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Hillside House Nursery in Shrewsbury (SY3)

Ofsted: Needs attention·
5.0(4 parent reviews) ·Hillside House, Lyth Hill Road, SHREWSBURY, SY3 0AU · Shropshire
Number of places
90 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2026
Local authority
Shropshire

About this day nursery

Hillside House Nursery, established in 2003, is a childcare setting for children aged 0-4 years located in Shrewsbury. The nursery operates year-round, from 7:45 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

The dedicated leadership team demonstrates a strong commitment to continuous improvement, having made significant strides since the previous inspection in enhancing staff understanding of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They work in close partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure children with SEND and those facing learning barriers receive targeted support and funding, allowing them to feel included and valued.

Children benefit from a healthy, balanced menu and extensive outdoor provision, which is considered a highlight of the nursery. The curriculum, based on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), fosters exploration and investigation, particularly for older children who make good progress and develop strong social skills.

While improvements have been noted in various areas, the nursery is actively working on enhancing supervision during certain routines and ensuring consistent staff deployment and policy implementation.

Our ethos

Hillside House Nursery aims to provide a safe, homely, happy and stimulating environment where children, staff and parents build strong relationships, allowing the children to feel safe and secure. This gives children the confidence to explore their environment freely using all of their senses. The nursery is committed to continuously reviewing and revising its practice to ensure the highest standards are maintained, fostering a love of children, patience, warmth, kindness, and liveliness in its staff.

What it's like

While there have been many improvements since the last inspection, some weaknesses remain in the arrangements to supervise children at certain times of the day, including at mealtimes. This is partly due to ineffective staff deployment, and partly due to inconsistencies in the implementation of policies. Children are not always supported well enough during routines and do not consistently have familiar staff or their key person with them to provide individual care or reassurance.

Strong leadership commitmentExtensive outdoor provisionTargeted SEND supportOlder children progress well

Pricing & funding

Charges are based on full day, morning, or afternoon sessions, with monthly rates also available. Fees include all meals, snacks, nappy cream, wipes, suncream, and extra-curricular activities. Government funding is stretched over 51 weeks of the year.

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Fees include breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea, nappy cream, wipes, suncream, and extra-curricular activities.
  • Fees are billed monthly in advance, due on the 1st of each month.
  • Fees are charged for 51 weeks of the year.
  • Government funding is stretched over 51 weeks.

Key facts

Food

Breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea are included in the fees. All nursery meals, snacks and drinks are prepared in an onsite kitchen.

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 7:50 am to 6:00 pm

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All_year

Established

2003

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Needs attention

Last inspected Jan 2026

Headline: Needs attention

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
—
Expected standard
—
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementNeeds attention
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesNeeds attention
Children's welfare and wellbeingNeeds attention
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
InclusionNeeds attention
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Hillside House Nursery

Last inspected 23 January 2026 · Juliette Freeman

Safeguarding effective

Actions the provider must take

  • Target support more precisely so that all staff have the skill and knowledge needed to use their interactions fully effectively to extend children's learning and enjoyment by 31/07/2026.
  • Improve the deployment of staff, in particular at times during the daily routine when children are required to wait, such as mealtimes or when playing outside, to ensure that children receive the attention they need by 31/07/2026.
  • Strengthen monitoring to ensure that all staff understand and consistently implement the safe eating policies by 27/02/2026.

What it's like to attend

While there have been many improvements since the last inspection, some weaknesses remain in the arrangements to supervise children at certain times of the day, including at mealtimes. This is partly due to ineffective staff deployment, and partly due to inconsistencies in the implementation of policies. Children are not always supported well enough during routines and do not consistently have familiar staff or their key person with them to provide individual care or reassurance.

Inspector highlights

  • Older children make good progress and develop strong social skills.
  • Strong commitment from leaders to improve the nursery.
  • Children enjoy a healthy, balanced menu and extensive outdoor provision.
  • Strong parent partnerships are developing.
  • Staff feel well supported by leaders.

Areas to develop

  • 1Children's achievement is inconsistent across the nursery, particularly the achievement of younger children. While children are offered opportunities to explore and investigate, they are not always engaged and become bored and uninterested. This means that progress is limited.
  • 2The provision for the toddler age group requires sharply focused improvements to reach the more consistent standards seen elsewhere. Routines like nappy changing and mealtimes are not always managed well, leading to children becoming bored or unsettled while waiting. Staff are often too busy with menial tasks rather than supporting children in their learning.
  • 3Care routines are not always managed well enough to nurture and support children, particularly in the toddler room. Staff deployment and the organisation of routines, such as nappy changing and lunchtime, are less effective than in other areas. This means that some children wait for extended periods and become unsettled.
  • 4The curriculum to support children's consistent progress across all areas of learning is not embedded well enough. Some younger children do not yet benefit from a consistent, motivating, sequenced curriculum. In some rooms, staff deployment and activity planning are less effective. Teaching does not always accurately reflect children's individual developmental stages.
Inspection #10401961 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from targeted support and funding. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to implement targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities so they feel included and valued. Leaders have made solid progress in meeting the needs of all children since the previous inspection, and have worked hard to improve staff's understanding of how to identify and assess the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those where there are barriers to learning.

Outdoor space

Children's health and physical development is prioritised. Children enjoy outdoor learning in the extensive gardens, which helps promote their physical development and their wellbeing. Older children notice their heartbeats after they run around outside.

Parent Reviews of Hillside House Nursery

5.0
(4)
Sammie Milton
11 months ago

My daughter started at Hillside House when she was 12 months old, and my experience has been absolutely fantastic. From day one, the staff have been warm, caring, and attentive, making the transition smooth and stress-free. The nursery provides a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment where children can learn & grow. The activities are well-structured, and I love being updated on the app, but also find they they balanced playtime with learning opportunities. The staff genuinely care about the children, and it shows in how happy and comfortable my daughter is when dropping or picking her up. I highly recommend Hillside House Lyth Hill to any parent looking for a loving and supportive place for their child. It has been a fantastic experience for us so far. Bex, Cait and Charlie have all be very caring and supporting, thank you.

Read on Google
Kate Chaffey
3 years ago

We have been using Hillside house for 7 years and they have always been extremely supportive, kind and caring. Just what we needed for our boys. Special mention of Jo and Bethany.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Hillside House Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: April 2010

The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Requires improvement). We're re-checking it against the original report.

  • June 2025Requires improvement
  • February 2020Good
  • March 2016Outstanding
  • April 2010Outstanding

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