The Wendy House Day Nursery Royston

Wendy Wood, a Conservation Cabin and an allotment supplying the nursery kitchen give this Shingay cum Wendy setting a clear identity: nature is part of the learning day, rather than simply a backdrop. The Wendy House Day Nursery Royston takes children from three months to five years at Manor Farm Business Park, SG8 0HW. Its converted stable buildings and separate preschool building give different stages of childhood their own spaces.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding across every judgement area. The detail behind that judgement was memorable: babies investigated water, older children devised habitats for birds, and outdoor resources helped children connect what they already knew with new discoveries. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every child's experience today.

The current offer combines age-based rooms, a separate baby sleep room and extensive grounds with full-day attendance across the year. For parents, the strongest reason to consider it is the breadth of purposeful outdoor experiences, from growing food to woodland exploration.

Rooms and Ages

Bluebell Room serves babies aged three to 15 months, with a separate sleep room that allows rest away from the activity of the main room. Poppy Room takes the next stage, from 15 months to two years, with sensory exploration and play supporting children as they become more mobile and independent.

Daisy Room covers two to three years, bringing attention to language, relationships and toilet training during a period of considerable change. Sunflower Room provides bright preschool space with areas arranged around children's different stages of development, while Willow Barn gives older preschool children a separate building for investigation and outdoor learning. The room sequence matters: the youngest babies have their own space, while older children have environments geared towards increasing independence.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the day through play, adult-supported activities and experiences chosen around each child's development. It is the common early-years framework, rather than a special programme unique to this nursery. Here, the additions are tangible: woodland activities, food growing and a dedicated library give children different settings in which to talk, experiment and develop ideas.

The King's Library places communication, language and literacy alongside the outdoor emphasis. It gives these skills a named physical home, rather than leaving books as an incidental part of the room arrangement. The nursery also provides parents with guidance on learning, toilet training and the progress check at age two, helping connect nursery experiences with family life.

In February 2023, babies explored a shallow water tray while staff supplied words for their actions and observations. Older children discussed the purpose of a bird habitat they had constructed from natural materials. These examples show the connection between practical exploration and language: children were doing something meaningful and explaining their thinking, rather than completing an isolated exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School at Wendy Wood uses the woodland for child-led learning, with possible activities including building shelters, climbing trees and handling basic tools under supervision. Participation starts when children join Sunflower Room, with a minimum age of two years and nine months. Younger children can use the other grounds, so woodland sessions and general outdoor access are separate parts of the offer.

The Conservation Cabin is accessible to every age group for nature activities in different weather conditions. Nearby, a reed bed boardwalk brings children closer to insects and birds, while the Nature Maze creates a route through long grass. These are useful distinctions for families with younger children: outdoor learning extends beyond the Forest School sessions reserved for older children.

Wilding Wood has a Nature Trail and space for den building. The Spinney provides a smaller wooded setting for stories, and The Hide is used for watching birds. Together, these spaces allow the same grounds to support energetic exploration, imaginative play and quieter observation.

The Wendy House Allotment adds another kind of investigation. Children dig, plant and care for crops, then explore the food they have helped grow. Vegetables, fruit and herbs reach the nursery kitchen, making the link between growing and eating concrete. Waiting for a harvest also introduces a different pace of discovery from an activity completed in one sitting.

Relationships and Communication

Settling arrangements can be adapted through discussion with parents about the induction period best suited to their child. That matters where a child needs a gradual introduction or where family circumstances call for a different approach. Email communication keeps parents in contact with the nursery, and feedback forms part of the relationship rather than being confined to a formal complaint.

In February 2023, parents shared information with key persons and staff about children's experiences at home. Family outings were then incorporated into nursery activities, giving children a familiar starting point for new learning. Babies received close physical comfort when they needed it, and older children used resources to help manage feelings. These observations describe care at that time, rather than a current staffing guarantee.

