Woodlands Day Nursery (Barnet)

Our experience with Woodlands has been wonderful. From the moment we stepped through the door, we have always been greeted with friendly faces. From the wonderful ladies at reception to the staff in his room, everyone has been truly welcoming and understanding. On the drop-off days where it has sometimes been emotional for my little one, again, the staff step in gently to reassure and distract in such a lovely yet respectful manner. I absolutely love the extracurricular ideas you have as well, such as; Easter bonnet making, cake sales etc.. it's a brilliant way to build community and to have some fun with our kids! Couldn't recommend Woodlands enough to my friends and family.

My daughter has been at Woodlands for a couple of years and we've really seen her grow and develop here. Staff have been responsive whenever we have had concerns. We have loved to see the friendships our daughter has developed here, and the interactions with staff.

We've been at Woodlands for 2 years and are very happy with the care, support and learning that our child gets. The staff are fantastic and really care about the children. It feels like a real community, we would highly recommend.

Our daughter has settled really well into the Caterpillars room and feels right at home at Woodlands. The staff are wonderful, professional and attentive with the children, providing regular updates in the day (via the app), as well as the personal feedback we receive at collection. They treat the children with care and love, and you can see this in the way that our daughter has settled in with them and very much enjoys attending. There is a varied and well-balanced food menu with delicious meals that she thoroughly enjoys. We love the opportunities for parent involvement, from food tasting of new menus to organising special events (Mother's day breakfast; book reading) and the extra initiates (book lending library; grow your own sunflower). The children are engaged in various activities throughout the week (painting, sensory play, sing-alongs), and we love that they regularly get to play in the garden. Management are also very attentive and accommodating. Overall a home away from home

This nursery has been absolutely wonderful for our son. The front desk team are always friendly and helpful, management are approachable and well-organised, and the classroom carers are exceptional-kind, attentive, and truly invested in the children's development. We feel incredibly lucky to have found such a supportive and caring environment. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this nursery to anyone

The team at Woodlands are extraordinarily caring and make my son's two days a week there an absolute joy. He eats well, enjoys his play and is always happy at the end of the day. I am always impressed by the amount of personal feedback about him I get from staff at the end of what must feel like a very long day for them!

As a first-time parent, I was naturally anxious about leaving my child in someone else's care. But from the very beginning, the team at the nursery made me feel completely at ease. What stood out to me the most was how genuinely they cared for my child-not just in words, but through every thoughtful action and detail. Every concern I had, no matter how small, was listened to with such attentiveness and care. It's clear that this is a place where children's safety, development, and emotional well-being are deeply valued. Knowing that my child is not only safe, but also nurtured and supported to grow, has been the greatest relief which I'm truly grateful for. This nursery feels like an extension of our family-a warm, welcoming space where I feel understood, and my child is seen, heard, and loved.

Woodlands has been so much better than I had hoped. I had to take my daughter from 6 months old- doing very long hours. However, the staff at Woodlands really took the time to ease that for me. The settling in period was way longer than any other nursery I've seen and to be completely honest, I needed those settling sessions so that I could feel confident and ready to leave her with strangers! The Caterpillar team have been incredible: they supply the nappies, buy brand new bottles in the brand I chose and then bought new teat sizes when I did and supplied the formula I wanted. I get given a list of the food she's eaten, types of nappies and amount of milk. They also send me pictures daily which makes my day! My daughter is an excellent eater, as the catering team give such a range of foods and supported me to introduce different foods into her diet. The staff are always smiling, kind and understanding. I've never felt judged even if we both looked a bit bedraggled in the morning!

My oldest has been attending Woodlands for nearly 4 years. Woodlands has been like a second home to him, and he has truly flourished there. The staff take the time to get to know each child and are wonderful at engaging and interacting with them. He always talks fondly about his day, which is a testament to how much he enjoys being there.

I've seen some comments about there not being enough online photos/updates, and while this may be true, I personally feel it's because the staff are focused on interacting with and caring for the children rather than documenting every moment-which is something I value.

My 9 month old has just started in the baby room and I'm amazed at how calm and nurturing the baby room is. The staff have been fantastic, particularly as my little one has struggled with separation anxiety. They've been incredibly patient and supportive, arranging settling-in sessions and helping him adjust.He's already becoming more comfortable, and I have no doubt he will love it.

