Willow Nursery and Pre-School

A low counter for children’s cooking, a sleep room for babies and toddlers, and Willow Garden give Willow Nursery and Pre-School a practical, hands-on character. The two-building setting sits at Shepton Mallet Leisure Centre on the Whitstone School campus. Younger children have their own nursery space; preschool children use a purpose-built room with windows around it. These are useful differences for families weighing rest, active play and growing independence.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 15 February 2023. That judgement comes with two important reservations: some activities asked too much of older children’s existing knowledge, while settling routines did not consistently help younger newcomers. Both deserve attention alongside the strengths.

Willow has 43 places in total and accepts children from 3 months. Morning, afternoon, short-day and full-day bookings give families several ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

The Nursery Room caters for children from 3 months to approximately 2 years 10 months, with sensory baskets and role play for babies, books, water and sand play, messy activities and early drawing for toddlers, plus a sleep room for both groups. Rest therefore has a dedicated space alongside the busier parts of the day.

The Pre-School Room serves children from approximately 2 years 10 months to 4 years 11 months, combining pretend play, books, sorting, shapes, mark making and cooking in a bright, purpose-built space. Its low kitchen counter lets children take part in cooking and prepare food for snacks. Everyday tasks become opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Learning and Activities

Activities follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, play and observations of each child inform what practitioners plan next. Staff review those observations to connect activities with a child’s interests and stage of development.

In February 2023, children’s suggestions helped shape the day’s activities. Familiar stories prompted conversation, while counting objects and discussing shapes brought mathematics into play. Pretend meals in the home corner provided another way for children to become absorbed in an activity.

There was a limit to that success. In February 2023, asking older children to identify the date sometimes demanded knowledge they did not yet have, leaving them hesitant to participate. The improvement requested was specific: activities needed to connect more carefully with what children already understood.

Outdoor and Community Life

Willow Garden is reserved for children attending the nursery. A mud kitchen and digging area sit alongside climbing equipment, with a level surface for wheeled play and ball games. That mix gives outdoor time several purposes: physical movement, imaginative play and exploring what happens when children dig or handle materials.

Forest school sessions use child-led outdoor learning and small, achievable tasks, with participation open to children of all abilities. This adds an organised outdoor approach to the garden’s everyday play opportunities. In February 2023, staff training had prompted changes outdoors, and children joined adults in digging and discussing their discoveries.

Each child has a key worker who observes and records their development and supports the family as attendance begins. Before the start, Willow offers a home visit with the key person and manager. Meeting in the child’s home gives the relationship a starting point before nursery attendance and provides an opportunity to discuss the child’s needs.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements, positive communication with parents and SEND support planned with families and other professionals. Those findings support the dated judgement, but the settling concern needs equal weight: in February 2023, some babies who were new to the nursery became distressed and staff did not manage to soothe them successfully.

In February 2023, older children took turns independently, received advance warning before tidying up and practised handwashing before meals.

The staff structure includes nursery and preschool lead-practitioner roles and a deputy nursery lead role. Qualifications held across those roles include early-childhood degrees, a postgraduate qualification and practitioner diplomas.

Sessions and Attendance

Willow is at Charlton Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5PG. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, a week between Christmas and New Year, and up to five inset days in an academic year; term-time attendance also has its own calendar.

Morning sessions run from either 8am or 9am until 1pm. Afternoon sessions begin at 1pm and end at either 4pm or 5.30pm. Short Day bookings run from 8am or 9am until 4pm, while Full Day bookings start at either of those times and finish at 5.30pm. The difference between opening hours and booked sessions matters: the earliest opening and latest closing are additional services.

Early Start covers 7.30am to 8am. Later Finish 1 runs from 4pm to 4.30pm, and Later Finish 2 from 5.30pm to 6pm. Contact is by telephone or email, with prospectuses and admission forms obtainable through the same route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Willow offers up to 15 hours of Early Years Entitlement or 30 hours of Extended Entitlement each week, subject to the maximum for the relevant funding period. Hours beyond the claimed entitlement are paid privately. Early starts, later finishes, snacks, resources and hot lunches fall outside Early Years Entitlement funding. Current prices come in Willow’s written quotation; the fee information explains the charge structure.

Hot lunches carry a separate charge, with a packed lunch supplied by parents as the alternative; parents also provide breakfast and food for tea where applicable, while snacks carry a donation that families can opt out of by supplying their own. Dietary requirements should be recorded on the registration form and brought to the manager’s attention.

Parents supply nappies and sun cream, with charges if Willow has to supply them. Nappy disposal has a separate charge that can be avoided by having nappies sent home. A resources donation applies unless an opt-out is discussed with the manager. These distinctions matter when comparing the cost of funded hours with the cost of the complete childcare day.

The nursery’s campus location does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still need to use the relevant school admissions process when their child moves on; nursery attendance and admission to school are separate decisions.

• Settling after the February 2023 concern. Some new babies were not successfully comforted when upset. At a visit, ask how the key person responds to distress and how home-visit information shapes the first sessions.
• The move between buildings. Room descriptions put the nursery-to-preschool boundary at approximately 2 years 10 months or 3 years. Discuss which room your child would join and how a move is planned around their development.
• Challenge for older children. February 2023 activities sometimes exceeded children’s existing knowledge. Ask for an example of how practitioners adjust an activity when a child is reluctant to try it.
• The complete booked day. Early starts, later finishes, food and resources sit outside the funded entitlement. Match a written quotation to your attendance pattern and, if your child has an allergy, confirm how their dietary requirements will be handled.

Willow suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those combining short-day or full-day attendance with additional start or finish times. Its strongest practical features are easy to identify: a dedicated sleep room, a child-accessible cooking counter and Willow Garden, with outdoor sessions built around achievable tasks.

The February 2023 Good judgement sits alongside concerns about comforting new babies and matching older children’s activities to their knowledge. Hands-on learning and separate age-related spaces give families concrete reasons to consider Willow, with those inspection concerns weighing against its practical strengths.