West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester)

Romsey Road, Winchester SO22 5HT
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9.9 119 Reviews
  • West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester), Winchester
A purpose built day nursery, specified by Childbase to the highest quality standard. Friendly and well-established, West Downs provides a happy, sociable environment where every child is treated as an individual.

The nursery has four main bright and colourful playrooms for individual age groups with additional sleeping areas. Outside is a secure, fully enclosed garden with a well-equipped soft tarmac playground and a lawned area which includes a digging and planting area and a sensory path for exploration.

The nursery also organises regular outings as a means of extending the children's vocabulary and understanding.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Ren Norman-Greer (Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 26

Total Places for Children

  • 68

Age Range

  • from 0 years 2 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Inset Days

Parking

  • Drop off bay directly outside of the nursery.

West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) Reviews (119)

9.9

West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.896) out of 10, based on 20 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) has 119 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Total of 119, showing 61-80
Review from Carrie S (Mother of Child) published on 2 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are absolutely delighted with the care our 15-month-old little boy has received at West Downs Nursery in Winchester. He settled in straight away and has been very happy from day one. Every member of staff is always friendly and approachable. We have been particularly impressed with the wonderful
Caterpillars team. They are genuinely so caring and share in our pride and happiness when our little boy meets a new milestone or learns a new skill. They are always planning exciting activities for the little ones to engage in and encourage plenty of time outside. We’d recommend them to everyone! Thank you West Downs.
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Review from Clare D (Mother of Child) published on 15 November 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I have had two children at West Downs Nursery and it continues to prove an outstanding provision. The nurturing and caring ethos of all the fantastic early years team including the fabulous chef really is first class. My son’s social, emotional and cognitive development has thrived in this fabulous
setting. My son has grown into a confident, adventurous, bright and caring toddler. I honestly cannot praise the staff enough for their professionalism, hard work and dedication. The nursery environment is well designed with areas for the imagination to grow, explorers to adventure and development to excel. The nursery operations is run with top efficiency by excellent management and admin team.
Absolutely no complaints - an all-around Outstanding Nursery. Very happy toddler and very happy parents. Highly recommend.
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Review from Laura S (Mother of Child) published on 24 September 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
West Downs has a lovely atmosphere. The staff are professional but treat the children like family. Nothing is too much trouble. My daughter has been attending since she was one and she's now in the pre-school room. She has learnt so much through a myriad of activities. She loves every day she is there
and has formed some lovely friendships.
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Review from Amy N (Mother of Child) published on 30 July 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We love sending our two daughters to West Downs nursery and day school! The staff are wonderful- they make you feel at home, are so caring and watch over the children as if they are their own. My daughter loves going to school here and has so much fun daily! Great staff, great facilities, great classrooms/food,
etc.! We love it here!
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Review from S M O (Mother of Child) published on 19 June 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son started attending aged 10 months when I went back to work. I’ve been so impressed and grateful for the helpful, friendly and supportive reception we received, it really helped make the transition for us both so much easier.
His key worker goes out of her way to give me updates and tell me all
about his day and all of the room staff are wonderfully caring and fun.
He has such a good time on his nursery days and I really feel that he gets so much out of it with plenty of activities and outside play on offer and a great menu every day.
The nursery seems exceptionally well managed and we’ve been thrilled with the time he’s spent there.
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Review from K J C (Mother of Child) published on 5 June 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending West Downs Day Nursery since March and settled very well. I am quite impressed by their thoughtful and loving care from settling in period. I could not be happier with the setting as it is not easy to find a day nursery that ticks all the boxes in terms of a welcoming atmosphere,
genuine attention to children, safety, hot meal, activities and even great location and parking spaces. When I pick him up, he always says that he wants to play more in the nursery, which make me relieved and thankful. Also, their management, communication and support for children are such a high standard, which are not superficial I would feel. Overall I am extremely pleased with West Downs Day Nursery. Thank you to all the staff for their hard work and great care.
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Review from Sam O (Father of Child) published on 23 May 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff and set up at this nursery is fantastic, both my boys have developed key life skills at the nursery, I score them 10/10 in every section bar pricing, purely because I disagree any nursery should charge you for bank holidays, but that’s a corporate issue and something most nurseries do in the
Hampshire area.


