Lambrook School Nursery Review

Free play, daily music and access to a swimming pool give Lambrook’s nursery a distinct mix of early learning and physical activity. Children join in September as rising fours, and cannot start before their third birthday. The nursery sits within the school’s Pre Prep, sharing a wider school site while retaining activities aimed at its youngest children.

A maximum of eight children per key worker sets the scale of adult support. Learning to listen, manage more independently and make friends are explicit aims, so the emphasis extends beyond early literacy and number work to the everyday skills children need in a group.

Child-directed play sits alongside activities planned each day. Maths and literacy feature, together with phonics, PE and music. This gives children time to choose their own play as well as practise listening and joining an adult-led activity. ICT teaching also begins in nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: early learning encompasses development and relationships alongside preparation for school learning. Lambrook’s nursery translates that into trying unfamiliar activities, building independence and discovering more about the world. Open-ended resources support play inside and outdoors, allowing children to decide how to use materials rather than follow a single prescribed task.

Access extends to the Sports Hall, Swimming Pool and the school’s 52-acre grounds. Those shared spaces give physical activity a place beyond the nursery’s own play areas. Sport forms part of the nursery curriculum, rather than being reserved for older pupils.

Key-worker staffing is paired with an open-door approach to parents. That provides a route for everyday conversations about a child’s experience. The wider pastoral structure includes a Head of Pastoral Care, with respect, kindness and asking for help among its aims from nursery onwards.

For children learning English as an additional language, settling can include individual help in their home language. Lambrook’s Learning Development Centre works with Bracknell Forest Children’s Services and its team supporting early-years children with EAL. Once settled, a child may join Chatterboxes, a communication group that can meet once or twice weekly. Parents can receive information through visual, spoken and written communication.

SEND support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle, coordinated by the Head of Learning Development. Admission depends on curriculum suitability and the resources and facilities available to support the child. Continued attendance also depends on the school judging it to be in the interests of both the child and the school community. It may withdraw a place if either condition ceases to apply. Food arrangements involve working with parents on medical requirements, cultural needs and diet.

The ISI inspection of 6 to 8 June 2023 confirmed compliance with the relevant EYFS requirements. Its recommendations included making learning connect more consistently between school phases and bringing greater consistency to science teaching across age groups, points relevant to continuity as children move through the school.

Nursery attendance should not be treated as an unconditional guarantee of a Reception place. Lambrook’s admissions policy gives a specific continuity position: registered pupils do not need to apply again for the next school stage, but the school will discuss alternatives with parents if it feels unable to meet a pupil’s needs. This is the relevant distinction for an existing nursery family.

For new applicants, the route runs through Lambrook’s own registration and admissions process. Reception applicants take part in a Story and Song Session with the Early Years team. Separately, nursery families are encouraged to build in some full days before Reception, with attendance discussed according to the individual child.

Five morning sessions are the minimum commitment. Nursery children attend Monday to Friday; the balance of afternoons and full days is agreed between parents and the Head of Nursery. This makes the booking model a regular weekly commitment with an individually discussed extension of the day.

Entry access. Families without an existing school connection, such as a sibling, are advised to register for Reception as their earliest entry point. Families considering nursery entry should discuss their options with Admissions before registering, given this advice.

Uniform is required. For current charges, contact the school. Admissions enquiries and school tours can be arranged through the Registrar at registrar@lambrookschool.co.uk or on 01344 882717.