Windmill Pre School & Nursery

02/09/2026

You have until January to apply - we will keep reminding you throughout the next few months so nobody misses out!

Applications for school places in Worcestershire for September 2027 are now open.

Parents and carers should apply if their child is due to start school for the first time, or is transferring to a Middle or High School, in September 2027. The deadline for High School applications is 31 October 2026, while the deadline for Primary, First, Infant, Junior and Middle School applications is 15 January 2027.

When making your three preferences, we strong encourage you include your catchment school as one of your choices. This helps ensure you have the best chance of securing a place at a local school if you are not offered one of your other preferred schools.

Guidance on starting school and moving on to the next stage of education is available at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

26/08/2026

📣 Free SEND Advice Appointments – Bromsgrove

Do you have questions about SEND support or the EHCP process? Come along and speak with a SENDIASS Advisor for a FREE 30-minute advice appointment.

📍 Pear Tree Family Hub
Broad Street, Bromsgrove, B61 8LW
📅 Monday 14 September 2026
🕘 Appointments available between 9:30am and 2:15pm

Whether you have questions, need some guidance or aren’t sure what your next steps should be, this is a great opportunity to get free, impartial advice and support.

📱 Scan the QR code on the flyer to find out more and book your appointment.

26/08/2026

💩 Does your child avoid doing a poo on the toilet and only want to poo in a nappy? You're not alone.

Lots of children go through a stage where they’ll only poo in a nappy, even after starting potty training. It's a common phase, and with patience and support, most children move on from it.

💡 Top tip: If your child asks for a nappy to do a poo, try not to say no. Refusing can lead to them withholding their poo, which may cause constipation. Instead, let them use the nappy just to do their poo, while gently and gradually working towards using the potty or toilet.

Here are some things to consider if your child will only poo in a nappy:

Constipation 💩
A painful poo can make children anxious about going again, leading them to hold on and avoid the toilet. Before focusing on toileting behaviour, make sure any constipation is well managed. It can make all the difference. Use our poo diary and poo checker to track your child's poo habits and read our advice sheet to find out how to spot the signs of constipation.

Is your child scared of the toilet? 🫣
Whether it's the flush, splashing water or sitting on the toilet, small steps and lots of reassurance can help build confidence. You can even turn toilet time into a fun game - visit the Toilet Anxiety page on our website for fun ideas.

Learning to sit on the toilet 🚽
Start by taking the pressure off. Sitting on the potty or toilet isn't about pooing yet, it's about helping your child feel relaxed and comfortable. Begin with a few seconds fully clothed, celebrate every sit, and avoid talking about wee or poo. As their confidence grows, gradually build up to regular toilet sits after meals and before bed. Small steps, consistency and plenty of praise can make a big difference. Keep favourite toys or books nearby and reward every success, no matter how small. Find the webinar 'Tips for helping your child relax on the toilet' on the Family webinars page on the website.

What next?

Once constipation is under control and your child is happy sitting on the potty or toilet for 5-10 minutes, it's time to focus on pooing in the right place. Break the journey into tiny, achievable steps, moving from where they currently like to poo towards the potty or toilet. Find more practical tips and helpful case studies here: https://eric.org.uk/children-who-will-only-poo-in-a-nappy-and-other-toilet-avoiders/

Be patient. Progress can take time, but small, consistent steps lead to big wins.
🎉Celebrate every success along the way.

11/08/2026

🟠☀️ AMBER HEAT WARNING – IMPORTANT PARENT UPDATE ☀️🟠

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have another Amber Heat Warning coming into effect from Wednesday through to Thursday, with the possibility of continuing into Friday.

As always, the safety, health and wellbeing of all our children and staff will remain our highest priority.

Throughout the hot weather, we will continue to follow our nursery heatwave policies and procedures, alongside the relevant Local Authority guidance. We will be closely monitoring the children, staff and temperatures within the building throughout each day.

Our intention is to remain open as normal for as long as it is safe and appropriate to do so. However, as we experienced during the previous period of extreme heat, temperatures inside the building can rise considerably as we move into the afternoon.

If we feel that conditions are becoming too uncomfortable or are beginning to affect the safety and wellbeing of the children or staff, we may need to make the difficult decision to close earlier than usual.

If an early closure is necessary, we aim to make and communicate that decision by 1:00pm each day.

If you choose to collect your child earlier during these hot days, please let us know, as this will help us with our planning.

Likewise, if you decide to keep your child/children at home due to the heat, please let us know as early as possible so that we know who to expect each day.

☀️ Please Help Us Before Your Child Arrives

As children may be accessing the outdoors from early in the day, please ensure:

🧴 Sunscreen is applied to your child before they arrive at nursery or preschool.