If you are in Winchester and want a top nursery that develops your child’s social, education and life skills this should be top of your list.

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Review from Sabrina M (Mother of Child) published on 8 March 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I was worried about his transition, West Downs was his first full-time setting.
I had nothing to worry about, he started in January 2019, he has gone from strength to strength in this setting which is fantastic, I am so proud of him and thankful for the staff that obviously put the time in to engage
with him.
My son after about a month of starting started to get upset when I dropped him off in the mornings this was quite distressing for us both but the staff at West Downs were so reassuring with both of us that the phase of upset was quickly rectified. I was and still am very thankful and impressed with the fast and dedicated way in which it was handled.
I had issues with setting up payment (child-free tax care account,) the office staff were accommodating with my questions and offered support.
Overall, I am very impressed and love hearing about my son's day through personal contact and the online method. He can now after 2 full months count confidently to 10 showing off each new skill daily.
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Review from Beth L (Mother of Child) published on 29 January 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended West Downs for the past 4 months starting at 8 months of age. We have very recently increased her days there but until now she has been attending 1 day a week. With such a gap between sessions we were concerned about how she would settle and build bonds but through a very well
thought out transition the team soon won the trust of not only a little person but as her parent I could not imagine s better setting. Staff amaze we every week with boundless energy, engaging activities and the highest care. I have found staff to be consistent and very perceptive. The lump in my throat that first day of nursery soon went as staff went the extra mile to chat over the phone about all the fun she was getting up to. I would without a doubt recommend West Downs.
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Review from Samantha M (Mother of Child) published on 24 January 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A friendly team, with a warm welcome, who are approachable. Everyone is quite helpful and supportive even when they are not directly working with your child.
The key workers are on point with information regarding the child's development, updating you in case you have missed something at home, ie;
if you are a very busy mum like me. I really appreciate all the warmth from the entire team! You guys rock and you do fantastic work. You reach out to the community as well by supporting different charities through the years, raising funds and that's really awesome.
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Review from Sylwia C (Mother of Child) published on 24 January 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son attends West Downs Nursery and we would thoroughly recommend it. They have been like a part of our family and have consistently provided the highest standard of care in all areas, from keyworker care, general management and communication, responding to the needs of each child individually to
the activities and education they deliver, communication to parents (both in person, via email or newsletters) and the meals (including baking the children a cake when it's their bday). Each morning our brilliant keyworkers greet our son with a smile and it is clear they are very attentive to his personal needs. The setting is located in a great position within West Downs campus and parking is convenient and safe, plus it is in a great position for getting in and out of Winchester. Safeguarding throughout is also taken very seriously and each parent must buzz and be let in separately. Our son is completely content and happy every day and gives a little smile when we arrive at the setting.
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Review from Philippa P (Mother of Child) published on 18 December 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son attended West Downs from the age of 1 through to going to school, and my daughter started her journey there 6 months ago and settled in very quickly. We have been so happy with the care and attention our little ones have received there. The staff are lovely, friendly and very knowledgeable too.
They take a real interest in your child’s abilities and needs and capture the heart of the children with their warmth, friendliness and emotional support. So much care is taken to play with them, guide them, educate them and make them feel special. An all-around wonderful nursery that I wouldn't hesitate in recommending.
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Review from Amy P (Mother of Child) published on 18 December 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We started our son at West Downs in November 2018 and we are so happy with the nursery. We recently relocated from Australia so starting a new nursery was a huge challenge. However, I have been so pleased with how kind and welcoming West Downs have been. They have a great orientation system and we love
that our son has a key person who is specifically responsible for him. He seems to be settling in really well despite the huge adjustment and is really happy when we pick him up. I’m particularly impressed with the family feel of the nursery and the opportunity for family to be involved. The recent Christmas craft morning was a great example of this. It was so imaginative and the staff clearly put in so much effort. It was a lovely opportunity to be in the nursery setting and play alongside my son and the staff.
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Review from Vanessa C (Mother of Child) published on 2 November 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We could not be happier with West Downs Nursery, Winchester. Our son (23 months) started in August 2018 and settled in very quickly which has everything to do with the staff who give him so much love, attention, encouragement and support. He is more than happy to leave me in the mornings to go and sing
nursery rhymes with his friend or play with any of the events that have been set up the evening before or to enjoy his breakfast with his friends. He is always happy and busy when I collect him and loves to talk about all his friends and the staff who he spent the day with.
He is currently in the process of transitioning to one of the older rooms, and I know the staff will do their utmost to support him and make him feel comfortable during this transition.
The staff are great at communicating with us and always are accommodating to our needs and requests.
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Review from Charlene H (Mother of Child) published on 24 October 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Since my daughter started in caterpillar room I have been very pleased with how she has settled. The practitioners in her room have been amazing throughout her development and her key worker always gave such good feedback at the end of the day. It has been so nice to see her progression via parentzone
through her observations and assessments.
Since transitioning into the ladybird room I was welcomed by her new key worker and extremely pleased with the excellent care that is currently ongoing now.
She has settled very well into her new room and is now beginning to communicate more and make special friends which is so nice to hear when I pick her up at the end of the day.
Overall I am extremely pleased with her progression.
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Review from Michelle B (Mother of Child) published on 9 October 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son transitioned into the Butterfly (pre-school) room at West Downs ahead of many of his peers in August 2018 and, despite having attended West Downs nursery for several years, found the change into a new room with older children quite challenging.


