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HowGill Centre Nursery

Ofsted: Expected standard·
5.0(1 parent reviews) ·Howgill Nursery Kells, High Road, Whitehaven, CA28 9PQ · Cumberland
Number of places
20 places
Age range
2–3 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Cumberland

About this day nursery

HowGill Centre Nursery, based in Whitehaven, Cumbria, provides childcare for children aged 2-3 years old, operating from 08:30 to 15:30, Monday to Friday. Established in 2023, the nursery offers a nurturing and inclusive environment where children thrive.

The dedicated staff, alongside a committed management team, implement an ambitious EYFS curriculum tailored to each child's unique needs and ensures they make secure progress from their individual starting points. Children benefit from daily outdoor play, which supports physical development and healthy lifestyles, and engage in activities that build mathematical foundations and communication skills.

The nursery prioritises children's wellbeing and emotional development, fostering secure attachments and a love for learning. A strong emphasis is placed on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those facing barriers to learning, ensuring all children achieve well.

The setting works closely with parents, offering bespoke settling-in processes and guidance to extend learning at home, creating a supportive partnership for each child's educational journey.

Our ethos

The nursery encourages children to explore and develop their imaginations through creative and free-flow activities. They focus on building strong relationships with parents and children, taking a sensitive and responsive approach to individual needs.

What it's like

Children thrive in this inclusive and nurturing setting, greeted by warm, caring staff who take a genuine interest in their wellbeing, helping them feel secure and develop a secure sense of belonging. Leaders promote regular attendance, work closely with parents to overcome barriers, and provide bespoke settling-in processes tailored to each child's needs, supporting their overall wellbeing. Children maintain high expectations, show curiosity, and a clear desire to extend their learning.

Nurturing environmentAmbitious curriculumStrong parent partnershipsInclusive provisionDaily outdoor play

Pricing & funding

Fees are structured around morning, afternoon, school day, and full day sessions. All standard sessions include snacks, with additional hours available if needed.

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Fees include snacks for all sessions.

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 3:30pm, Term Time Only

Age range

2-4 years

Established

2023

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Expected standard

Last inspected Feb 2026

Headline: Expected standard

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

AchievementExpected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Age range
2 to 3
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for HowGill Centre Nursery

Last inspected 11 February 2026 · Karen James

What it's like to attend

Children thrive in this inclusive and nurturing setting, greeted by warm, caring staff who take a genuine interest in their wellbeing, helping them feel secure and develop a secure sense of belonging. Leaders promote regular attendance, work closely with parents to overcome barriers, and provide bespoke settling-in processes tailored to each child's needs, supporting their overall wellbeing. Children maintain high expectations, show curiosity, and a clear desire to extend their learning.

Inspector highlights

  • Children demonstrate enthusiasm and curiosity as they grow more confident in their abilities.
  • Staff set clear expectations for children's behaviour, ensuring consistency, patience and sensitivity.
  • The leaders and staff have developed a tailored settling-in process for each child, which helps children settle confidently.
  • Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that supports children's development across all areas of learning.
  • The nursery benefits from a committed management team that sustains the setting's ethos and drives continuous improvement.

Areas to develop

  • 1Staff do not always identify quieter children quickly enough during group activities. For example, during water play and story time, staff do not consistently involve them in discussion. This can limit their access to the full curriculum and limit them in making even swifter progress.
  • 2Leaders should provide staff with targeted professional learning to develop specialist knowledge, enabling them to precisely adapt teaching to meet the developmental needs of individual children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or barriers to learning.
  • 3Leaders should strengthen staff practice even further through monitoring and coaching to ensure that teaching consistently enriches children's learning and development at every opportunity.
Inspection #2753823 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who may face barriers to their learning or wellbeing, make secure progress in their learning and development from their unique starting points. Staff and leaders are committed to identifying, assessing and addressing the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged or face barriers to learning or wellbeing. All children, including those with SEND, are disadvantaged and/or face barriers to their learning, achieve well.

Outdoor space

Children at HowGill Centre Nursery develop an understanding of healthy lifestyles, discussing healthy foods at snack time and enjoying daily outdoor play. This daily outdoor play provides plenty of fresh air, exercise, and opportunities to develop their physical skills and awareness of exercise.

EAL / language support

HowGill Centre Nursery supports children developing early speech by using visual cues, gestures, and objects of reference to support their participation, enabling them to engage fully in learning. Staff model and repeat vocabulary to support accurate pronunciation.

Parent Reviews of HowGill Centre Nursery

5.0
(1)
Mesia Fox
2 years ago

The best nursery setting around here! The teachers are so welcoming and have helped out little girl massively with her confidence and her talking has came on so much since she started! Can’t wait for her to go back after summer

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Inspection history

Most recent inspection

11 February 2026

Expected standard

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more