Hanwell Fields Community School Nursery Review

Fairy tales, Fred the frog and a woodland site on school grounds give Caterpillars its own identity. This is Hanwell Fields Community School’s nursery for children aged 3 to 4 in Banbury, alongside Ladybirds pre-nursery for ages 2 to 3. Both belong to the school’s early years provision, with independence and learning through play shaping the approach.

At the Ofsted inspection on 14 and 15 January 2025, the school’s early years provision was judged Outstanding. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating. In January 2025, children showed sustained attention during activities involving hand control and vocabulary, while adults helped them learn and use unfamiliar words.

Language gives the Caterpillars day its thread. Adults demonstrate complete sentences during play, invite children to contribute ideas and introduce more precise vocabulary. Planned books connect with the role play area, beginning with fairy tales and widening into other stories. Songs and nursery rhymes add further opportunities to listen and join in. A carpet buddy gives children someone to exchange answers and ideas with.

Read Write Inc in Nursery starts with understanding spoken language. Fred the frog introduces Fred Talk: adults separate a word into sounds and children work out the word. Picture prompts come before explicit sound teaching; the first 30 sounds are introduced once children can sit on the carpet, with practice in writing them too. This is preparation built around talk, rather than simply a reading lesson transplanted into nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) approach gives children opportunities to explore, make decisions and solve problems through play. Refurbished learning spaces and an outdoor area support that approach. Caterpillars also use the Forest School site within the school grounds, giving their outdoor learning a distinct woodland setting. Early years music draws on Musical Development Matters in the Early Years, with the early years team supported by the music coordinator.

Everyday independence is an explicit focus in Caterpillars: children practise handwashing, toileting and putting on coats, alongside listening and expressing their needs. Conscious Discipline is used across early years to help children recognise feelings and manage behaviour. These routines connect care with the skills children need to participate in a group.

Settling into the attendance pattern can be gradual. Caterpillars encourages at least three sessions each week initially, increasing towards five over the year. Families can discuss support for readiness with the Early Years Lead or school office team.

Within Ladybirds, staff share responsibilities so that children get to know the whole team. Staff receive paediatric first aid training, with food hygiene and safeguarding training refreshed regularly. For meals, Ladybirds families can choose a school dinner or supply a packed lunch; allergies and dietary needs must be recorded at registration and changes communicated promptly. SENDIASS Oxfordshire offers families impartial advice and support concerning special educational needs and disabilities.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Oxfordshire County Council’s normal application route and meet the deadline for their entry year.

Caterpillars prepares children through practical habits: managing belongings, following instructions and becoming more independent. Carpet buddies and classroom signals also introduce routines used later in school. That familiarity is preparation for the next stage, not an admissions entitlement.

Caterpillars asks children to attend their funded 15 or 30 hours across Monday to Friday in term time. This pattern matters for families seeking childcare concentrated into fewer days, even with the gradual start described above.

Nursery tours take around 20 minutes, and children can attend. Book a tour or contact the school office at admin@hanwellfields.org or 01295 709583. On Forest School days, children need long trousers and sleeves, with extra warm layers in cold weather and separate indoor footwear. Ladybirds lunch and additional childcare carry charges outside the relevant funded sessions; contact the school for current charges.