Despite several slightly wobbly weeks at the

outset, he is now very happy and comfortable in his new room and can't wait to get to nursery in the morning. This is very much a testament to the caring and supportive environment that West Downs fosters. The entire team at West Downs were amazing in providing my son (and also myself) with reassurance and support during his time in transition.


In particular, his key worker went above and beyond to help my son settle quickly and I am very grateful to her and indeed the wider team, for the exceptional level of care that is provided to our son within the West Downs nursery setting.

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Review from Russhelle (Mother of Child) published on 21 September 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Sarah was about 14 months old when she started going to West Downs Day Nursery. She was very shy. She was frightened by different faces. She was not confident at all. The staff were very helpful and friendly. It was easy for her to adapt to the environment. It was wonderful to see her development report
every now and then through parents zone.
They do so many activities that develops her interpersonal skills. She loves painting, drawing, and role-playing. Her speech is getting better. She loves the food at the nursery. We cannot ask for more. Overall, we highly recommend West Downs Day Nursery.
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Review from Andrea R (Mother of Child) published on 13 September 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Amazing nursery, my child has flourished in this wonderfully nurturing school. Brilliant staff and learning environment, we couldn't be happier.
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Review from David L (Father of Child) published on 22 August 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
When my wife was due to return to work after maternity leave, we visited several local nurseries to get an idea of what childcare is available in our area.
We settled on West Downs because:-
- Of the long opening times.
- Outstanding Ofsted rating.
- Fully inclusive (includes nappies, wipes,
all food/snacks).
From a personal point of view, I found it very nice to see male staff members working in this environment (both in the rooms and in management). I also love the additional activities that West Downs provide free of charge (such as Rugby Tots, and Baby Yoga).
When our daughter started here she got upset at being left without Mummy. However, we were impressed with the standard of care supplied/effort given to reassure her.
A few months on, and our daughter has now formed bonds with the staff. The regular observations published onto ParentZone reassure us as parents that her development is also progressing well.
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Review from James B (Father of Child) published on 22 August 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child loves nursery. Since attending his confidence has grown and grown. His speech has become a lot more developed and so has his coordination. My little one loves nursery, especially the food which is varied and healthy.
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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.896)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.896) out of 10 for West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 20 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 20 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.896 for West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) is calculated as follows: ( (215 Excellents x 5) + (25 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 240 Ratings = 4.896
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) is based on 20 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 68 number of registered child places is 13.6, which has been reached with 20 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (18)

Meet the Team (1)

Ren

Ren Norman-Greer

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2016

Ren is the Manager of West Downs Day Nursery in Winchester and has a wealth of experience, having worked in Early Years since 2012, starting as an apprentice and progressing through to Nursery Manager. Ren holds a Level 3 qualification in Early Years, a Level 3 in SEND, and is also a Mental Health First Aider.


What is your favourite feature of your nursery?
My favourite feature of the nursery is our wooded area. It lends itself to endless amounts of imaginative play and creativity.


What are you most proud of about your team?
I am most proud of my team because they are the most kind and supportive people that always go above and beyond for anyone who needs it.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester) has an Enhanced Service - more info.