Peasedown St John Primary School Nursery Review

Bread dough, bird watching and a mud kitchen give this nursery its practical character. Provision starts at age 2 within Peasedown St John Primary School, with nursery activities extending into the school hall, playground and sports field. Children get experience of the wider school as well as their own nursery spaces.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 26 and 27 September 2023. That judgement covers the school's early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Stories become things to do. Ladybirds have explored Whatever next alongside bread baking in the cookery corner, while Bumblebees have matched the numeral 4 to objects and fingers. These examples connect language and early number work with things children can handle. Learning has also included comparing how people are alike and different.

Forest school brings observation into the mix. Children have made binoculars for the RSPB big bird watch and investigated changing ice during winter learning. Hedgehog houses have been another outdoor activity, giving children something to watch for signs of animal visitors. Nursery children have also used the sports field for Forest school and PE, and cared for butterflies before their planned release.

The mud kitchen adds another kind of practical work: children have tried grating and chopping apples. Indoors, activities have included threading, tracing and tap a shape challenges, alongside water play. Music sessions have involved instruments and singing; Ladybirds have taken part in PE in the hall. The combination gives children opportunities to use their hands, move their bodies and practise listening.

In September 2023, early years teaching used checks on children's learning to decide what knowledge to build next. Adults helped children manage classroom routines and talk through their learning, supporting independence as well as conversation. For parents, that connects the busy activities with a clear purpose: learning to explain, participate and do more for themselves.

Getting to know new children has included first-day updates through Tapestry. Photos and information about nursery PE have also been shared there, giving families a way to see activities their child has tried.

Food has been part of learning as well as eating. During the bread-making activity, Ladybirds shaped dough with their hands, learnt about kitchen safety and ate the finished rolls at snack time. This was a practical introduction to preparing something they could then taste.

Care also appears in everyday safety conversations. Nursery children have discussed staying safe around water and on holiday, while winter learning has included keeping warm outdoors. These are concrete situations children can recognise.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the BANES Admissions Team and meet the normal application deadline.

Transition activities sit separately from that application. In June 2024, Bumblebees began Reception transition sessions that continued into the following week. After BANES offer letters, children and parents are invited to Getting to Know You sessions, with opportunities to meet teachers and explore Reception classes. A summer New Parents' Information Evening gives families another introduction to the next stage.

Contact the school office for a nursery application on 01761 432311 or at office@peasedown.mnsp.org.uk.

Outdoor activities have practical consequences for clothing. Families have been asked to provide spare clothes after Forest school, and named sun cream and sun hats for sunny weather. Packing for those activities helps children take part and change afterwards when needed.