West Downs Day Nursery (Winchester)

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.

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.

Amazing nursery, my child has flourished in this wonderfully nurturing school. Brilliant staff and learning environment, we couldn't be happier.

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.

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.

We couldn’t be happier with choice of childcare for our children. Management and staff are very approachable, informative and take the time to reassure us whenever we have any questions or concerns. After a couple of emotional weeks of settling in, (which was to be expected) our children now happily set off each morning with a spring in their step heading to nursery! And every evening they excitedly tell us what they’ve been up to during the day. Activities are varied and educationally focused, which is important to us, just as much as free play which they get plenty of in the outdoor space. Food can be hit or miss and we do find that they are ravenous when they get home, so not sure if portions are on the smaller side - but it could just be that ours are greedy! Overall really happy with the setting and would happily recommend.

Overall we have been very pleased with the staff and educational approach in West Downs. Our son has thoroughly enjoyed all the activities, games, reading time and sports (rugby tots) that have been offered. Staff are warm, kind and professional. Management has always been very responsive to the minor concerns or requests that we have made. Our son has not always been keen of all the food options in the menu but we think this might also obey to cultural differences/preferences. I am sure our son will miss his time in West Downs very much.

I have always found the staff at West Downs very approachable and friendly. My children both have enjoyed their time there. I really felt they went the extra mile when we were having some family difficulties and even sourced books for us to help my children deal with difficult concepts.

All our children have been through West Downs from as young as 7 months to school age and we couldn’t consider any other form of care. They are extremely comfortable in the West’s Downs environment - from their carers, friends to management and, importantly, as parents, we are very comfortable with and confident in the level of care and attention the kids have during their days at nursery. They play well, eat well, learn and enjoy themselves. Which makes a good day for everyone! I highly recommend the nursery to anyone interested in sending their children there.

There are on-going enrichment activities for everyone to get involved with and their communication is excellent! I can't fault it!

My daughter has struggled with settling in but the staff have been excellent at accommodating her and assisting her to settle. The activities and the learning opportunities are fantastic. The all-inclusive approach means I don't have to worry about bringing anything into nursery in the mornings. All in all, we are very happy with West Down's as a nursery for our daughter!

In the interests of providing a balanced review, there are a couple of minor shortfalls relating to food choice (my son is not particularly fussy, I would say this may not be the case for all - some of the options are quite 'interesting'!), and also the learning journey app where often observations are not published/approved for a long time and there are often not regular updates on there.

We are very happy that we chose West Downs - and hope to increase his days at some point.

My daughter has attended West Downs Day Nursery since the age of one, three days a week. Currently in the bubble bees room and extremely happy and looks forward to going into nursery. The staff members in the room have been brilliant and supported us through potty training. Each evening on collection they will update you on your child's day, explaining what they have been doing, eaten - how much etc. I couldn't ask for anymore. Every week we receive a memo via email and has all relevant information on there. Overall the staff and management team are amazing they are approachable, listen to views and give feedback. My child is happy so of course, I'm even happier as never used a nursery before. Thank you to all the team at West Downs :)

All room teams are brilliant and have such fantastic relationships with both the children and parents. My 5-month-old has just started - and I have really been put at ease with her settling in - all thanks to the staff who provide a calm environment and strong settling in period.

The meals and activities are second to none - my 3-year-old loves coming home and telling me about her day. I highly recommend West Downs Nursery to anybody thinking of sending your little ones there - they will love it (and you will have such peace of mind knowing they are so well cared for)

I would highly recommend West Downs Day nursery without reservation.

Also, they are using the Parentzone app where they are posting few photos and assessment of the child.

West Downs is a really lovely nursery and my daughter loves going there - she has so much fun. It's also made her more independent and she's made a lot of friends. The excellent staff do lots of activities and post up assessments and pictures for parents to see during their day. The hours are also great for me when I'm travelling long distances with work, and the fact you can book half days and days often at late notice is also really convenient. A great nursery!

We have used West Downs for two years for our son and nearly one year for our daughter. We are very impressed with this nursery and the care they have given both children. The staff are attentive, caring and kind who show genuine love and interest in our children and their development. In both the Butterflies (pre-school) room and Caterpillar (babies) room there have been the same staff for many years and the consistency this gives to the children is wonderful. It also shows how much they enjoy working with the children and the Childbase company. We are kept up to date on the children's activities and progress promptly and any suggestions or queries we have are dealt with quickly and competently. Any issues we have had, no matter how small, are dealt with sensitively and seriously. The management team are equally as excellent and their door is always open. It is a happy and caring environment and the food, facilities and service we get we are delighted with.

I love the nursery my son is always happy to go in and sad to leave.. he loves all the ladies and men that he sees and they all make him feel welcome. They are a very friendly bunch and are like an extended family to us.