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Nursery at Windhill21
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
COOL time gives Windhill21’s youngest children room to choose: they select classroom activities while adults help them take their learning further. That balance between children’s choices and adult teaching shapes the nursery’s day.
This is the nursery unit within Windhill21 in Bishop’s Stortford. Children join through a single intake after their third birthday. Morning, afternoon and all-day patterns give families different ways to fit nursery around the rest of their week, with a minimum commitment of five morning or five afternoon sessions.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning to communicate, move and manage feelings with early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Staff plan activities and the classroom environment around these areas. They also track how children engage, keep trying and think through problems, so development includes how a child learns as well as what they know.
Adult teaching alternates with child-led play. COOL stands for Carry On Our Learning: children choose their play materials and how to use them, while adults demonstrate activities that revisit earlier learning or address an individual next step. Choice comes with support.
Reading begins with listening to and enjoying sounds. Once that foundation is established, Read Write Inc introduces individual letter sounds and blending. This gives the nursery a staged route into early reading rather than starting immediately with written words.
Across early years, outdoor provision includes climbing apparatus, large loose parts and opportunities to make marks on a large scale. Hills and body boards provide ways to practise coordination and build strength. Indoors, six iPads are shared across the early years provision, including Nursery. These are specific resources alongside classroom play, rather than the whole learning offer.
Settling happily and feeling secure are explicit aims for the early years team. Windhill21 emphasises cooperation between home and school, with children’s previous experiences and age taken into account. Arbor carries school messages and information to parents, giving families a practical communication channel.
In March 2025, Ofsted found that routines beginning in Nursery supported children’s independence and confidence, with adults helping them solve problems, form relationships and play together. Those are useful foundations for managing a group day.
Snacks are free through the Government Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Lunchtime Co supplies chargeable school meals for children attending all-day sessions only. Parents provide nappies, wipes and sun cream when needed, so these care supplies remain part of the family’s preparation.
For children with SEND, the school aims to identify needs early and provides individual programmes of work. Families can contact the SENCO at senco@windhill.herts.sch.uk to discuss support.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process, managed by Hertfordshire County Council, by the applicable deadline.
For entry in 2027/2028, nursery attendance gives no oversubscription priority. The criteria cover looked-after and previously looked-after children, medical or social need, siblings, children of staff, nearest school and distance. Choosing the nursery therefore needs to make sense for the nursery experience itself; it does not reserve the next school place.
Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am, afternoons from 12:30pm to 3:30pm, and all-day sessions from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Five morning or five afternoon sessions use the universal 15-hour entitlement. Additional sessions can be paid for or covered by working-parent childcare support where the family is eligible.
Paid sessions and chargeable items are invoiced in advance at the start of each term. Occasional trips are optional. Contact the school for current charges.
Uniform is optional in Nursery; suggested items include a white polo shirt and navy jumper or cardigan. To enquire or arrange a visit, call 01279 696850 or email admin@windhill.herts.sch.uk. For visits during school hours, the Scott Road main gate has an intercom; access from Windhill involves the footpath through The Firs.
There is a single intake after a child’s third birthday.
Morning sessions are 8:30am to 11:30am, afternoon sessions are 12:30pm to 3:30pm, and all-day sessions are 8:30am to 3:30pm.
Children attend at least five morning or five afternoon sessions, funded through the universal 15-hour entitlement. Eligible families can use working-parent childcare support for additional sessions.
No. A separate school application is required, and nursery attendance gives no priority under the 2027/2028 oversubscription criteria.
No. Nursery uniform is optional, with a white polo shirt and navy jumper or cardigan suggested for families who choose it.
