Willow Nurseries West Derby

Emotional wellbeing has a concrete place in the day at Willow Nurseries West Derby: preschool children explore how their brains work through MyHappymind, a programme combining that learning with strategies for managing feelings, while parents can practise alongside them through an online app. Practical independence matters too. Serving food, changing clothes and knowing when to ask for help form part of preparation for school.

At its 26 March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with a recommendation to strengthen the way staff help children understand their behaviour and its effect on others. That gives families a useful balance: a positive inspection judgement alongside a specific aspect of practice to explore.

This West Derby setting has capacity for 30 children, accepting ages from three months to five years. Its address is 1 Royal Croft, Liverpool, L12 2BJ. Three age-based rooms separate baby care, toddler exploration and preschool preparation, with a small garden adding sensory play and opportunities to get outside. Full-day attendance and funded-only morning or afternoon sessions serve different family routines.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room takes children from three months to two years, combining sensory exploration with a milk kitchen and separate changing area. Staff aim to preserve home routines; garden play and local outings in a six-seater buggy extend babies' experiences.

For children aged two to three, the Toddler Room combines child-chosen equipment and individually planned experiences with free-flow garden access. Regular local outings extend exploration beyond nursery.

The Pre-school Room serves ages three to five. Managing clothing, requesting help and building friendships make practical and social skills part of school preparation alongside early literacy.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills, early mathematical understanding and relationships through play and everyday experiences. Willow adds activities centred on emotional wellbeing and preparation for school. These additions sit alongside that shared early-years framework.

MyHappymind gives preschool children ways to connect an understanding of their brains with strategies for self-regulation. Parents have access to an online app and can practise breathing exercises with their child, creating a practical link between nursery learning and home. Yoga sessions also form part of the offer, bringing movement into the nursery's emphasis on physical and emotional development.

A teacher delivers weekly phonics classes covering letter sounds and formation. These add early literacy teaching to preschool's practical preparation for school.

In March 2024, learning activities built progressively on children's experience. Toddlers tackled large pieces of ice using tools, while preschool children worked on extracting ice from smaller moulds. The difference was in the task and the precision required. Other examples included grinding herbs with a pestle and mortar, matching items while preparing the meal table, and developing vocabulary through climbing-frame play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden is small, but its resources give it several purposes: a mud kitchen, sensory area, reading area, and opportunities for sand and water play. Children can explore materials, make things and share stories outside. The scale of the space is worth considering alongside the variety of activities it supports.

Local outings are part of the toddler offer, and babies also explore the surrounding area in the nursery's buggy. Parents can join regular Mother's day and Father's day breakfasts, giving family involvement a concrete place in nursery life. In March 2024, book areas encouraged children to share stories with friends, while books representing different cultures and beliefs and a Chinese New Year celebration introduced ideas about the wider world.

Relationships and Communication

Baby settling aims to preserve familiar home routines, helping families manage the change to childcare.

An app shares daily diaries, observations, photographs and videos, with two-way messaging. Twice-yearly parents' evenings give families time to discuss development beyond daily updates.

In March 2024, staff shared ideas with parents for developing children's language at home. Everyday independence also featured in care routines: babies practised using spoons, younger children handed bibs to friends, and older children helped prepare tables or managed their coats. Those examples show how ordinary care tasks became opportunities to practise skills.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND effective, including collaboration with families and professionals, adaptations to activities and surroundings, and quiet spaces for children who felt overwhelmed. The concrete detail matters: support involved changes to the child's experience, rather than an assurance of inclusion alone.

In March 2024, children practised breathing techniques for difficult feelings, but guidance during disagreements did not consistently explain behavioural expectations or how their actions affected others.

An onsite chef cooks meals, working with a three-week menu that is reviewed twice yearly. Staff work with parents on babies' weaning preferences and individual dietary needs, making food arrangements part of the conversation about each child's care.

Sessions and Attendance

At 1 Royal Croft in West Derby, opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Full-day bookings run from 7.30am to 6pm.

Funded-only provision offers a different attendance pattern. For families eligible for 15 hours, the arrangement is 10 hours across two days, using morning sessions from 7.30am to 12.30pm or afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. Allocation depends on availability. For families eligible for 30 hours, the funded-only offer is 20 hours across two days; funded-only sessions are shortened during the summer term to fit the hours the nursery can provide.

The nursery operates across the year and stretches funding over 51 weeks. Funded places have a minimum attendance of two days each week. Families therefore need to consider both the session length and the weekly pattern, especially when combining funded provision with paid hours.

Christmas closure can extend to five days, with no fees payable for those closure days. There is also a training closure lasting one day, with advance notice of the date. These are practical calendar considerations for families relying on nursery care throughout the year.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 0151 228 8081, or by email at admin@willownurseries.com. An initial appointment can be booked by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

The 15-hour and 30-hour funding offers are stretched, with the weekly allocation depending on when the child starts. Funding does not necessarily cover a chosen full-day pattern: the funding arrangements include paid hours where attendance exceeds the funded allocation. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and terms explain the attendance and charging structure.

For funded hours, meals and snacks are charged separately through an optional charge itemised as Food. Optional Activities charges cover additions including MyhappyMind, phonics, yoga, outings, external-provider experiences, celebrations and the Famly app. Separating these from childcare funding helps families understand what they are choosing to pay for alongside their funded hours.

The nursery accepts childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare payments. Fees fall due in advance on the first day of each month. Ending attendance or reducing sessions requires one month's written notice, with fees continuing during that period. That notice rule matters when changing work arrangements or preparing for a move to school.

• Guidance during disagreements. The March 2024 improvement point concerned helping children understand their behaviour and its effect on others. At a visit, ask how staff now respond when children want the same toy and how they help both children understand what happened.
• Funded sessions and extras. Funded places require attendance on at least two days, and funded-only sessions shorten during the summer term. Discuss the intended pattern, paid hours and optional Food and Activities charges together before agreeing a contract.
• Baby routines. The Baby Room aims to follow home routines and has its own milk kitchen and changing area. Ask how your baby's sleep routine would work alongside the room's sensory activities and outings.

Willow suits families seeking full-day childcare as well as eligible families considering funded-only morning or afternoon attendance. Its clearest strengths as an offer are the link between emotional learning and home practice, practical preschool independence, and toddler access to outdoor play. The March 2024 Good judgement supports a positive assessment of inspection-time provision, while the behaviour recommendation deserves a direct conversation. For parents, the decisive practical detail is how the stretched funding, session pattern and optional extras fit together.