Furzehill Childcare Centre

Weekly cooking and play-based language assessments give Furzehill Childcare Centre a recognisable character: practical experiences sit alongside a clear system for understanding how children communicate. Based in Shanklin, this nursery combines hands-on learning with a family worker who gets to know each child. The relationship starts with the family, rather than with a fixed settling timetable.

At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Furzehill Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made strong progress from their starting points. There was also a specific improvement point about how staff were deployed at busy times. That matters alongside the positive judgement.

Furzehill has 49 places in total and accepts children aged 0 to 60 months. Its premises share the primary academy's site on Albert Road. The school setting is a practical part of its identity, rather than an admissions advantage.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: activities respond to children's interests, while practitioners observe their progress and plan what comes next. This is the common foundation for early years provision. Furzehill's weekly Food experiences add a concrete activity that families can also continue at home.

Children can practise kneading, grating, chopping and mixing, then taste their preparations at snack time or take them home. Some experiences follow a half-term theme; others connect with cultural celebrations. The emphasis is on learning the techniques rather than producing a perfect dish. Recipes are shared through Tapestry, the nursery's digital journal for observations, photographs and videos, so parents can try the same cooking together at home.

In April 2024, children explored making things by hammering small wooden pieces into corkboard and talking about their creations. Music took different forms for younger and older children: songs accompanied bubble play, while percussion gave older children a chance to match a rhythm. These examples brought conversation, coordination and creative expression into practical play.

Storytelling also crossed into other areas of learning. In April 2024, children acted out The Tiger Who Came to Tea, discussed the story and counted cups while using a real teapot. A familiar book became something to do as well as something to hear. The cosy area offered another way to enjoy books, with children sharing them together.

Outdoor and Community Life

During April 2024, children built obstacle courses and used the climbing frame to practise balancing and climbing. They also made frequent visits to a local care home, joining activities with its residents. The community experience extended beyond their own age group.

Grandparents sessions are among Furzehill's events during the year, alongside sports day and family fun days. They bring relatives into nursery life as participants. The gallery identifies a Small Room and Main Room, while the day-to-day examples above show why the activities matter more than room labels alone.

Relationships and Communication

A family worker is allocated when a child starts. An initial conversation gathers information about the child, followed by time spent together, observations and photographs or videos of nursery experiences. Parents have a particular member of staff building that picture, rather than having to explain everything afresh at each conversation.

Settling is adapted to the child and family. Short settling visits generally begin a week or two ahead of the first proper day, can last from 10 minutes to an hour and a half, and can be repeated as needed. The First Six weeks leaflet explains the early stages to families. The approach allows the pace to change when separation takes longer.

Tapestry provides a two-way connection: staff upload entries from their tablets, and parents can contribute photographs, videos and comments from home. Relatives can also receive access. That makes the journal useful for sharing experiences across the family, as well as keeping a record of development.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Wellcomm is a language and communication assessment carried out through play. It helps establish a child's understanding and communication stage, without a pass-or-fail result. Families receive feedback, with additional activities shared between home and nursery where appropriate; concerns can lead to a speech and language referral.

ELKLAN Communication Counts provides staff training in supporting communication, and Furzehill holds the Communication Friendly Mark. Annual communication training accompanies that recognition. The practical offer is the combination of staff development, assessment and discussion with parents, rather than the badge alone.

The SENCO coordinates Individual Development Plans, advises practitioners and works with parents and other professionals, including the Local Authority Early Support team. This gives additional support a defined route and a plan that can be updated as a child's needs change.

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted identified occasions when staff deployment during busier periods reduced opportunities to extend children's learning. In that same month, younger children received cuddles while settling to sleep, and older children were comforted when upset. The improvement point concerns how adults organise their work during busy periods, rather than a reason to disregard the everyday care described then.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Furzehill operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone, with a separate form for waiting-list enquiries.

Getting There

The address is St. Blasius Shanklin C Of E Primary Academy, Albert Road, Shanklin, PO37 7LY. Attending a nursery on school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare for three- and four-year-olds can be taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks or 12 hours a week over 47 weeks. These are different ways to organise the funded attendance, rather than a promise that a particular booking pattern will suit every family. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Parents supply a packed lunch; for children attending a full day, the nursery provides breakfast, tea and two snacks. Its dietary policy gathers information before children start and uses individual dietary plans and allergy risk assessments where appropriate.

• Busy-period staffing. The April 2024 improvement point concerned staff deployment and missed opportunities to extend learning. On a visit, ask how adults are now organised during the busiest parts of the day.
• Funded attendance. The 15-hour entitlement has both term-time and stretched arrangements. Ask which days and session lengths would make up your child's attendance, and what the written quotation includes for food and consumables.
• Packed lunches and allergies. Lunch comes from home, alongside nursery-provided food for full-day attendance. Families managing allergies should discuss the current dietary plan and arrangements for food brought into the setting.

Furzehill suits families who value practical learning, an individual settling process and structured communication support. Weekly cooking gives children something tangible to practise; Wellcomm connects assessment with conversations and activities for home. Families choosing either term-time funded attendance or its stretched alternative have a useful starting point for planning the year.

The Good judgement from April 2024 sits alongside a concrete staffing improvement point. That is the key issue to explore, while weighing the family worker arrangement, language support and hands-on activities against your child's needs.