We're very happy with our time at the nursery. The staff have built lovely bonds with the twins and it's clear they care deeply about their wellbeing/development. Although there have been several changes in their key worker, the transitions have been handled with care and professionalism.The activities are creative and engaging. We appreciate the use of sensory play, which keeps the children stimulated/excited to learn through fun, hands-on experiences.Our main feedback relates to the nursery's safeguarding approach. While we fully understand and support the importance of safeguarding, we've noticed a significant increase in the level of caution compared to when our eldest attended.At times it can feel like the nursery is overly focused on covering itself, even for very minor incidents.Having energetic twins who play rough at times has meant a few bumps and scrapes, which we accept as part of their development. Overall, we grateful for the care and attention and recommend the nursery.

We've been enjoying our time at Woodlands. I say "we" as how happy/unhappy your child is impacts the whole family. We took our time looking for the right nursery for our son so much so that when we found Woodlands Barnet he was 15 months old. When he started he was quite reserved and would take his time to warm to new things. A couple of months after starting, his personality really started to shine through - he is outgoing, loves being outside, always up for an activity, and has been growing rapidly in his speech and ability to do things independently. The Woodlands Barnett team are warm and welcoming, they are attentive to your child's needs and development, and make the effort to offer tangible support in recommendations and accommodating changes to routine as your child develops. Our son has now outgrown the room he started in and the team were quick to notice his readiness and put plans in place to transition him to the next stage room.

Both of our children have attended Woodlands Nursery over the past few years, and we couldn't be more grateful for the wonderful experience they've had. The staff are wonderful, warm, and caring - and it's clear how much they genuinely care about the children. We've watched both our daughter and son flourish during their time there, growing in confidence, curiosity, and happiness. Saying goodbye is bittersweet, as Woodlands has felt like a second home. We'll miss it dearly and can't thank the team enough for the incredible start they've given our little ones.

The quality of activities is outstanding and the children are always engaged with various types of play, both inside and outside in their spacious garden.

From the initial discussion on the phone, the first visit to actually enrolling our baby into the caterpillars room, everything has been nothing short of excellent in all regards.

There is a very good ambience as soon as you walk into the building from the reception all the way to the baby's room, The staff are very friendly and professional and know all of the children's names even if not based in their own rooms.

Cannot recommend the nursery enough to any parent who is considering using it. The regular updates and the learning that takes place even at a young age, is clearly seen both in and out of the nursery.

Keep up the great work everyone!

They give us photos on the app, which is always appreciated, but we would be even happier if more photos could be shared - for example, at least once a week.

We have been very happy with our experience of Woodlands. The staff are very caring and communicate very well with us at drop off and pick up.

Our eldest daughter has been going to Woodlands for over a year now and our youngest just started. The whole Woodlands team is extremely friendly and has the interests of the children at heart. Everybody is very attentive and this brings a strong peace of mind to us, parents, knowing our children are very well looked after, in a lovely and safe environment. We love the garden is in free access in the summer. We can see our children's development and learning progress, as well as the good manners that are being taught. Furthermore, we have observed little staff turnover compared to other nurseries, which provides continuity to the families.

Recently, we needed some extra support via a large number of additional days which the nursery luckily had available. Communication and arrangement with the team was a breeze. But the best thing of all, was how our child has revelled and excelled in her additional days spent at the nursery with the team and her friends! Our daughter loves it and we love picking her up, talking to the team to find out about her day and chatting to our lil legs all the way home, about all the fun she has had there. Thank you team, also for all the recent updates, they are totally awesome! Thank you!

My daughter started at Woodlands in January 2024, and I can't begin to express how happy we have been. We have seen her absolutely blossom and develop. The fondness she has for all the staff is clearly reflected on her smiling face, she sometimes doesn't even want to leave when I collect her. I can't say thank you enough!

We have had an excellent experience with Woodlands Barnet. The settling-in process was great. Everyone was very supportive and made what could have been a very difficult transition really easy. They understood what a hard adjustment it was, which really helped. There is a lovely atmosphere in the nursery and my little one is really enjoying being there and getting involved in all the lovely activities they have.