A dedicated staff training room supports ongoing development. Paediatric first-aid training covers all staff, and the nursery holds Millie’s Mark, an award relating to paediatric first aid. This is a concrete training feature; it sits alongside, rather than replaces, the inspection assessment of safeguarding.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SEND coordinator role brings together parents, practitioners and external agencies, with responsibility for coordinating support and keeping records. Wheelchair access includes the main nursery, reception and Willow Barn. These mechanisms give families specific arrangements to discuss when considering how their child's needs would be supported.

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff able to recognise concerns, record them and take the appropriate reporting steps. The finding also covered recruitment checks and ongoing review of staff suitability. It belongs to that inspection date.

Meals are cooked each day by an on-site cook, using some produce grown in the nursery allotment. The allergy policy requires medical documentation for diagnosed allergies, intolerances or particular dietary requirements before bespoke meal changes can be made, and food prepared elsewhere is prohibited under its allergy-control arrangements.

Preparation for primary school is part of Willow Barn's purpose. The emphasis is on older preschool children's learning and independence; this is school preparation, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Manor Farm Business Park, Shingay cum Wendy, Royston, SG8 0HW. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form, selecting the Shingay branch. Full-day sessions run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

The normal minimum is three days each week, with an exception for children using funded hours only. Half-day sessions and term-time-only places are excluded. The nursery operates for 51 weeks, closing for bank holidays and a week over Christmas and New Year, so its booking model is geared towards attendance across the year.

The daily structure also affects family routines: children should be there by 9am and remain until at least 4pm unless an exception is necessary. The purpose is to protect the continuity of activities, including outdoor learning. Parents whose work patterns require regular changes within that window should weigh this rule carefully.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including the Working Parent Entitlement and universal funding for three- and four-year-olds. Eligible families can access the stated 30-hour entitlement from the term after their child turns nine months, subject to eligibility criteria, while universal funding provides 15 hours for children aged three to four. Funding is stretched across the year rather than offered through term-time-only places.

A maximum of 10 funded hours can be used in a day. Funded-only places are allocated term by term, and the nursery does not divide a child's funding with another provider. Hours attended beyond the entitlement are paid for privately, with invoices separating funded hours from chargeable attendance.

Standard fees include meals, snacks, nappies, wipes, associated care products, sun cream, sun hats, waterproofs and additional activities. The April 2026 fee schedule also states that food and consumables do not attract separate charges on funded hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the funding and fees information explains how funded and paid hours fit together.

Booking requires a deposit, part of which is a non-refundable registration charge; that registration charge does not apply to funded-only applications. Other portions are credited against the first and third invoices, and cancellation without taking up the place can make the deposit non-refundable when a month's notice has not been given. Ending attendance requires a month's written notice or payment in lieu, and the minimum attendance period is three months.

• A substantial weekly commitment. The usual three-day minimum excludes funded-only attendance, and neither half days nor term-time-only places are offered. At a visit, discuss how the required attendance fits your working week and your child's settling plan.
• Woodland learning has an age threshold. Wendy Wood sessions begin in Sunflower Room from a minimum age of two years and nine months, while younger children use the other grounds. Ask how room moves and woodland participation are agreed for your child.
• Medical evidence for meal adaptations. Bespoke dietary changes require formal medical documentation under the allergy policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food-management practice before committing.
• Visits follow the enquiry stage. Visits are by appointment at 10.30am or 2.30pm and are arranged if the nursery can offer a place. Applications are handled in date order, and a visit does not guarantee a place; use the appointment to explore the rooms and the practical contract terms.

For families who want regular full-day attendance across the year, The Wendy House has a compelling combination of age-based rooms and unusually varied outdoor spaces. Wendy Wood offers older children structured woodland opportunities, while the Conservation Cabin, allotment and other grounds extend nature learning to younger ages too. The separate baby sleep room gives the youngest stage a practical strength of its own.

It suits parents who value outdoor exploration and can work within the nursery's attendance rules, including the usual three-day commitment. Funded-only attendance has a different minimum-booking position, but funding is still stretched across the year. The February 2023 Outstanding judgement is a strong dated endorsement; the current decision rests on how this particular setting's rooms, daily structure and contract fit your child and family.