Squirrels Nursery, Welwyn Garden City

A shared teaching space with Ludwick Nursery School gives Squirrels Welwyn a concrete connection beyond its own nursery rooms. The buildings have been joined to support children attending both settings, with daily exchanges between staff about development and wellbeing. For families using both, that makes continuity of care a practical part of the arrangement.

At its 23 July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found its safeguarding arrangements effective. The detail behind that judgement includes babies exploring climbing equipment, older children discussing shapes and heights, and adults helping children put their ideas into words.

Squirrels Nursery, Welwyn Garden City accepts children from three months to five years and has 86 places in total. It is based in Welwyn Garden City at Oak Tree Children's Centre on Holwell Road, AL7 3RP.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework linking children's learning, development and care. Here, the July 2025 examples show what that can mean during play: stacking objects becomes an opportunity for mathematical language, while drawing around friends with chalk prompts comparisons of height and shape. Learning happens through the activity rather than being detached from it.

In July 2025, babies explored sensory resources and equipment for climbing. Adults responded to their babbling, giving early communication a conversational rhythm. For a parent choosing baby care, these are useful details: physical exploration and responsive interaction were both visible parts of the day.

Older children experimented with ingredients, textures and smells while making pretend cupcakes; younger children made modelling dough. These activities gave children something concrete to investigate and describe. Conversations also included rhyming words, with children proposing words that continued a pattern.

Making lemonade offered another connection between doing and understanding. In July 2025, children explained how squeezing lemons and pouring water exercised their hands in preparation for writing. The activity mattered beyond the finished drink: children could describe the purpose of what they had done.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden was a substantial part of the July 2025 nursery day. Older children practised taking turns and considered how to tackle challenging equipment safely. Adults discussed possible approaches with them, and children also encouraged friends attempting a challenge. This gave outdoor play a social dimension as well as a physical one.

The nursery describes a close partnership with Ludwick Nursery School for children aged three and upwards who attend both settings. A central teaching and learning space is shared, and staff exchange information each day about children's feelings and significant events. This is a specific arrangement for coordinating a child's day, rather than simply a school-preparation label.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person arrangements drew on detailed knowledge of individual children, and that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefited from close relationships involving staff and other professionals. For parents weighing support needs, the important detail is the working relationship around the child.

In July 2025, babies received cuddles and comfort from familiar adults. Older children talked confidently about activities they enjoyed and what they were learning. These observations give different age groups their own place in the account of care, rather than treating reassurance as a single nursery-wide slogan.

Room changes were planned with a member of staff moving ahead of the children in July 2025. That adult could pass on information and prepare support for each child before the move. It is a useful example of continuity: a change of room involved preparation by the adults as well as adjustment by the child.

Communication also extended across settings. The current arrangement with Ludwick includes daily exchanges about wellbeing and development. A difficult night or a significant event can therefore form part of the information shared between the teams caring for a child who attends both.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays, for two weeks in August and for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Those closure periods matter when arranging cover alongside work.

Applications can be submitted through the nursery's application form. The Welwyn contact number is 01707 391797, and its email address is welwyn@squirrelsnurseries.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2025, the nursery provided government-funded places for eligible children. Eligibility remains a condition of that offer. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The nursery is based at Oak Tree Children's Centre on Holwell Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 3RP. Its connection with Ludwick concerns shared nursery care and learning; attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and families still use the local authority admissions process for state-school applications.

• Using both settings. The Ludwick partnership includes shared space and daily communication for children attending both. On a visit, ask how the handover would work around your child's attendance pattern.
• Cover during closures. Two weeks in August and two weeks over Christmas and New Year sit alongside bank-holiday closures. Build those breaks into your childcare arrangements.
• The cost of your pattern. Request a written quotation covering funded and paid hours, meals and non-food consumables so you can assess the complete arrangement.

Squirrels Welwyn merits consideration for families seeking care from babyhood through the preschool years, especially those whose children will also attend Ludwick Nursery School. The shared building space and daily staff communication give that partnership substance.

The July 2025 account provides concrete examples of learning through conversation, experimentation and physical challenge. The practical trade-off is the closure calendar: families using care across the year need arrangements for the summer and Christmas breaks.