St George's Nursery & Pre School

Real cameras, a typewriter and old-style telephones gave imaginative play a practical texture here in November 2024. Children experimented with familiar objects while staff joined their conversations and make-believe. Everyday equipment became material for learning.

Ofsted rated St George's Nursery & Pre School Outstanding at its 18 November 2024 inspection. The nursery has capacity for 42 children aged 0 to 60 months and operates in Arreton, on the Isle of Wight.

In November 2024, learning followed children's interests: when babies wanted to climb, staff introduced resources to develop their movement. Books were accessible outdoors as well as indoors. Older children selected a story using tokens, then predicted and counted the votes, bringing mathematical thinking into a shared reading activity.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, its practical expression in November 2024 included physical exploration, conversation, counting and imaginative play, with assessment informing what staff planned next.

Makaton signing supported communication in November 2024, including for children who were not yet speaking. Small-group games used bubbles and resources in a bucket to encourage attention and participation. These were concrete ways to help children join an activity before they could express everything in words.

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, excellent progress for children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and strong support through individual programmes and the key-person system. In November 2024, staff followed babies' and toddlers' home routines for sleep and encouraged handwashing around meals and toileting.

Home learning had a playful form: Gruffalo themed play dough bags, supplied with spikes, encouraged children to invent creatures in November 2024. Leaders also helped families access other agencies. Support extended beyond the activity table.

Preparation for school was practical in November 2024. Staff used conversations with Reception teachers to shape activities, created photo books of children's next settings and coordinated taster days with childminders so friends could attend together.

The address is Arreton St. Georges C of E Primary School, Main Road, Arreton, NEWPORT, PO30 3AD. In November 2024, the nursery used a mobile building within the school grounds. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Opening hours are 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery opens across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. In November 2024, it provided government-funded early education for children aged from nine months to four years.

• Your attendance pattern. The opening window runs from 7.45am to 6pm on weekdays. At a visit, ask which booking patterns fit your routine and how funded hours, meals and consumables are handled within them.
• School-site setting. The nursery occupied a mobile building in the primary school grounds in November 2024. This makes the physical layout a useful part of a visit; sharing the site does not secure a Reception place.

St George's suits families seeking care for babies through to preschool age, with a weekday opening window that extends into the early evening. Its November 2024 strengths were concrete: responsive activities, signing to support communication and imaginative resources, alongside practical help for families and preparation for children's next setting. The Outstanding judgement gives that account weight, while the examples explain what it meant for children's days.