Weydown Day Nursery and Preschool

Woodland Wednesdays give Weydown a recognisable weekly rhythm: nature crafts, den building and fire-pit safety bring outdoor exploration into the nursery week. Based in Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall in Haslemere, this nursery combines care for babies with preschool learning, rather than concentrating solely on the years immediately before school.

At its 11 June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Weydown Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children, including those with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, were progressing. That judgement comes with specific priorities: more precise individual learning plans, consistent communication support and better exchanges with parents about learning.

The nursery has 60 places in total and accepts children from birth to five years. The baby room has a published cap of 10, a more useful measure for parents of the youngest children than the whole-setting total. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions offer different ways to attend.

Rooms and Ages

Two room names make the age progression easy to understand: the baby room covers ages 0 to 2, while the preschool room covers ages 2 to 5. The published room caps are 10 for the baby room and 30 for Pre-School; these are room limits, separate from the nursery's total capacity of 60.

For babies, the June 2025 account describes sensory materials being refreshed during the day, including sponges and cornflour mixed with water. This gives a concrete picture of learning before children can join extended conversations: texture, movement and experimentation provide the activity. Older children used toy bears to connect quantities with numerals and compared the lengths of their written names by counting letters.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the required framework for learning and care, with children developing skills through play, conversation and first-hand experiences. Weydown adds a Curiosity Approach-inspired way of working, following children's interests and giving them room to investigate at their own pace. Reggio Emilia and Montessori also inform its practice through hands-on experiences and the use of the environment to encourage independent exploration.

Community Playthings wooden bricks and Duplo support construction play; balancing beams, a tunnel and stepping stones provide movement indoors.

Children approaching four have morning small-group activities, sometimes using sound games, songs or stories with puppets. Circle time practises listening and turn-taking, with younger children joining gradually.

Music includes percussion, action songs, dancing and making shaker instruments. Snack helpers prepare bananas and count cups and bowls with an adult, practising independence and number skills.

Outdoor and Community Life

Weydown Woodland Wednesdays are Forest School sessions held every Wednesday morning throughout the year, with activities adapted for different ages. Den building, nature crafts and learning about fire-pit safety give the programme substance. Children attending on other days can take part in woodland-inspired activities adapted for indoors during the week, so the theme extends beyond its named morning.

The nursery garden includes a wooden climbing frame, tyres and logs, trikes and a Wendy House for imaginative play. Planting bulbs and seeds and collecting autumn leaves connect outdoor play with seasonal change. Weekly yoga sessions add movement, breathing and relaxation activities, offering a different pace from climbing and riding.

In June 2025, children investigated insects and wind chimes, learning through direct observation; staff also helped them learn safe climbing and descent.

Relationships and Communication

Before a child starts, a key person and key buddy are assigned, providing familiar cover during absences. The key person keeps weekly observations and developmental records and plans learning activities.

Settling is gradual. Up to two weeks of sessions begin with a Welcome Visit, when parents and staff complete an All about me form and discuss care or dietary requirements; later sessions build the child's time at nursery. Shorter or additional sessions can be arranged when needed, allowing the process to respond to the child's reaction rather than simply following a fixed timetable.

Famly carries updates and photographs, while feeding and sleep information is also recorded for parents. Parent evenings provide time for a fuller discussion with the key person. In June 2025, Ofsted nevertheless identified three connected weaknesses: practitioners needed more involvement in planning focused activities, with plans linked more precisely to each child's next learning steps, communication resources were used inconsistently for children needing extra support, and exchanges with parents needed to do more to help learning continue at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO works with families, practitioners and other professionals. The SENCO and key person agree an SSP of targeted activities with parents when needed, reviewing it every six weeks to assess support.

Most staff hold childcare qualifications at level 3 or above; training includes safeguarding, food hygiene and paediatric first aid. Staff control the lobby door through an intercom.

Sleep needs are discussed with parents, with cots for children under one and mats for older children. Sleep checks take place every 10 minutes, and rest times are recorded in Famly. Parents supply familiar comforters, giving staff something from the child's usual sleep routine to use during the nursery day.

Care Catering delivers seasonal meals, with lunch and tea charged separately, including for funded attendance. The nursery's allergy policy requires individual care plans and a risk assessment with parents, and its mealtimes policy prohibits nuts on site.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, 21 Derby Road, Haslemere, GU27 1BS. The three timed booking choices are a morning session from 9am to 1.30pm, an afternoon session from 1.30pm to 6pm and a full day from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Half-day attendance is also offered under that label.

An earlier start can be requested at the manager's discretion. The recommendation is at least two sessions or days each week to support continuity, rather than a compulsory minimum booking. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, and an introductory visit forms part of the enquiry process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Weydown accepts funded childcare, including Universal Funding, Extended Funding and FEET funding. A maximum of six hours per full day or three hours per morning or afternoon session can be funded; additional attendance is charged separately. Parents provide nappies, wipes and infant formula where needed. Those supplies are separate from the charges for lunch and tea.

Fees are payable monthly in advance. A deposit is used towards the final calendar month's fees when notice is given, but is not refundable if the child never takes up the place; changing a booking pattern or leaving requires at least one month's written notice. Current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees information providing the session structure.

School preparation develops independent dressing, personal care and confidence, informed by discussions with local schools. Room changes involve information sharing between key people and gradual settling.

• Individual learning and home communication. In June 2025, planning needed clearer links to each child's next learning steps, and exchanges with parents needed strengthening. On a visit, ask to see how a child's interests become planned activities and how parents contribute to those decisions.
• Communication support. The June 2025 findings highlighted inconsistent use of available resources, including a picture exchange system, for children needing additional help. Families using SEND support or learning English as an additional language should discuss how these tools are used through the day, especially before changes of activity.
• Operating and funding terms conflict. The nursery gives both 8am and 9am opening times, 50- and 51-week calendars, and term-time funding over 38 weeks alongside funding stretched over 51 weeks. Get the opening window, closure calendar and funded-hours pattern agreed in writing before choosing sessions.
• Allergy arrangements. Individual plans, a parent risk assessment and a policy prohibiting nuts are part of the arrangements. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice for their child's meals and emergency medication during the introductory visit.

Weydown suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those booking a full day, especially where outdoor exploration and gradual settling matter. Woodland Wednesdays have a clear activity programme, and the key buddy system gives continuity a practical form. The June 2025 priorities make individual learning plans, communication support and parent involvement central decision points. Alongside those, agreeing the operating and funding terms in writing is essential to judging whether the attendance pattern works for the family.