Woodgreen Day Nursery

A timber-framed cottage, vegetable beds and an on-site forest school give Woodgreen Day Nursery a clear outdoor identity. Its Warndon Villages setting combines gardens used throughout the year with indoor spaces for babies and preschool children. The practical attraction is the variety of environments: places to climb and grow food, alongside quieter spaces for rest and reading.

Woodgreen welcomes children from three months to five years and has 91 places in total. At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, found that children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress, and judged safeguarding effective; later safeguarding action is addressed below. In April 2024, management oversight and sleep and hygiene routines needed improvement, which matters alongside the positive findings.

Attendance is based on full days, with Breakfast Club providing an earlier start.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play builds skills such as communication, movement and learning to get along with others. Woodgreen's indoor activities include painting, reading, singing and cooking. These give children different ways to express themselves and practise practical skills.

In April 2024, older children made cupcakes, weighing ingredients and recognising numbers on the scales while waiting for their turn to mix. Younger children experimented with coloured rice, pouring and scooping between containers. These examples connect early number work and physical coordination to activities children can take part in directly.

Books also prompted conversation in April 2024. Children retold familiar stories and acted them out, while staff introduced vocabulary and asked questions. Dancing gave younger children opportunities to try different movements and respond to music. The emphasis was on participation, with adults joining the activity rather than simply directing it.

Outdoor and Community Life

The on-site forest school adds outdoor exploration to that framework, with wigwams, a stream and a campfire used for outdoor cooking. All-weather lawns, fruit trees, wooden climbing frames and vegetable beds give the gardens several purposes. Children can explore movement, growing and food preparation in the same outdoor setting.

In April 2024, children practised balancing on tyres, climbing trees and using hand drills in the forest school area. Elsewhere outdoors, they worked out how to operate a see-saw and rolled hoops. Tomatoes and sweetcorn grown in the garden were harvested to eat, connecting gardening with the food on their plates.

Rooms and Ages

Babies have a specialist area with play space and a quiet sleep room containing cots and bedding, while preschool children have their own area for creative activities and cookery, plus access to a quiet room. Air-conditioned indoor rooms offer another practical consideration for families weighing the balance between outdoor activity and places to rest.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2024, children turned to staff for comfort when upset or uncertain, and adults encouraged sharing, kindness and taking turns. Golden rules were adapted to children's developmental stages. This made expectations part of everyday interaction rather than a single set of instructions for every age.

Parents received daily information about activities and children's next learning steps in April 2024. Information evenings covered phonics and preparation for school, giving families ways to continue learning at home. The SENCo worked with outside professionals, and staff used observations and assessments to identify gaps in development.

Staff development includes specialist training, and team members hold certificates in paediatric first aid, safeguarding and food hygiene. Most staff hold a level 3 childcare qualification, with some qualified to level 6. These are concrete details about the team, rather than a substitute for scrutiny of daily practice.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The April 2024 improvement points were specific: managers needed more time to check how staff put the curriculum into practice, and sleep and care routines needed better organisation. Children were sleeping in pairs on mats facing one another, and staff sometimes responded too slowly to runny noses. The concern was consistent hygiene throughout the day, not simply whether rest space existed.

Following safeguarding action checked on 16 January 2025 and further action checked on 20 November 2025, Ofsted confirmed that the required actions had been met on both occasions. The earlier action concerned leaders' knowledge of local safeguarding procedures; the later action covered safeguarding implementation, timely referrals and accurate records. These repeated safeguarding issues remain relevant to a parent's decision, even though both sets of actions were completed.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-day care runs from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 8am and is included for a full-time place. There is no minimum attendance requirement, although Woodgreen reserves the choice of weekday for children attending only one day.

The nursery operates across the year and closes for bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. Term-time-only places are not offered. Private fees are calculated weekly and collected monthly in advance; the daily charge applies even when a child attends for fewer hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

A retainer paid at joining is credited against the first month's fees. It is refundable if the place becomes unavailable, but is not refunded when a parent cancels before taking it up. Absence for illness or holidays does not reduce the monthly fee.

Getting There

The address is 1 Trotshill Lane East, Worcester WR4 0HX, in Warndon Villages. There is a private parking area, and the contact form accepts enquiries.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can access up to 30 funded hours from the term after reaching nine months, while three-year-olds receive 15 universal hours from the following term, with an additional 15 extended hours for those eligible. Funding is stretched across 50 weeks over 12 months. For children attending three days or more, additional private hours are charged separately.

Private fees include meals and drinks except formula feeds, together with nappies, wipes, creams, sunscreen and waterproofs. For funded attendance, food and consumables carry a separate additional services charge; this charge is not mandatory. The fees page explains that children can receive a completely free place if required.

Nutrifresh supplies meals prepared and cooked fresh each day, while milk comes from Mawley Town Farm at Cleobury Mortimer. Children receive a morning snack, a cooked lunch with two courses and afternoon tea; vegetarian meals and dietary requirements are catered for.

• Safeguarding follow-through. Both sets of safeguarding actions were met in 2025, but the issues recurred. At a visit, ask how leaders now check referral decisions, staff understanding and safeguarding records.
• Sleep and hygiene. April 2024 concerns included shared sleeping mats and slow responses to runny noses. Ask to see how rest arrangements and everyday hygiene routines now work for your child's age.
• Attendance fit. Only full days are sold, and Woodgreen may select the weekday for a one-day booking. This matters if your working pattern requires a particular day or shorter sessions.
• Funded extras and dietary needs. Funded food and consumables charges are non-mandatory, while formula is excluded from private fees. Discuss the charging arrangement and any dietary requirements together before agreeing a place.

Woodgreen suits families seeking full-day attendance, either with the standard start or with Breakfast Club for an earlier morning. Its gardens, forest school and separate spaces for babies and preschool children give the day useful variety. The Good judgement from April 2024 carries weight, but so do the sleep and hygiene improvement points and repeated, subsequently completed safeguarding actions. A visit should concentrate on those daily routines and leadership checks.