West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester)

Absolutely delighted by them.

West Downs Day Nursery has been amazing for our daughter. She started at six months and they have supported her through each stage of her development. They have always listened and fulfilled any wishes we had and would help us with any questions when asking for help/advice. My daughter loves nursery and looks forward to attending each day. She has so much fun and gets to spend lots of time outside. We will all miss my daughter coming when she goes to school in September.

West Downs Day Nursery has cared for my daughter so well since she was one. The continuity of care has been outstanding, even throughout lockdown she was cared for by staff she knew and was comfortable and confident with. The activities she does at nursery keep her interested and enthusiastic to learn new things. She is well catered for with her food allergies and loves it when the chef does baking activities that she can join in. The staff in her room are so kind and caring, we are always happy to leave her with them. Thank you for taking such good care of her, we cannot recommend the nursery enough.

A great supportive nursery that my son loves to attend. The staff are fantastic and make me, as a parent, reassured that he is in excellent hands. So many activities for the children to get involved with but by far my son's favourite is the garden with the many different areas to explore there. We have found it such a good place for our eldest that we are booking a place for our youngest too!

The communication is excellent with a weekly newsletter updating parents on the activities for the week and a mobile app which records daily events like naps, meals, nappies etc.

I was really nervous as a first time mum leaving my baby (who was only four months at the time) with a nursery, but everyone in Caterpillars has been amazing for both my child and me - huge shout out to the staff who reassured me on my first anxious settling in visit and for supporting and encouraging my child's development. I am never anxious dropping my child off ever - she adores nursery, has made lots of friends, clearly has a wonderful time and crucially, she is happy. I would absolutely recommend West Downs Day Nursery to any parent wanting a fun, engaging, safe and caring environment for both their child and them.

My son started at West Downs when he was two and we’d just moved down from London. He’s now 4 and off to school in September. We have absolutely loved our experience with the nursery. From day 1 we were fully supported with transition and settling my son into the nursery. The team are brilliant, truly caring about the welfare and development of the children. The children are happy, well looked after and you get every opportunity to hear about how they are doing.

My son is also obsessed with the food. The nursery cook is his hero. He was quite a fussy eater and now eats most things.

Finally, the leadership team have been excellent and this was really highlighted in the pandemic. They put the children and staff’s safety as a priority and did everything they could to ensure a clean and safe place.

I would strongly recommend this nursery. They’ve made our little boy very happy and confident as he sets off to school. He’s made lots of friends and has loved his time.

I have been particularly impressed with the way in which the nursery and staff have responded to Covid. As a key worker my child continued to attend during the closures and at no point did I need to worry about the safety and care she received. Everything has been communicated clearly to parents and any changes have been implemented without making my daughter feel at all unsettled. Overall a great nursery which I would be happy to recommend for anyone looking for great childcare!

Our son started at West Downs in March 2021. Having been just 5 weeks old when we locked down in 2020, my son has not been to any baby groups or even socialised beyond his parents, so we were a bit apprehensive about the nursery. We couldn't visit the site due to COVID restrictions, however, the manager was brilliant, gave me so much time on the phone and email - answering questions and describing the setting. He also sent videos of the baby room and other information such as the menus. The nursery were amazing with settling in sessions and arranged four gradual sessions to ease both my son and I, into the nursery. We had to drop our son at the door but the staff at West Downs couldn't be more reassuring. He very quickly settled into the baby room. He clearly loves his time at nursery, he is bonding brilliantly with the staff and we are so very impressed with the communication, professionalism, updates and most importantly, care from his keyworkers and the rest of the team. Thank you.

We continue to be so pleased with West Downs nursery. Staff are friendly and professional, and daily tasks are varied and engaging. My little boy thoroughly enjoys attending and always talks about his day the whole way home. Since our last review, the feedback has been taken on board about varying assessment tasks, which has been so lovely to see. I still think that assessments themselves are sometimes graded peculiarly, (eg saying your child is commencing a skill that they have been secure in for 4+ months). However, I appreciate the subjectivity and the fact staff have a small amount of time to complete assessments and probably do it purely in the time set aside rather than as they go through the day and see it, therefore, maybe giving different results? This would be my only criticism. I am really happy with the Covid procedures and have no doubt that my son is safe and nurtured. The food is superb, and they take all parental preferences on board and stick to them. Management is exceptional.

especially during the tough times we are all facing currently. The facilities, learning and outdoor space are excellent. The Management team are always there to support with any queries or issues raised. I would recommend this nursery to anyone.

Our son loves his nursery. He gets glowing reviews from the staff, and always seems to be happy and sociable. We get good communication from the staff, and they comment on how our son is always smiling.

We would highly recommend West Downs nursery. Our son started when he was 9-months-old, and after a few weeks settling in, it is clear that he loves going and enjoys interacting with the staff and other children. We are so grateful to the staff who make such an effort to look after him and provide such a wide range of activities, which have clearly benefitted his development.

Overall, we are pleased with how our son is catered for. He comes home very happy, and indeed, the syllabus provided is helping with his cognitive development and social interaction skills. We are happy to of chosen West Downs as his nursery.

We are very happy with the care our daughter receives at West Downs. She settled in quickly when she started, and then return to the nursery after the 'Covid break' in the middle of 2020 seemed to be handled very well. She is always happy to go in the mornings and keen to tell us what she has been up to (and what she's eaten!) when she gets home. The staff are all very friendly, and our daughter likes to talk about them at home. The staff/office always respond quickly to queries/requests for additional sessions.

Fantastic nursery with lovely, dedicated staff who are always happy to help. Our little boy took time to settle after being home for so long due to covid, and all staff were so kind and committed to getting him happy. He now loves it! Highly recommend.

Our son has been at West Downs 3 days a week from 11 months old. He loves the staff, food, activities and we notice positive changes in him when he comes back home in the evening, such as good habits or reaching new milestones in his development. We always feel reassured that he is in safe hands and enjoying his time there.

I would highly recommend West Downs as a day nursery. My son has been going since he was 1 and he adores the time he spends there. The staff are always friendly, communicate well about how his day has been. If I have ever left him poorly or upset they always communicate very well to keep me updated and the management have always been helpful to sort out any queries.

My twins have attended West Downs over the past twelve months and have recently left as they are starting school. We were very lucky to find availability at West Downs at short notice on moving to the area. The nursery is exceptionally well run. It is clear that the management take the day to day running of the place seriously and that staff are given guidance which is adhered to. Parent messages are responded to efficiently and communications from the nursery are regular (this has been extremely helpful given the current COVID situation). Despite the professionalism, this doesn't mean the nursery is a formal place and the staff have been incredibly caring towards our children and have also done an excellent job of getting them ready for school despite the disruptions they have had this year. The protocols in place to deal with COVID are thorough and we felt confident about our children re-starting when the nursery re-opened. I'd have no hesitation in recommending West Downs.

My two children have been very happy since returning to nursery after a period at home during lockdown. The nursery staff have done an amazing job at managing any concerns that the children have, talking about germs and the virus in an understandable non-frightening way. They have maintained their enthusiasm for playing and learning throughout what must have been a difficult and uncertain time. The management staff have kept us fully informed of what has been happening and any changes with ever-changing guidance coming out. I am happy that everything is being done to keep my children as safe as possible.