Partou Westfields Day Nursery & Pre-school

A tree-lined garden with dens, sandpits and climbing frames gives Westfields a clear outdoor character. Inside, spacious playrooms and activities shaped around individual interests carry the same emphasis on exploration. This is a Cheltenham nursery where the physical space gives children several ways to play, rather than relying on a single type of activity.

At its 9 December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and found safeguarding effective, with staff understanding how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Those judgements belong to that visit. The current offer includes regular conversations with parents, online journals and meals prepared on site, connecting the practical business of childcare with information about each child's day.

Westfields accepts children aged 3 to 60 months. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings sit alongside term-time attendance, giving families different ways to organise care.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation and everyday self-care provide opportunities to practise skills. Activities are organised around children's needs and interests. Partou's group-wide child-led approach, also described at Westfields, gives children's interests a role in shaping their experiences; it sits alongside that framework.

In December 2022, a child's interest in a classroom handwashing sink prompted staff to introduce water play. That small example captures the approach better than a broad curriculum slogan. Staff used something children already wanted to investigate as the starting point for an activity, adapting the day rather than sticking rigidly to a predetermined task.

Development planning had an individual structure in December 2022. Initial assessments led to personal targets, while key people reviewed children's interests and development checks. For parents, the useful distinction is between an activity a child enjoys and the next skill that activity is intended to support.

There were also limits to the learning observed in December 2022. Some children's further questions did not receive enough follow-through, and more frequent shared stories were needed to extend understanding of the topics being explored. These are concrete considerations for children who ask persistent questions or learn readily through books.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden combines climbing frames, sandpits and dens beneath trees. It gives outdoor play different physical demands and possibilities, from climbing to exploring enclosed spaces. Spacious indoor playrooms add another setting for activities organised around children's interests. The appeal is the combination of usable indoor space and several kinds of garden play.

Relationships and Communication

Regular chats and online journals keep parents connected to children's progress, with updates during the day providing another link while families are apart. This makes communication part of the daily arrangement, rather than something reserved for a formal meeting. Parents have both conversation and written updates to draw on when discussing their child.

In December 2022, settling sessions began the relationship between staff and families. A key-person arrangement brought together knowledge of children's interests, assessments and development checks, while conversations, parent evenings and an online application supported communication afterwards. The practical value was continuity: information about an individual child stayed connected to the person following their development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In December 2022, the special educational needs coordinator communicated with families and other agencies about individual children's needs. Staff also incorporated families' cultural celebrations into nursery life. These were specific ways of connecting care to a child's circumstances, rather than treating every family experience as interchangeable.

Everyday independence featured in December 2022 through self-care routines. Staff explained what would happen next and helped children work through disagreements. Seasonal meals are prepared at the nursery, bringing food preparation into the setting's daily operation.

Sessions and Attendance

Westfields is at 121 Leckhampton Road, Cheltenham, GL53 0DQ. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. A full-day booking runs from 8am to 6pm; mornings run from 8am to 1pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. These are separate booking choices, allowing families to choose a whole day or either part of it.

Year-round and term-time attendance are both supported. The nursery closes on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year, while charges run across 52 weeks, including bank holidays. That distinction matters when comparing the attendance calendar with the annual cost of care.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through arrangements with Gloucestershire Local Authority. Term-time funding applies as 15 or 30 hours a week across 38 weeks. For year-round attendance, the entitlement is stretched across 51 weeks, giving 11.17 or 22.35 funded hours weekly. Stretching spreads the entitlement across more weeks; it does not make the weekly funded allowance identical to the term-time pattern.

Care, food and daily supplies have separate charges. Meals, snacks and drinks are covered by the food charge, while the consumables charge covers items including sun cream, nappies and wet wipes. On funded sessions, funding covers care only: food and consumables are charged separately, but these charges are not mandatory or a condition of receiving a funded place, and opting out requires six weeks' notice under the terms and conditions.

Joining involves either a non-refundable registration charge or a registration deposit, with eligibility for the alternative governed by the terms and conditions. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding details explain the separate categories, helping families compare the care element with the total arrangement.

• Stories and extended questions. In December 2022, children needed more shared stories and fuller support for further investigation. On a visit, ask how staff now extend a child's question and connect stories to current activities.
• Funded care and separate charges. Food and consumables sit outside funded care, with a six-week notice requirement for opting out under the terms. Compare the written quotation for your chosen full-day or shorter session pattern, including the opt-out arrangement where relevant.
• Closures and annual billing. Charges apply across 52 weeks despite bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Build those closures into both your childcare plans and your cost comparison.

Westfields suits families seeking morning or afternoon care as well as full-day attendance, with term-time and year-round arrangements both supported. The garden, on-site meal preparation and regular parent updates give it practical appeal. Its December 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment, while the learning priorities from that visit give families useful points to explore. The strongest fit is for parents who value outdoor play and activities connected to their child's interests, and who understand the separate care, food and consumables charges.