Windmill Nursery

Play dough, stories and a garden scented with mint give Windmill Nursery's July 2023 account its character. Children measured ingredients, experimented with natural materials and explored outdoors. These are concrete examples of learning through practical activity.

At its 27 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and praised support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Windmill Nursery currently has capacity for 67 children aged 24 to 60 months in Redditch.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, the July 2023 examples included making dough, sharing stories and practising independence. Measuring ingredients gave children a practical reason to listen and follow instructions. Books and songs created opportunities to develop language, while recognising and writing their names introduced early literacy.

In July 2023, the garden used by children over two and a half offered climbing, wheeled toys and exploration with fresh herbs. Talking about mint introduced vocabulary through something children could smell and handle. The younger children's outdoor area needed further development to support learning across all areas. Mathematics also needed more consistent attention during play. Both points matter when judging how much learning a child gets from everyday activities.

In July 2023, staff helped children practise putting on coats and managing personal care. They encouraged kindness and helped children understand emotions and the effect of their behaviour on others. Parents contributed to assessments and received updates about learning. Where additional help was needed, staff used individual sessions, small groups and plans developed with outside agencies.

During regulatory calls on 11 August 2025 and 14 November 2025, safeguarding requirements were not being met, with corrective action taken on both occasions. In August 2025, managers refreshed their training and understanding of allegation procedures and referrals; in November 2025, the nursery reviewed its handling of unexplained injuries against local authority procedures. These dated outcomes concern different aspects of responding to safeguarding concerns and deserve attention alongside the older inspection judgement.

The address is 68 Bromsgrove Road, Redditch, B97 4RN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round opening and closures for bank holidays and Christmas. That opening window gives families a useful starting point for considering how care fits around work.

• Safeguarding responses. The August and November 2025 actions concerned allegations and unexplained injuries respectively. At a visit, discuss how these procedures now work in practice.
• Outdoor learning for younger children. In July 2023, the younger children's garden needed improvement. Look at how its activities now support your child's learning.
• Mathematics through play. Teaching did not consistently extend children's mathematical understanding in July 2023. Ask for examples of how staff develop this during everyday activities.

Windmill Nursery merits consideration for families who value practical play, language development and support for independence. Its July 2023 account contains useful examples of each. The later safeguarding actions should carry weight in the decision, alongside the older Good judgement, and a visit should examine both current safeguarding responses and the learning improvements identified in 2023.