Westfield House Nursery

Westfield House Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2852783
Address: WESTFIELD HOUSE NURSERY, Prospect Road, Crook, DL15 8JL
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 25/07/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Westfield House Nursery Limited
Inspection report: 11 August 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children make consistently secure progress across all areas of learning. They develop
independence, confidence and resilience. Children respond well to familiar routines and
thrive within a carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge and skills over time.
This purposeful approach prepares children well for the next stage of their education.
Children develop increasing independence in both learning and self-care. They eagerly join
in with songs and shared stories, strengthening their communication and social confidence.
Babies build early language as they explore books and imitate repeated sounds. Older
children benefit from vocabulary-rich experiences and confidently use new, ambitious words
in their play and conversations.
Focused support helps to close gaps in learning, including for children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known or previously
known to children's social care. Staff understand children's starting points and adapt
experiences so that every child can succeed.
By the time children leave the setting, they show secure knowledge, confident
communication and enthusiasm for learning. This helps to prepare them exceptionally well
for school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children settle quickly and behave exceptionally well in this calm, nurturing setting.
Purposeful daily routines are firmly established. Babies and toddlers respond readily when it
is time to tidy up or when adults help them wash their hands and wipe their noses. Older
children follow familiar routines confidently, such as by lining up for lunch or moving
outdoors. Staff understand that these routines develop important skills that prepare children
for school.
Leaders and staff maintain very high expectations for behaviour and consistently model
positive conduct. Staff demonstrate good manners, helping children learn to respect one
another. As a result, children share resources willingly and show kindness and
consideration.
Children feel safe, secure and well cared for by kind, nurturing staff. Staff know each child
well and support their social and emotional development thoughtfully. Babies are comforted
through gentle rocking or soothed with familiar blankets from home, helping them form
strong attachments with their key people. Staff adapt routines carefully to meet individual
needs, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities,
disadvantaged children and children known or previously known to children's social care.
Children engage in activities with enthusiasm. They listen carefully, follow instructions
promptly and show developing skills in turn-taking and managing emotions. Leaders work

closely with parents and local schools to promote regular attendance, helping children build
positive habits for future success.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children's safety, comfort and emotional security are central to practice in the setting.
Leaders maintain a close, proactive overview of welfare, while staff remain alert and
attentive and communicate clearly. Through well-established routines and purposeful
conversations, children learn to assess risks for themselves. For example, children
persevere as they climb onto a tree swing, using crates to reach the seat safely. Staff
prompt children to think through what they need to consider, helping them develop a strong
understanding of how to keep themselves safe.
Children are encouraged to manage personal care independently. Accessible tissue stations
and clear hygiene routines help them take responsibility for their own needs. Staff model
healthy habits, such as by washing hands before meals or after muddy play, which children
quickly adopt.
The setting provides strong support for vulnerable children, including those with special
educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known or previously
known to children's social care. These children form secure relationships with their key
people. Staff undertake additional training to understand individual needs, for example by
working with a physiotherapist to support a child using a new walking frame.
Leaders promote healthy eating through research-informed guidance and close work with
parents. The cook prepares home-cooked meals such as lentil and fish curries, soups and
meat with vegetables. Meals are adapted so that all children can enjoy the same options,
and children have become more willing to try new foods.
Snack time is built into small circle-time sessions, where children choose healthy snacks
and explore textures while discussing health. A calm, nurturing environment supports babies
and younger children during sleep times. Staff follow familiar routines and offer gentle
reassurance, helping children settle quickly and feel safe and secure.
Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders and staff have high expectations for what children can achieve, and understand
their starting points well. Regular discussion and detailed planning books help staff share
children's achievements and identify next steps, enabling rich, well-matched experiences
across all areas of learning. For example, when reviewing mathematical confidence, staff
record what children were successful in and plan progressive next steps.
The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, rooted in child development and children's interests
and carefully sequenced so that children build knowledge and skills over time. Staff teach
skilfully in the moment, extending learning from what children already know and can do.
Detailed support plans ensure that children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known or previously known to children's social
care are fully included.

