Rotherly Day Nursery

A garden for babies and weekly library trips for preschool children give Rotherly a clear identity. Its purpose-built home on The Westgate School site combines age-specific rooms with access to the wider campus.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Rotherly Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) received good support and made good progress. The same assessment identified two improvements: adults needed to give children longer to answer questions, and some parents needed a clearer relationship with their child's key person. These are useful points to weigh alongside the strengths.

Rotherly accepts children from three months to five years and has 100 places in total. Care runs across the year, closing at Christmas and on bank holidays.

Rooms and Ages

Rainbow Room serves children from three months to two years, combining sensory exploration and early mark-making with an indoor sandpit, a tented reading corner and its own garden.

Caterpillar Room takes children aged two to three, with a maximum of 16, and encourages independence through imaginative play, natural construction materials and freely accessible resources, with direct movement into its garden. Its usual staffing ratio is one adult to four children, better than the legal minimum of one to five for this age. That is a meaningful difference in the adult support available during the toddler stage.

Butterfly Room accommodates up to 24 children aged three to five, linking play and independence with school preparation through construction resources, musical instruments, role play and movement between indoors and outdoors. Weekly library outings extend the supply of stories beyond the room; a parent mystery reader also visits regularly. Group activities include both room-wide gatherings and sessions with a key person.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the foundation for children's learning, development and care, with play used to build communication, practical skills and independence. Alongside it sits Our Rotherly Aspirations, the nursery's own curriculum, which maps milestones to aims such as perseverance, considerate behaviour and becoming a confident communicator. The milestones give those broad aims a progression as children grow.

In The Moment Planning means staff adapt activities to children's developing interests. Seasons supply experiences to explore, children help shape behaviour rules, and stories and multilingual greetings introduce different cultures.

In November 2023, an unexpected ladybird became an opportunity to investigate insects and sing together. Older children revisited Goldilocks and the Three Bears through play with porridge oats, discussing temperature with adults. These examples show how staff connected conversation, stories and hands-on materials. However, adults sometimes supplied answers themselves, especially at meals, rather than leaving enough thinking time for children.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play has several settings rather than one undifferentiated space. The courtyard and garden combine grass, hard landscaping and an all-weather surface, with a playhouse, construction resources and water play. Gardens have mud kitchens, while a former storage shed has become a den for quieter play. Older children can move freely into the garden in all weather.

The Westgate School campus adds cooking and physical education in the Lower School, grounds and playing fields. Children also explore local parks and the railway, extending their experiences beyond the nursery garden.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person and key buddy. The key person supports induction and room transitions and keeps information about the child's needs current.

Tapestry is the online system used to record learning and development, and Next Steps parent evenings provide time to discuss progress. Families are encouraged to contribute observations, so the picture includes interests and achievements at home as well as nursery. In November 2023, parents received ideas for supporting learning at home, but some were unclear about their child's key person or current learning priorities. The communication tools matter most when they support a conversation in both directions.

Room transitions include familiarisation visits for babies and toddlers. Families discuss readiness and the transition plan with staff and can meet the next room's team before the move.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SEND lead role and a local offer form part of the support arrangements. In November 2023, the special educational needs coordinator sought further training, raised concerns early and involved outside agencies when extra help was needed. Funding was used to support children's learning. Current parent forms also include a healthcare plan and consent for administering medicine, giving families structured ways to share health information.

Sleep arrangements distinguish between ages. Younger babies sleep in large prams in the garden, while older babies use a separate sleep room; toddlers have mats and blankets, and preschool children have resting spaces alongside quiet activities. Baby routines follow the child's established care pattern, making the practical details of sleep and feeding part of settling.

Food consists of a morning snack, lunch and afternoon tea, with lunch served in the shared dining area. Preschool children take part in preparing, serving and clearing meals, making mealtimes an opportunity to practise independence.

Parents supply nappies, wipes and creams. Staff apply factor 50 sun cream when needed, while families provide their own sun cream where a child has a special requirement. Toilet training starts at home with advice and support from the nursery team; accessible toilets and handwashing facilities help children take on more of their own care.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Cheriton Road, Winchester, SO22 5AZ, on The Westgate School site. Rotherly opens from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. Those are opening hours rather than separate morning or afternoon booking times.

Applications use an Expression of Interest Form, specifying the days required, the child's birth date or expected due date, and the intended start date. The nursery contacts families periodically while they are on its waiting list. Admissions enquiries go through the contact form or by telephone on 01962 840080.

Priority goes to existing families seeking extra sessions, siblings of children at Rotherly or The Westgate School, and children of employees of either setting. Other applicants are considered in the order their applications arrive. This is a nursery admissions rule, separate from school admissions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for eligible children aged nine months to four years. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation. Parents provide the personal-care supplies described above, including nappies and wipes, so these need to be part of the family's preparation for nursery days.

Rotherly is affiliated with The Westgate School and occupies its site. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place there. Campus activities and preparation for school should therefore be considered as experiences for the child, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Baby-room size. Rainbow Room's own description gives 12 places, while the general environment description gives 15. During a tour, what maximum currently applies, and how are babies grouped for play and sleep?
• A clear key-person relationship. In November 2023, some parents were unsure who held this role or what their child was working on. Ask how the key person and buddy introduce themselves and how families discuss learning alongside Tapestry updates.
• Thinking time. Adults sometimes answered questions for children in November 2023, especially at meals. On a visit, ask how practitioners now leave space for children to consider and give their own answers.
• The funded attendance plan. Funding covers eligible children from nine months to four years, while nappies and wipes come from home. Before booking, request a written quotation explaining the proposed funded-hours pattern and the treatment of meals and other consumables.

Rotherly suits families seeking year-round weekday care with outdoor play, age-specific spaces and a gradual expansion into campus activities. Baby care has its own garden and separate arrangements for older babies' sleep; preschool life adds weekly library trips and regular parent readers. Our Rotherly Aspirations gives the interest-led approach explicit developmental aims.

The November 2023 Good judgement sits alongside improvements concerning thinking time and parent communication. Practical independence, stories and outdoor exploration give families clear reasons to consider Rotherly.