The Westlands Nursery

Nine babies is the daily cap in Caterpillar Room, giving families a concrete starting point when comparing baby care. The Westlands Nursery combines this smaller youngest room with older children's freedom to move between adjoining rooms and outdoor play, on the grounds of Westlands Primary School in Sittingbourne. Choice shapes the day: children select resources and decide where to play, while staff build activities around their interests.

At its September 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with improvements needed in explaining behaviour expectations and developing younger children's language.

There are 68 places in total, distinct from the daily limits for individual rooms. Caterpillar Room serves babies, Butterfly Room takes two- to three-year-olds, and Bee Room is for children aged three to four. Paid morning, afternoon and day sessions sit alongside specific funded attendance patterns.

Rooms and Ages

Caterpillar Room takes children from three months to two years, with a daily maximum of nine babies and an emphasis on relationships, communication and physical development through sensory play, stories and singing.

Butterfly Room serves children aged two to three, with a daily maximum of 15 and the same emphasis on social development, language and movement, while introducing experiences involving number, early literacy, creativity and the wider world.

Bee Room, for three- to four-year-olds, connects through adjoining doors to the two-year-old room and allows children to move between these spaces and outdoors for much of the day, with play supporting early writing and phonics introduced when children are ready.

These arrangements make the rooms different in useful ways. The baby provision centres on sensory exploration, stories and singing; older children have more freedom to choose between connected spaces. Room limits are daily caps, rather than a statement about how many children attend the whole nursery across a week.

Learning and Activities

EYFS sets the common requirements for early learning and care: here, its areas of learning become play involving language, movement, relationships, number, literacy, creativity and understanding the world. It is the shared foundation for provision, rather than an extra programme unique to Westlands. The nursery's curriculum information explains how staff use children's interests to shape activities and support their next steps.

Labelled, accessible resources support independent choices, while indoor and outdoor spaces allow children to explore.

In September 2021, stories led into hands-on activities, including making porridge after a story about bears. Counting bricks and discussing quantities during cooking brought mathematical ideas into play. These examples show how one experience could connect listening, imagination and number, rather than treating each area of learning as a separate lesson.

Creative and physical experiences also had substance in September 2021. Babies explored paint with their bodies, while older children made patterns using herbs, fruit and pipettes; tunnels and balancing beams offered different movement challenges. Children also encountered Diwali and simple French greetings. These are examples from that period, rather than a timetable of current recurring activities.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for their main daily care. Conversations with parents take place each day, and development information is shared with families and other professionals where appropriate. For a baby starting in Caterpillar Room, this gives the care arrangement a clear point of contact; in the older rooms, the same system connects everyday care with learning records.

In September 2021, staff used their knowledge of children's preferences and personalities to plan experiences that interested them. Children chose their own play and took part in practical tasks such as preparing snacks. The emphasis was on doing things themselves.

The end-of-day handover has a specific place in the timetable. Collection at 5.55pm allows conversation before the nursery closes at 6pm, giving staff and parents time to exchange information about the day. Families using the latest finish need to build that handover into their collection plans.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND effective, including collaboration with specialist teachers and visual schedules to help children manage changes in routine.

Current arrangements include a SENCO role, a designated safeguarding lead and deputy safeguarding leads. There are also procedures covering sleep, medication, intimate care and children who are ill. These establish the areas covered by nursery policies; they do not replace an individual discussion about a child's needs.

Language and behaviour were the two points requiring further attention in September 2021. Staff did not consistently use everyday routines to encourage younger children's conversation, and explanations of rules did not always help children understand the effects of their actions.

Sessions and Attendance

Paid day sessions run from 7.30am to 6pm for under-twos and from 7.30am to 5.30pm for over-twos. Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. An additional 5.30pm to 6pm period can be purchased separately. These are different booking options, so the nursery can serve families seeking a shorter session as well as those needing a day spanning working hours.

Attendance follows the nursery's term calendar, which includes half-term, Christmas and summer breaks. Term-time absences and holidays remain payable, and missed sessions cannot be exchanged for replacement sessions. Families are invoiced in advance each month, on the 20th, with payment due within 10 days. Families should obtain a current written quotation from the nursery; the sessions and fees page sets out the payment structure.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Free for 2 Funding, 15 hours universal funding and a working-parent entitlement of 30 hours a week from nine months, subject to eligibility. The 30-hour arrangement is offered only across three full days, each running from 7.30am to 5.30pm. Universal 15-hour funding can use a full day plus a half day, or morning and afternoon sessions, subject to the nursery's allocation of sessions.

For two-year-old 15-hour funding, the options are one full day from 7.30am to 5.30pm or three half-day sessions, depending on availability. Working-parent codes require eligibility reconfirmation every three months, making the administration an ongoing task rather than a single application.

Hot lunch is included in the paid day fee. Nourish prepares it fresh at Westlands Primary School, with seasonal menus on a three-week cycle; nursery staff prepare tea on site. Dietary arrangements include requested vegetarian or vegan alternatives and consideration of medical, cultural and allergen needs.

Getting There and Moving On

The nursery occupies Westlands Primary School's grounds. Its school-site address is Homewood Avenue, Sittingbourne, ME10 1XN, while its nursery contact address is Johnson Road, Sittingbourne, ME10 1JS. The different addresses matter when planning a first visit.

Sharing the school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still need to use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place, keeping nursery attendance and school admission as separate decisions.

• Funded attendance. The 30-hour offer requires three full days, while the two-year-old 15-hour wording gives a different set of options. Ask how the latter timetable delivers the entitlement and how meals and non-food consumables are treated on your chosen booking.
• Early language and behaviour. September 2021 brought specific improvement points about conversation during routines and explaining rules. On a visit, ask for current examples of how staff support these two areas.
• School grounds and access. The school-site and nursery contact addresses use different roads and postcodes. Confirm the nursery entrance for your visit; attendance does not secure a Reception place.
• Term-time commitments. Holidays and absences during term remain payable, with no replacement sessions for missed attendance. Families needing childcare through school breaks should establish how the term calendar fits their working year.

Westlands suits families comparing morning or afternoon sessions with paid day care, and those whose funded childcare needs match its specified attendance patterns. Caterpillar Room's daily baby cap and the connected preschool spaces provide useful reasons to look closely at how each stage works.

The September 2021 Good judgement provides a quality reference, while its language and behaviour improvement points deserve attention alongside the current practical offer. The decision turns on the room your child will use, the funded or paid timetable you need, and whether term-based attendance fits family life.