Communication and language are prioritised. Staff use songs, rhymes, stories and high-
quality interactions to build listening, attention and vocabulary. Children retell 'We're Going
on a Bear Hunt' using sensory props, swishing through 'grass', splashing through 'water' and
squelching through 'mud'. Babies explore 'Dear Zoo' through touch and movement, while
pre-school children deepen their understanding of stories like 'Superworm'. Sensory
exploration, such as through retrieving minibeasts from muddy materials, further develops
language and fine motor skills.
Mathematics is woven through daily play. Babies hear words like 'tall', and staff model
counting. Older children measure worms, use positional language and apply one-to-one
correspondence, building confidence over time.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders have embedded a strong culture of inclusion across the setting. They work closely
with parents and external professionals. This helps to ensure that every child, including
those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged children and
those known or previously known to children's social care, receives timely, well-matched
support. Productive links with the local authority and health visitors strengthen this
approach. For example, staff consult with health visitors each half term. If concerns are
raised, early checks are completed promptly. This demonstrates coordinated support that
meets children's individual needs. Leaders also act quickly when children need additional
resources, for example by securing a walking frame to support children's mobility and
independence.
Leaders use additional funding effectively to ensure that children are fully included. Funding
contributes towards consumables and one-to-one support for children who need it. This
helps to remove barriers to participation.
Leaders and staff observe children closely. They track children's progress and adapt
activities to meet individual needs. The broad range of opportunities at the nursery
challenges children across all areas of learning. Children with SEND, disadvantaged
children and those known or previously known to children's social care make excellent
progress. This is because support is precisely targeted, regularly reviewed and delivered
with strong professional expertise.
Leaders also recognise the importance of inclusive mealtimes. Working with the setting's
cook, they adapt meals so they are suitable for all children. This careful attention to
individual needs helps children feel included, valued and able to participate fully in daily
routines.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders and staff operate as a cohesive, highly committed team with ambitious expectations
for every child and family. They work with passion and determination to ensure all children
receive the highest standard of care, learning and targeted support.
Leaders ensure that disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or
disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known or previously known to children's social

care receive help as early as possible. A skilled staffing network and exceptionally close
partnerships with the local authority, health visitors, parents and professionals—including
speech and language therapists and paediatricians—ensure that children's needs are
identified swiftly and support is precisely matched.
Leaders show a strong commitment to continuous improvement. They identify immediate
and longer-term priorities confidently, and act quickly to strengthen practice. For example,
when they recognised that staff needed greater confidence in teaching subitising, they
arranged local authority training, improving staff knowledge and the quality of early
mathematics teaching. Leaders also use team expertise effectively. Experienced
practitioners model high-quality interactions for newer colleagues, helping them develop
secure practice and a strong early years pedagogy. Newer staff quickly become confident
and contribute positively to the consistently high-quality provision.
Staff feel highly supported and show enthusiasm for professional growth, with some
pursuing higher-level qualifications. Parents speak warmly about the personalised guidance
they receive and the setting's positive impact on their children's development.
Leaders extend their influence beyond the nursery, welcoming practitioners from
neighbouring settings to observe practice, share expertise and strengthen provision locally.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children demonstrate exceptionally calm and positive behaviour from the moment they
arrive. They enter the setting feeling relaxed, content and ready for their day. They show
growing independence as they wash their hands, wipe their noses and move smoothly
through familiar routines, which they follow impeccably. Their kindness towards others and
pride in caring for themselves contribute to a peaceful, well-organised atmosphere.
Children form strong, trusting relationships with staff and with one another. Warm, nurturing
interactions help them feel safe, valued and secure. Staff greet families gently each
morning, taking time to check in with parents and make thoughtful adjustments so that every
child can settle and flourish.
Children know the routines well and take pleasure in joining in with familiar daily activities.
Staff offer calm encouragement, helping children grow in confidence as they participate in
songs, rhymes and actions. Through daily conversations, children steadily build their
vocabulary. Younger children begin to copy words and phrases from favourite stories, while
older children share their thoughts and ideas during circle time, helping them feel listened to
and valued.
Children have daily opportunities to strengthen their physical skills through a wide range of
thoughtfully planned experiences. They sew using child-safe materials, connect different
types of construction resources and practise scooping and transferring during sensory play.
Indoors, younger children explore apparatus that support climbing, balancing and
coordinated movement. Outdoors, the wonderfully sloped gardens encourage children to
risk assess as they move around, developing balance, core strength and spatial awareness.
They enjoy using the tree swing, modelling with clay and engaging in other hands-on
activities that build fine and gross motor skills over time.
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known
or previously known to children's social care and those facing other barriers to learning,
make excellent progress from their starting points. The wealth of opportunities on offer helps
children to build skills across all 7 areas of learning, ensuring they leave well prepared for
the next stage of their education and for school life.
Next steps
Leaders and those responsible for governance should continue sustaining their highly
effective practice to secure ongoing improvement and maintain consistently high
standards. They should also extend their outward-facing work, routinely sharing good
practice with other settings to support wider system development and strengthen
provision beyond the nursery.

Inspector:
Debbie Wilkinson-Martin
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2852783
Address:
WESTFIELD HOUSE NURSERY
Prospect Road
Crook
DL15 8JL
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 25/07/2025
Registered person: Westfield House Nursery Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Durham
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 11 August 2026
Children numbers
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator,
assistants and parents and carers during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
49
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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