Nursery at The Beacon School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A woodland welly walk and swimming from the Spring Term give Little Beacons a day that reaches beyond the classroom. This is The Beacon School’s nursery for children aged 3–4, with 30 places and a teacher-led team. Boys and girls have been welcomed together since September 2026.
Within the Pre-Prep, children share the Oakway early years building with Reception. Classrooms connect to outdoor learning space, allowing play to move between inside and outside, while a dedicated library adds a place for books. The nursery combines children’s own exploration with activities directed by adults.
Play has both freedom and structure here. Children choose activities and explore independently, alongside adult-led introductions to phonics, shapes, French and numbers. Cooking, art and topic work add practical ways to investigate ideas. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) gives this learning its framework: development includes physical skills, relationships and emotional confidence alongside knowledge.
Specialist teaching brings music, PE and library activities into the week. Swimming takes place in the indoor pool from the Spring Term. A weekly welly walk uses the nursery’s dedicated forest area, giving outdoor learning a setting beyond the classroom doors.
Music sessions use rhythm sticks, body percussion and listening games, with action songs adding movement to singing. These are concrete ways for young children to explore rhythm, pitch and changes in volume.
The ISI inspection of 21–23 January 2025 found that early years activities drew on children’s interests and supported good progress. Its examples included making models from discarded materials and inventing an ice-cream shop with kinetic sand. Children could select resources themselves and share them carefully, connecting imaginative play with independence and cooperation.
A qualified teacher works alongside teaching assistants, with Level 3 early years practitioners included in the nursery team. For September starters, a July Moving-Up Morning introduces school life before term begins. Parents have a Summer Term Information Evening and receive access to the Parent Portal before their child starts, giving families time to prepare together.
Food needs careful attention to the booking arrangement. Full-day sessions include a hot lunch under the fee schedule; the nursery policy treats lunch as an extra charge and allows children to eat at home instead. The fee schedule includes daily snacks and hot lunch, with an exception for Little Beacons attending morning sessions only; confirm the food arrangements for your booking. The catering provision accommodates allergies and special diets, so dietary needs can be discussed as part of planning care.
The Learning Support Centre oversees support in the EYFS, assisted by the Pre-Prep Assistant SENDCo and learning support assistants. Parents contribute to support plans when concerns arise. This is mainstream provision rather than a specialist setting, so a child’s particular needs must be discussed before admission. Oakway has ramp access and accessible toilets.
Nursery attendance does not give an unconditional guarantee of a Reception place. The nursery sets out a specific continuation arrangement: children are expected to move into Reception if their progress is satisfactory and the school deposit is paid. They do not have to register again. Families should distinguish that conditional continuation from an automatic entitlement.
Shared accommodation and opportunities for joint day trips help make the next stage familiar. In January 2025, early years staff supported transitions by developing trusting relationships with children, their peers and adults. That is transition support, separate from the conditions governing progression.
Morning sessions run from 09:00 to 12:00; full days run from 09:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday. Attendance operates in three-hour blocks. The fee schedule requires five sessions weekly in Autumn, rising to seven in Spring and eight in Summer, so the time commitment increases through the year. Session changes require a full term’s notice.
The nursery opens for 35 weeks annually. Families can access 15 funded hours each week during term time, but funding cannot be used here for the other three weeks of the state sector’s 38-week arrangement. Additional hours can be purchased. Food, trips and additional activities can attract charges under the nursery policy; activity and trip costs are discussed beforehand. Ask the school for current charges and the terms applying to your booking.
Pre-booked Late Stay runs from 15:00 to 18:00 under the nursery policy, while Breakfast Club is charged separately. Individual tours can be booked through admissions. The January 2025 ISI report also recommended that school policies be updated promptly to match practice, reinforcing the value of checking contractual details before accepting a place.
It caters for boys and girls aged 3–4. Children normally enter in the academic year in which they turn four; entry in the term after their third birthday is sometimes possible if space permits.
Morning sessions run from 09:00 to 12:00. The fee schedule requires at least five sessions weekly in Autumn, seven in Spring and eight in Summer, so families should plan for increasing attendance.
Progression is conditional on satisfactory progress and payment of the school deposit. Existing nursery children do not need to register again under the nursery admission policy.
Yes. Little Beacons offers 15 funded hours weekly during term time for children aged 3–4. Its nursery year lasts 35 weeks, with funding unavailable here for the remaining three weeks of the 38-week state sector arrangement.
Book an individual tour through the admissions team. Tours are offered throughout the year and include a meeting with the Headmaster.
