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Nursery at West Croft 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Purposeful play, early conversation and a purpose-built nursery give Little Crofters its character. Part of West Croft School in Bideford, it caters for children aged two to four, with qualified teachers working alongside Early Years Practitioners. That puts teaching and play together from the start.
The nursery occupies a modern block close to the school's other teaching buildings. Its indoor and outdoor play spaces support physical development, giving children opportunities to move as well as talk and imagine. Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Good at the inspection on 15 and 16 February 2022; this is an early years judgement within the school inspection.
Children's own choices sit alongside activities guided by adults. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum values play, language and relationships: in practical terms, adults help children develop their vocabulary and imaginative play while following their interests. Natural learning environments include loose parts areas, where materials become starting points for conversation and invention.
Listening comes before formal reading. The nursery's Letters and Sounds work includes recognising sounds around them, exploring rhythm, playing with rhyme and using their voices. These activities develop attention to sounds and prepare children for later reading. Twelve nursery goals give the curriculum a defined set of aims.
In February 2022, stories and rhymes helped early years children participate eagerly and develop their talk, while nursery phonics teaching was effective. Number learning also happened through carefully planned play, with children showing curiosity and success. These are useful signs of how early learning works here: language and mathematics emerge through activities children can join in.
Outdoors, the school's Forest School approach centres on exploration led by children. Woodland within the grounds gives learning a physical setting, and the school describes access for every child. Experiences with natural materials extend play beyond the nursery's indoor spaces. Outdoor learning continues in most weather, so clothing suitable for muddy play matters.
Partnership with parents is part of the nursery's approach, with practitioners working alongside families and other childcare professionals. Early years parents can attend workshops and see their children working in school, helping connect learning at home with nursery activities.
For children with additional needs, the early years team works with Nursery Plus on the first stages of personal, social and emotional development. The school's SEND arrangements include adaptations to learning, support in small groups or individually, and a sensory room for regulation. Support follows the child's assessed needs, rather than a single package for everyone. Parents contribute to termly reviews of My Plans.
School dinners are cooked in the onsite kitchen, with hot meals, jacket potatoes and chicken wraps among the options. This describes the school's food provision; it should not be read as a promise of free nursery lunches.
Attending Little Crofters does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the local authority where they live for the normal admissions round. Treat that application as a separate step from arranging nursery care.
Devon County Council is the school's admissions authority. The school's admissions page directs families to Devon's coordinated schemes for the full arrangements. The nursery's position within West Croft makes it part of school life, but physical proximity does not secure admission.
Term-time care for two- to four-year-olds is described on the nursery welcome page as 9am to 3pm. The school's opening-times page gives a different nursery start, 8:50am, with the same 3pm finish. Keep that discrepancy in mind when planning drop-off.
For three- and four-year-olds, Little Crofters advertises government-funded places covering 30 hours each week during term time. The school also provides separate links for two-year-old funding and working-family funding, and offers help with funded-hours applications during nursery visits.
Contact nursery@westcroft.devon.sch.uk or the school office on 01237 473548 for nursery enquiries and to arrange a visit. Access is via Coronation Road. Parents cannot drive onto the site, and there is no onsite parking, so allow for the final part of the journey on foot.
The nursery provides care for children aged two to four.
The nursery welcome page gives 9am to 3pm during term time. The school's opening-times page lists 8:50am to 3pm for nursery, so the two pages differ on the start time.
Little Crofters advertises 30 hours a week of government-funded, term-time places for three- and four-year-olds. The school provides funding application links and offers help with applications during visits.
No. Families need to apply separately for Reception through the local authority where they live in the normal admissions round.
Contact the school office on 01237 473548. Nursery enquiries can also be sent to nursery@westcroft.devon.sch.uk.