🧢 Your child brings a named sun hat.

💧 Your child brings a named drinks bottle each day.

We will continue to encourage children to drink regularly, make use of shaded areas, adapt outdoor activities and closely monitor everyone throughout the day.

📱 Please keep a close eye on your Dojo messages throughout Wednesday, Thursday and potentially Friday, as this is where we will provide important updates or any changes to collection arrangements.

We completely understand that changes to opening hours can be difficult, particularly for our working families. Please be assured that any decision to close early will never be taken lightly and will only be made with the safety and welfare of our children and staff in mind.

Thank you once again for your continued understanding, flexibility and support. Working together makes such a difference during these periods of extreme heat.

Kind regards,

The Management Team
**Windmill Preschool and Nursery

10/08/2026

🌞🌑 LOOK UP! A SOLAR ECLIPSE IS COMING! 🌑🌞

Something very exciting is happening in the sky this Wednesday! ✨ A solar eclipse will be taking place, and it could be visible from England! 🇬🇧

It’s expected to be the first solar eclipse visible from England since 1999, so this could be a really special sight to see!

The eclipse is expected to begin at around 6:15pm, so keep your eyes on the sky and your fingers crossed for clear weather! ☀️🤞

⚠️ Remember — never look directly at the Sun! Here are a few ways you can watch the eclipse safely:

24/06/2026

🌞🔴 RED HEATWAVE UPDATE FOR PARENTS & CARERS 🔴🌞

Firstly, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of our families for your support, understanding and cooperation during this Red Heat Warning period. Your support has been greatly appreciated as we continue to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all children in our care.

Tomorrow is forecast to be even hotter than today, and we will remain under a Red Heat Warning.

We would therefore like to kindly ask again that if you are able to keep your child/children at home and do not need childcare, please consider doing so. This will help us to continue providing the safest and most comfortable environment possible for the children attending.

Please be assured that we are continuing to follow all heat and sun safety guidance, including:

💧 Regular hydration breaks
🧢 Encouraging children to wear sun hats
☀️ Limiting outdoor play during peak temperatures
🌿 Using shaded and cooler areas wherever possible
🚰 Continuous access to drinking water
👶 Close monitoring of all children for signs of heat-related illness

We are remaining open at the nursery today. However, if you are able to collect your child a little earlier than usual, this would be greatly appreciated.

Please note that Preschool at Vaynor will be closing to children at 1:45pm today and tomorrow, however you can collect from 1pm.

As Vaynor Preschool is located on a school site, we have taken the decision to follow the school’s closure arrangements during the Red Heat Warning. In addition, the preschool unit is south-facing and receives direct sunlight for most of the day, with very limited relief from the heat. Despite implementing all available control measures, we feel that closing earlier is the safest decision for the welfare, comfort and wellbeing of the children and staff.

For tomorrow, we will make every effort to remain open all day at the nursery, provided it remains safe and comfortable for the children to do so. We will continue to monitor temperatures closely throughout the day and will keep all families updated.

Should we need to make any changes to our opening hours, a final decision will be communicated by 12:00pm tomorrow.

Thank you once again for your continued support, patience and understanding during this exceptional weather.

🌿 The safety, comfort and welfare of our children will always remain our priority.

Kind regards,

The Management Team
Windmill Preschool and Nursery

24/06/2026

🌞With temperatures soaring in some parts of the UK, are you worried your child isn't drinking enough?

Children should drink 6-8 glasses of water-based fluid every day.

Drinking water is important for good bowel and bladder health, and for tackling daytime wetting, night-time wetting and poo problems like constipation, but we understand it can be hard to get kids to drink enough.

Here are a few tips on how to encourage your child to drink more:

🔵Make ice lollies using well-diluted squash. Don’t add sugar and avoid using blackcurrant squash, which can irritate the bladder.
🔵Jazz up their water with ice cubes, umbrellas and slices of fruit.
🔵Buy or customise your own funky straws.
🔵Let them choose their cup and fill it themselves.
🔵Make sugar-free jellies that contain the equivalent of one cup of water.
🔵Use our Wee Checker colour chart to see if your child is drinking enough. Print it out and put it on your bathroom door so that your child can learn to spot the signs of dehydration and be motivated to have another drink.

Find more tips on how to encourage your child to drink more on the ERIC website: https://eric.org.uk/childrens-bladders/how-to-get-kids-to-drink-more-water/

Let us know your tips or tricks for encouraging children to drink more in the comments!

24/06/2026

Our open evening that we was going to have today at our vaynor branch is now next monday - Hope everyone can make it!

23/06/2026