Doveridge Primary School Nursery Review

Den building, a daily story vote and play that moves between classroom and outdoors give Doveridge’s nursery its character. Children belong to Class 1, a mixed nursery and Reception group, while an Early Years Practitioner teaches the nursery children separately for some activities. Shared play and nursery-specific teaching both feature in the day.

Funding begins in the term following a child’s third birthday. The nursery sits within Doveridge Primary School at Chapel Green in Doveridge, with its own booking form rather than the application used for a school place.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes both the indoor classroom and the outdoor space. In practice, this means learning through play alongside activities guided by adults. Open shelves and self-service areas let children select resources themselves; adaptable role-play provision gives them room to develop their own ideas. Class challenges and Magic Moments add adult-planned experiences to that choice.

Topics follow a two-year cycle spanning nursery and Reception, with children’s interests helping determine the themes. Nursery teaching has its own emphasis. Essential Letters and Sounds Phase 1 develops attention to sound through rhymes, listening games and experimenting with voices. Class 1 phonics takes place for 30 minutes each weekday, with children taught in separate year groups. The nursery focus is preparation for later reading, rather than starting with specific written letter sounds.

Stories also give children a say. They select a book through the classroom voting station before lunch, making group decisions part of an ordinary morning. Free-flow access to the outdoor classroom allows play to continue outside. Weekly Forest School brings woodland exploration, outdoor crafts and den building into the timetable. These are concrete opportunities to talk, cooperate and use bigger movements beyond the classroom.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that early-years children began well, with varied activities that helped them practise taught skills. Examples included searching for seeds in Forest School and using vocabulary to distinguish animals active by night from those active by day.

Wellbeing Wednesday gives feelings a regular place in Class 1. Stories and discussion explore emotions, while Circle Gallery lets children share their artwork. A classroom area for calming down remains accessible throughout the day, with books, colouring and breathing techniques among the choices. Children have somewhere to pause as well as places to play.

Seesaw records nursery learning and carries messages between home and staff. Parent Share afternoons bring families into school for songs, storytelling or dance, and a home-school diary provides another communication route. Fresh fruit is offered daily; families may send a healthy alternative snack provided it contains no nuts. Children who need help with independent toileting should have that need discussed with their class teachers.

The September 2024 starter programme included summer visits to children’s existing settings, a Welcome Meeting and Stay and Play sessions in the classroom and forest. Those sessions gave families time to discuss allergies, preferences and SEND needs. Across the school, SEND provision is tailored to children’s development, with parents and external providers involved in planning support.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and does not confer priority under the school’s admission criteria. Families must apply separately through Derbyshire County Council’s common application process, meeting the normal Reception deadline. Allocation follows the admission criteria rather than the nursery booking.

Shared play with Reception children provides familiarity with the next stage’s peers and routines. Nursery and Reception children also sometimes join together for stories or nursery rhymes. That everyday connection supports continuity; the application remains a separate decision.

Nursery access runs from 8:45am to 3:25pm, Monday to Friday, with a minimum booking equivalent to 15 hours. The funded offer is 15 hours from the term after the third birthday, rising to up to 30 hours for eligible children. Additional hours and attendance over lunchtime carry charges; contact the school for current charges. Off-site trips may involve a voluntary contribution.

Morning Club runs from 8am to 8:50am on weekdays. Afterschool Club extends care from 3:25pm to 4:30pm, Monday to Thursday. Apply by completing and returning the nursery booking form. School visits can be arranged by appointment through the office on 01889 563346 or info@doveridge.derbyshire.sch.uk.

For the standard Class 1 day, staff collect children at the double gates, beside the wall opposite the bike shed. Parents supervise until staff arrive and wait at the same gates for collection. A labelled water bottle and book bag are part of the daily kit.