three, Walkers & Talkers Room combines multi-sensory equipment with growing independence and a more structured day, while retaining individual routines. Pre-School Room serves ages three to five, with staff extending children's ideas and investigations through conversation and shared activity. Both older rooms allow children to move freely between activities, and garden areas are accessible to all children.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning through play, with planned experiences supporting children's physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. Staff monitor individual progress and organise activities around children's learning needs. In preschool, children's interests provide a starting point for investigations.

Beyond the rooms, children explore nearby woodland, parks and shops. Community connections include libraries, farms and inter-generational visits. These extend the day beyond nursery resources, giving children other places and people to encounter. Outdoor learning is also part of everyday provision, rather than depending solely on outings.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person as their main carer. That gives parents an identified relationship through which to discuss their child's care, rather than relying only on whoever happens to be present. Before children start, visits with parents help them become familiar with the setting; moves between rooms use settling arrangements tailored to the individual child.

In Little Willow, staff discuss development with families and share photographs and written updates. The Parentzone App provides an accessible account of the child's day and activities across the nursery. Rooms also share ideas for activities at home and practical guidance covering teething, toilet training and preparation for infant school. Communication therefore includes both the day's events and ways to continue learning at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SEND policy sets out an assess, plan, do and review process involving the key person, SENDCo and parents. Support plans agree the intended outcomes, interventions and review date, with outside professionals involved where appropriate. This gives families a concrete process for discussing additional needs and evaluating whether support is helping.

Staff have specialist experience and qualifications in special needs and safeguarding, and every staff member has paediatric first-aid training. Collection arrangements require parental authorisation, with a password when the collecting adult is unfamiliar to staff. These are practical arrangements, rather than a current inspection judgement on their effectiveness.

For allergies, the nursery's policy requires medical evidence, a completed Special Diet Form and termly updates. The sun-protection policy uses awnings, shade sails and a parasol, requires hats during hot summer weather and asks parents to apply sunscreen before attendance.

Sun protection also becomes a learning activity during the summer term. Games explain why hats matter, while songs and stories reinforce the message. Equipment is moved into shady parts of the garden, so the policy covers both children's understanding and the organisation of outdoor play.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 42 Reading Road, Chineham, Basingstoke, RG24 8LT. Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with Christmas and bank-holiday closures.

Full-day attendance is the booking pattern for the Baby Room and Walkers & Talkers Room, with a minimum of three days each week. Children over three can book by the hour: the daily minimum is three hours, and preschool attendance normally requires at least 15 hours a week. For children receiving Extended funding, the preschool minimum is three days or 27 hours. Collections and drop-offs cannot be booked during the lunch period, from 11.30am to 1pm.

The online enquiry form requests the child's intended days and hours. It is an expression of interest, and acceptance follows booking confirmation and payment of an administration charge. Bookings cannot be reduced during the first 12 weeks; after that initial period, withdrawal requires six weeks' written notice, with fees payable throughout the notice period.

Funding and Paid Extras

Willowdene offers grant funding from the term after a child's third birthday, Extended funding for eligible working families with children aged nine months to four years, and disadvantaged two-year-old funding. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks: the standard offer is 11 funded hours weekly, while Extended funding totals 22. The minimum attendance rules mean funded hours and booked attendance need to be considered together.

Breakfast, lunch and tea incur separate charges, including alongside funded attendance. Parents supply disposable nappies for children who need them and apply sunscreen before nursery. Additional private hours are charged separately; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the booking structure explained on its fees page.

• Younger-room commitment. Baby Room and Walkers & Talkers Room bookings require three full days each week. Families seeking occasional short sessions should weigh that commitment before joining.
• Funding and attendance. Extended funding provides 22 hours weekly across the year, while preschool attendance requires three days or 27 hours. Consider the additional attendance and separate meal charges together.
• Allergy arrangements. Medical evidence, the Special Diet Form and termly updates are required. Allergy-affected families should confirm how their child's needs will be managed in current practice.
• Baby care on a visit. Little Willow combines individual routines with its own sleep area. Ask how your child's sleep pattern will work within the room's daily activity.

Willowdene suits families seeking consistent baby care across full days and those wanting hourly preschool attendance within a substantial weekly commitment. Individual baby routines, garden access and the Parentzone App give the offer a clear practical shape. The attendance minimums deserve equal weight: flexibility for older children comes with weekly commitments, and stretched funding sits alongside paid hours and meals.