The Winchmore Hill Day Nursery

A Visual Art Studio, a pirate ship in the garden and a separate space for babies to sleep give The Winchmore Hill Day Nursery a clear character: creative play has room to spread out, while quieter moments have their own space. This Green Lanes setting in Winchmore Hill, London, accepts children from 3 to 59 months and has capacity for 112 children. That whole-setting figure should be kept separate from the size of the group a child joins.

At its 17 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, praising the education and relationships that supported children’s development. Art provided a concrete example: manipulating fabric during tie-dye activities exercised children’s hands, discussing paint introduced language about colour and pattern, and displaying their work gave them something to talk about proudly.

The current offer combines indoor creative spaces, daily garden play and regular community outings. Full-day attendance carries a minimum booking of two days each week. For parents, the important combination is an imaginative nursery day and a substantial weekly commitment.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care. In everyday terms, children build communication, physical and emotional skills through play, alongside activities planned to extend their learning. Winchmore Hill combines exploration with structured learning, with creativity and emotional wellbeing woven into its approach.

Five playrooms occupy two floors. Alongside them, the Visual Art Studio gives art a dedicated home, with lessons led by a trained art teacher. Age-appropriate equipment in the playrooms supports children’s movement and interests.

In June 2025, babies’ play included songs, books and conversation. Practitioners put words to what babies indicated and left space for them to respond. Older children encountered more adventurous vocabulary during construction play, discussing excavation and demolition. Those examples show how language teaching could happen within an activity children already wanted to pursue, rather than requiring them to leave their play for a separate lesson.

Turn-taking also began early. In June 2025, babies practised sharing an activity involving pom-poms and a bottle, while older children collaborated with foam and construction blocks. Toddlers explored vegetables in soil, and babies spent time investigating sand. These were practical opportunities to concentrate, handle materials and take part alongside others.

Regular Yoga sessions sit alongside art activities. The nursery also provides Sing and Sign with instruments within its enrichment offer. A sensory room gives children under two a place for calming activities, adding a quieter option to the busier play spaces.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden supports outdoor play each day, with a bespoke pirate ship providing a setting for imaginative games. Gardening and messy play add different ways to use the space. The Growing Garden involves children in tending plants, bringing care for living things into their daily experience rather than leaving nature as something to look at.

Community outings extend the day beyond the nursery. Children visit local parks for outdoor play, libraries for books and reading, and shops to buy ingredients and snacks. These are regular outings, with familiar neighbourhood places becoming part of children’s learning. Community visitors and experiences involving different generations also form part of the enrichment offer.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2025, practitioners used their knowledge of individual children’s interests to plan what they would learn next. When children needed comfort, adults responded calmly, offering reassurance or redirecting their attention. Behaviour teaching included explaining expectations and recognising specific helpful actions, so children could understand what sharing or cooperating looked like in practice.

The Nursery App now gives parents updates about activities, food, photographs and developmental milestones. Parent evenings provide another opportunity for discussion, while seasonal celebrations and preschool graduation involve families in nursery life. For parents who want both everyday information and a chance for a fuller conversation, those are different and useful forms of contact.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised SEND support that combined individual interventions, advice from external professionals and close work with families. The current nursery has a SENCo role, giving parents a specific point of coordination for additional support.

A calm sleep room serves babies, and the sensory room offers under-twos a quieter activity space. These facilities matter when a child needs rest or a gentler pace within a busy nursery day. Ongoing staff training and professional development support the team’s work; in June 2025, leaders tailored development to practitioners’ strengths and areas needing attention.

Meals and snacks are made fresh each day by the chef working on site, with cooked lunch and tea, snacks, and vegetarian or vegan options included in the catering package. Dietary planning includes managing allergies and adapting menus to children’s needs.

Preschool preparation emphasises independence, resilience and an appetite for learning. The approach connects moving on to school with children’s personal development, rather than reducing preparation to an isolated set of formal tasks.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is on Green Lanes, London, N21 2RX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full Day bookings last 11 hours, with a minimum commitment of two full days per week.

Attendance runs across 51 weeks of the year, with closures for bank holidays and a week over Christmas. Christmas Eve has an earlier closing time of 4.30pm. The Parent Engagement team handles enquiries, and there is an online calendar for booking a visit.

Winchmore Hill train station is around ten minutes walk. The nursery’s position at the end of Green Lanes also places it near Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, useful practical landmarks for families fitting childcare around other errands.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid hours are offered. The funding arrangements cover the 15-hour entitlement for eligible two-year-olds receiving additional government support, the 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, and up to 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged nine months to four years. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks rather than delivered solely during term time, and is allocated in continuous blocks.

The total childcare quotation combines core care with Everyday Essentials: catering, care products and enrichment experiences. Meals are included in the combined private childcare price. Non-food consumables are charged through the care-products component of Everyday Essentials, covering nappies, wipes, suncream and hand sanitiser. During funded hours, catering, consumables and enrichment are charged separately from the funded education and care. Fully funded sessions can also be taken with no extra charges, with arrangements discussed with the manager.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Annual costs are divided into 12 equal monthly payments, which gives families a consistent invoice. A non-refundable administration charge covers enrolment, settling sessions and a settling pack; families accessing only funded hours instead pay a deposit, credited to their account and returned within a month of their child starting.

• Two-day commitment. The minimum booking is two full days each week, and booking priority goes to full-time working families. Consider whether that commitment matches the routine you want before applying.
• Funding and extras. Everyday Essentials separates catering, care products and enrichment from funded care, while fully funded sessions can carry no additional charges. Request a written quotation showing the arrangement you intend to use.
• Babies’ quieter spaces. Babies have a sleep room, and under-twos can use the sensory room. During a visit, ask how these spaces fit your child’s sleep pattern and who will provide their everyday care.
• Dietary needs. Catering includes allergy management and tailored menus. Families affected by allergies should confirm the current procedures for their child before starting.

Creative facilities give Winchmore Hill a persuasive identity, especially the Visual Art Studio and garden pirate ship. The June 2025 judgement adds substantial weight, with specific examples of language teaching, responsive relationships and learning through art behind the headline grade.

It suits families seeking regular full-day attendance, whether across part of the working week or throughout it, who value creative activity, outdoor play and everyday communication. The two-day minimum and the distinction between funded care and Everyday Essentials deserve careful attention when weighing the overall commitment.