Kindred Bourne Wellhead Park Nursery and Pre-School

Separate gardens for babies and toddlers and for preschool children give Bourne Wellhead Park a clear outdoor identity. A mud kitchen, forest area and dedicated sensory room add different kinds of play: messy exploration, contact with nature and quieter tactile experiences. Outdoor access is woven through the day, with children able to move between their rooms and gardens when safety permits.

Kindred Bourne Wellhead Park Nursery and Pre-School has capacity for 80 children from birth to five at 20 Great Northern Gardens, Bourne. At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment, rather than a description of every aspect of today's provision.

Full days, half days and School Day bookings give families several attendance patterns. The practical distinction is between the nursery's opening hours and the hours covered by each booking, especially for parents needing an early start.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and relationships. Here, the current daily routine combines activities led by adults with play shaped by children's interests. Outdoor play features in both the morning and afternoon, while children who need a rest have a nap or quiet time after lunch.

In December 2022, imaginative play included a kitchen where adults prompted children to think about ingredients for a pretend cake. Craft activities also encouraged thought rather than simply producing an object: children making Christmas crackers considered which way their writing should face. Younger children explored cause and effect by learning to operate buttons on sound-making toys. These examples show how conversation and practical exploration could turn familiar play into learning.

Independence also had a physical dimension in December 2022. Changes to the preschool room's furniture and arrangement made resources easier for children to see and choose. The value was straightforward: children could act on their interests rather than depend on an adult to select something for them.

Outdoor and Community Life

Separate gardens allow younger and older children to explore in spaces intended for their stage. Direct access from the rooms makes outdoor play part of the day's choices, rather than solely an activity scheduled by adults. All-weather use is subject to safety conditions, an important qualification for families attracted by frequent time outside.

The mud kitchen provides sensory play, while the forest area offers contact with nature. Indoors, the sensory room provides a quieter alternative with tactile experiences. These spaces give the day changes of pace as well as changes of activity. The nursery is near Wellhead Park, but its own gardens are the concrete outdoor feature to weigh when choosing it.

Settling is adapted to the individual child. The number of introductory sessions depends on both the intended attendance pattern and how comfortable the child becomes. That makes the process responsive to a child's adjustment rather than a fixed sequence that every family must follow.

In December 2022, children unfamiliar with nursery received comfort and gentle reassurance from staff. Familiarisation sessions helped them get to know the adults and surroundings. Children also practised being helpful, including tidying materials and sharing resources with younger children, giving everyday routines a social purpose.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that coloured lights and calming music in the sensory room helped children with special educational needs and/or disabilities regulate their emotions, while identifying unequal support for reading at home and insufficient explanations of safety rules. Parents of younger children did not receive the same encouragement around books as those of older children. Children also needed clearer reasons for precautions, rather than instructions alone.

Preparation for school includes stories about starting school and attention to familiar routines. Local school teachers often visit before children move on, allowing them to meet children in their nursery surroundings. This is preparation for change: the useful detail is the chance to build familiarity before the next stage.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. It closes for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Full Day bookings run from 8am to 6pm; Half Day bookings cover either 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. School Day bookings run from 8am to 4pm.

An Early Start from 7.30am to 8am is separately charged. Families comparing work schedules should therefore distinguish the opening time from the start of a Full Day booking. Term-time attendance is also offered across 38 weeks, providing another option for households whose childcare needs follow school terms.

Getting There

The address is 20 Great Northern Gardens, Bourne, PE10 9EH, near Wellhead Park. A private car park serves parents, which gives car-based families an on-site option for collections.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes up to 30 funded hours for eligible working families from the term after their child turns nine months, and 15 funded hours from the term after the third birthday. Paid attendance is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees information separates booking patterns from additional food, non-food and activity charges on funded places.

Home-cooked meals and snacks are included in private childcare fees, alongside nappies, wipes, milk and formula. Funded sessions carry separate food and non-food consumables charges, as well as an activities charge. Families choosing not to use consumables alongside funded hours must notify the nursery in writing under its Nursery Consumables Policy, after which the manager explains the next steps.

There is no registration charge or deposit, but a prepayment is required and credited against the first full invoice. This distinction matters when budgeting for the start of care: no deposit does not mean no payment in advance.

• Reading from the youngest ages. In December 2022, younger children's families did not receive the reading-at-home support offered to older children's families. During a visit, ask how book sharing now involves babies and toddlers as well as preschool children.
• Explaining everyday safety. December 2022 practice needed to give children clearer reasons behind safety instructions. Ask for an example of how staff explain a precaution during play so children begin to understand it themselves.
• Matching the booking to the working day. Full Day care starts at 8am, while opening begins at 7.30am and Early Start is separately charged. Include that distinction, and funded-session extras, when discussing the written quotation.

Bourne Wellhead Park suits families who value frequent garden access and a quieter indoor sensory space, with Full Day, Half Day and School Day patterns serving different routines. Separate outdoor spaces for younger and older children are a useful practical strength, while individual settling arrangements recognise that children adjust at different speeds.

The December 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference. Its two improvement points also give families specific matters to explore: sharing books with younger children at home and helping children understand the reasons for staying safe.