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Nursery at St George's CofE Infant and Nursery 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
The Woodlands gives the nursery its identity within St George's: the name encompasses nursery and Reception provision at this Church of England infant school in Northam. The emphasis is on children getting to know adults, learning to cooperate and developing the language to join in. These are useful foundations for a child's first experience of education.
In November 2025, Ofsted judged the school's early years provision to meet the Expected standard. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating. The early years findings describe children making a positive educational start, with adults attending to their individual needs.
Communication and physical development are concrete strands of the early years curriculum. Activities help children develop both smaller hand movements and larger body movements, while adults demonstrate vocabulary and use language carefully. This connects doing with talking: children have opportunities to develop physical skills alongside the words they need to express themselves.
Cooperative play matters too. Children learn to play together, giving social development a place alongside the knowledge and skills intended to prepare them for further learning. The curriculum is designed to build knowledge and skills for children's next stage of learning. For parents, the useful emphasis is on what children learn through participation, conversation and interaction with others.
The school also aims to respect different cultures, languages and faiths within its Christian ethos. Compassion, friendship and forgiveness are among its values, providing a framework for how members of the school community treat one another.
Adults get to know children promptly and develop an understanding of their needs. In the November 2025 early years findings, relationships with families supported children's social and emotional development as well as their learning. Wellbeing and safety were priorities, placing children's care alongside educational progress.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and disadvantaged children, made good progress relative to their individual starting points in early years. That matters because progress is considered in relation to the child, rather than a single starting level. The school team includes a nursery assistant, alongside SEND support roles and a special educational needs coordinator.
Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Choosing The Woodlands should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself, with the later school application treated as a separate step.
St George's is on Jackets Lane in Northam, Bideford. Nursery enquiries can go to the school office by telephone on 01237 477262 or by email to stgeorges@ventrus.org.uk. This provides a direct contact for families considering the provision.
School news reaches families through a text service and Facebook. Parents can contact the office to register for those communications, helping them stay connected with school information.
The Woodlands is the name used for the school's nursery and Reception provision.
No. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions process.
In November 2025, the school's early years provision met the Expected standard. This is an early years judgement within the school inspection, not a separate nursery rating.
It supports physical development, communication and cooperative play, alongside knowledge and skills for children's next stage of learning.
Telephone the school office on 01237 477262 or email stgeorges@ventrus.org.uk.
