Finkley Weeke Nursery and Pre-School

Community outings and children having a say in their activities give Finkley Weeke Nursery and Pre-School its character. Its January 2023 snapshot included farm visits, a visiting music teacher and children helping choose forthcoming themes. These are useful examples of learning extending beyond adult-selected activities.

At its 23 January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The improvement points concerned extending children's understanding of number and helping them develop interaction with other children. Both matter when assessing the balance between independent play and timely adult help.

The nursery has capacity for 40 children, with an age range of three months to five years, at Fleming Road in Winchester. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines provide opportunities to practise communication, physical skills and independence. The most useful detail here comes from how those opportunities worked in January 2023.

Learning and Activities

In January 2023, children practised cutting with scissors while making train pictures, and staff paired books with resources connected to children's interests. A train assembled from chairs became a setting for conversation and new vocabulary. Familiar interests gave children a reason to join in rather than treating language as a separate exercise.

Children also helped shape future activities. In January 2023, information sent home each week invited parents to help their children vote on themes. That gave families a concrete way to contribute to the nursery day, with children's preferences feeding into planning.

Number needed closer attention. In January 2023, children recognised colours and shapes, but staff sometimes missed chances to extend an interest in counting and number. The distinction is useful: recognising colours does not tell parents how consistently mathematical thinking is developed during play.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2023, a quieter area supported individual activities and work in small groups, including vocabulary games. It offered a different pace from shared play, with room for conversation and concentration.

Community experiences included repeated visits to a nearby farm to explore animal care. In January 2023, children also took a trip to a train station to investigate transport, while a visiting music teacher introduced different ways to play percussion. These experiences connected animals, travel and music with things children could investigate directly; they remain dated examples rather than a promise of today's timetable.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff adapted learning to individual needs, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This gives families a dated assessment of practice rather than a blanket assurance about support for every child.

In January 2023, parent communication included a weekly newsletter explaining forthcoming activities and ways to continue learning at home. Parents were also invited into the nursery. Together, these arrangements provided opportunities to exchange information and understand the connection between activities at nursery and home.

Everyday independence had a practical expression. In January 2023, children helped themselves to food, cleared their tables and washed their eating utensils. Mealtimes therefore involved taking responsibility as well as eating.

Social participation needed further work. In January 2023, staff did not consistently help every child extend interaction during play. For a child who needs support joining others, the important question is how adults turn shared resources and activities into opportunities for conversation and cooperation.

The address is 1st Place Scout H Q, Fleming Road, Winchester, SO22 6EE. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am until 6pm, across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Those closures are worth building into childcare plans.

The contact form includes a Finkley Weeke option for directing an enquiry to the nursery. Parents are asked to visit before completing the registration form; they select their nursery, submit the form and then receive contact to confirm dates.

In January 2023, the setting received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated participation fact, rather than a statement of current funded attendance terms.

• Mathematics through play. In January 2023, opportunities to extend children's interest in number were sometimes missed. During a visit, ask for an example of how staff now develop counting and mathematical thinking from a child's chosen activity.
• Help joining other children. The January 2023 improvement work also concerned social interaction. Ask how practitioners support a child who wants to play alongside others but needs help taking part.
• Care across the age range. The current age range starts at three months, while the January 2023 account concerned children aged two to four. Ask to see how care, rest and settling are organised for your child's age.

Finkley Weeke suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year who value children's choices and learning connected with everyday life. The January 2023 picture gives concrete reasons to consider it: parent involvement in planning, community experiences and practical independence. The two development points provide equally useful questions for a visit. Families choosing care for a baby should give particular attention to the arrangements for the youngest children.