Schoolgate Nursery

An imaginary nursery dog, a wooden train and a restaurant run through role play give Schoolgate Nursery’s March 2022 picture its character: children turning make-believe into conversation, independence and early writing. This Harlow setting has capacity for 26 children.

At its 22 March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Schoolgate Outstanding and found that carefully planned education helped children, including those with SEND or learning English as an additional language, make rapid progress. Children attending then were aged two to four. The strongest examples linked learning to things children wanted to do.

In March 2022, children used clipboards to take restaurant orders and talked with staff acting as customers. The early years foundation stage sets the framework for learning, development and care; here, those restaurant games illustrated how writing and language could grow through play.

Mathematics also had everyday applications that March: counting snack-time fruit and garden bugs, then exploring size, shape and number through staff questions. Book corners gave children places to share stories and talk about favourite characters. Staff assessed development and planned subsequent learning around each child’s needs.

Passport Ted could accompany children on holiday, while a puppet could go home for a weekend, extending nursery experiences beyond the setting. A gadget wall brought together bells, switches, taps and locks for hands-on exploration. Children also developed their own imaginary zoo journeys from play on the wooden train. These were concrete invitations to investigate, talk and invent.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding warning signs and how to raise concerns both within and beyond the nursery.

In March 2022, children had close relationships with staff and independently managed tasks such as putting on coats. Adults modelled listening, sharing and taking turns, helping children practise considerate behaviour. Handwashing, toothbrushing and dentist stories made personal care part of learning.

Communication that March included newsletters and daily accounts of children’s activities. School preparation involved a Reception teacher’s visit, trying on uniform and looking at photographs of destination schools. These gave children concrete ways to become familiar with the next stage.

Schoolgate Nursery is at Medway Block, Carters Mead, Harlow, CM17 9EU.

At the March 2022 inspection, weekday term-time opening hours were 8.30am to 3.30pm, with split session times of 8.30am to 12pm and 1pm to 3.30pm. This was a term-time pattern, rather than year-round attendance.

The nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds in March 2022. That dated arrangement belongs alongside the session timetable when considering how childcare would fit family routines.

• The term-time pattern. The March 2022 timetable combined a daytime opening window with shorter sessions. At a visit, how do today’s attendance options, holiday closures and funded-hours arrangements fit your working week?
• Learning through make-believe. Restaurant orders, an imaginary dog and zoo journeys were prominent in March 2022. This is a useful picture for families whose children enjoy inventing stories and joining conversations through play.
• Preparation for school. Uniform practice, school photographs and a Reception teacher’s visit featured in March 2022. The emphasis was on making the next environment familiar to children.

Schoolgate’s March 2022 strengths lay in purposeful play, independence and close communication with families. Its term-time timetable then suited both families seeking a daytime opening window and those using shorter sessions. For parents drawn to imaginative learning, the restaurant, gadget wall and home-going toys give the Outstanding judgement substance, while keeping that assessment anchored to its date.