Woodland Day Nursery

Freely accessible outdoor space and a sensory room give Woodland Day Nursery a clear character: independence matters here, alongside language and emotional development. With 23 places in total for children aged two to five, this Bournemouth setting concentrates on the toddler and preschool years. Its environment puts resources within children's reach, allowing them to choose activities rather than wait for an adult to hand things out.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Woodland Outstanding overall and across all four assessed areas. The detail behind that judgement is more useful than the label alone: children invented stories, negotiated turns and practised physical challenges, while staff used everyday play to develop language and mathematical understanding.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings provide different ways to attend, subject to a minimum weekly commitment. The place count covers the whole nursery, not an individual group.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning and care, with play supporting development across seven areas of learning. Woodland's own curriculum adds sensory exploration and hands-on natural-world activities indoors and outside.

Capable Communicators centres on vocabulary and helping children put their interests, wishes and needs into words. Well-Being Warriors links children's understanding of themselves and other people with learning about physical health. These priorities connect conversation with the ordinary business of sharing space, making choices and understanding feelings.

Passionate Problem Solvers encourages curiosity, exploration and learning about personal limits through manageable risks. Collaborative Creators encourages children to test ideas and develop creative techniques on different scales. These curriculum priorities give experimentation a place in the day.

In May 2024, storytelling involved more than listening to an adult read. Staff introduced objects and vocabulary as children devised narratives with a setting, characters and something to resolve. Children then retold their creations using words they had learnt. Another activity began with an imaginary missing cow: children considered possible responses and made posters. Their own illustrated stories also became material for the book area. This gave writing and drawing a purpose within play.

Mathematics appeared in familiar routines during May 2024. Outside, children positioned themselves in geometric shapes while passing a ball; at snack time, counters represented seats at the table. Rather than keeping number work separate from the day, these activities connected shapes and quantities with something children could see and use. Children also practised jumping, balancing and judging the space around them. One physical challenge involved standing on a stool to pour sand through a tube, combining coordination with a task to complete.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outside area is accessible throughout the day, so outdoor play is part of the daily environment rather than an occasional change of scene. Outdoor provision is equipped for rain or shine, supporting play in different weather. Inside, the arrangement of resources gives children opportunities to select materials independently and express preferences through play.

A sensory room provides a quieter place for emotional regulation and individual work with a key person, offering space for concentration alongside the outdoor area.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins gradually, with an optional home visit and at least three introductory sessions. A parent joins the first so staff can learn about the child. Short stays build towards a full session, with extra settles where needed.

An allocated key worker begins building a relationship during these sessions. Ongoing communication includes meetings with the child's key person and observations shared through Famly, the nursery's system for keeping parents involved in learning. Home learning resources and a lending library extend that involvement beyond nursery hours. Stay-and-play events with themes give families another way to participate, alongside the more individual conversations about their child.

In May 2024, children agreed turns to resolve small disagreements, learnt words to describe their feelings and voted on story choices. Everyday decisions gave them practice in expressing themselves and considering others.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, highlighted support for children with additional needs and reported rapid progress from children's starting points. At that time, the manager also held the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator role; staff monitored development, made referrals where needed and used targeted work on attention and listening.

Support also drew on learning from local primary-school practice in May 2024, including approaches for children with sensory sensitivities. Children learning English alongside another language shared recordings in their home language, and parents could receive information in different languages. These were concrete ways to include a child's family experience in nursery life, rather than expecting all communication to take one form.

Honest Meals supplies lunches and tea, using menus that rotate over four weeks and change with the seasons. The supplier caters for dietary requirements and preferences, while children participate in preparing the table, serving food and clearing away, making mealtimes an opportunity to practise independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Woodland operates at 5 Harcourt Road, Bournemouth, BH5 2JG, with opening hours of 8am to 5.15pm, Monday to Friday. It opens for 51 weeks, closing for bank holidays, a Christmas-to-New-Year week and two staff training days. Those training closures matter when arranging care across the working year.

The booking options are Full Day, from 8am to 5.15pm; Full Morning, from 8am to 1pm; and Full Afternoon, from 1pm to 5.15pm. Children must attend at least three sessions each week, with a half day counting as one session. The clock times make the distinction useful: a morning includes the period through lunchtime, while the afternoon begins at 1pm.

Enquiries use the contact form or telephone 01202 280430. Monthly fees are due in advance by the first; payment options include bank transfer, cash and Tax-Free Childcare.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15 Hours and 30 Hours Government Early Education Funding. Eligible funding can be used on a term-time basis across 39 weeks or stretched across the 51-week operating year. That distinction allows families to consider whether their childcare requirement follows school terms or continues through the year; eligibility still determines access to the entitlement.

For private fees, breakfast, snacks and milk are included, as is sun cream. Lunch and tea carry additional charges, with packed food an alternative for either meal. Included recreational activities cover examples such as music classes and drama, so these are part of the fee structure rather than separately described attendance sessions.

Funded hours have a separate charging position: meals and consumables attract additional charges through the Enhanced Provision Package. Families therefore need to distinguish the funded education element from the cost of those additions. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the charging structure.

Joining requires a non-refundable registration charge and a deposit, refunded on leaving if fees are up to date. A sibling discount applies during concurrent attendance.

• The weekly commitment. At least three sessions are required, and a half day counts as one. During a visit, discuss how a proposed combination of mornings, afternoons and full days would fit that rule and your child's routine.
• Funded hours and additional costs. Both term-time and stretched funding are offered, with meals and consumables charged through the Enhanced Provision Package. Request a written quotation for the intended attendance pattern so its different elements are clear.
• Dietary needs. Honest Meals caters for dietary requirements and preferences, and packed food is an alternative to charged lunch and tea. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements before choosing the meal option.
• The settling pace. A home visit is optional, introductory sessions include parental involvement, and extra settles can be arranged. Use a visit to discuss how the key worker would adapt this sequence for a child who finds separation difficult.

Woodland suits families with children aged two to five who want a choice of morning, afternoon or full-day attendance and can meet the minimum weekly pattern. The curriculum gives language, experimentation and emotional development clear practical expression, while independent access to resources and a quieter sensory room add substance to the environment.

Invented stories and everyday mathematics stood out in May 2024; gradual settling and communication through Famly give the current care arrangements practical substance. The financial decision needs equal attention. Term-time and stretched funding serve different routines, and the additional charges should be considered alongside meals, deposits and the chosen sessions.