Little Reddings Primary School Nursery Review

Woods, low ropes and a mud kitchen give Little Reddings’ early years provision a distinctly outdoor character. The nursery has a purpose-built building and its own outdoor space within Little Reddings Primary School in Bushey. Children can join in the term following their third birthday, with three entry points across the year.

Play shapes the provision. Children choose activities and explore indoors, while teacher-led groups bring more focused learning into the day. For families who want outdoor exploration alongside early language and number work, those are the concrete features to weigh.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings learning together through seven areas rather than a timetable of separate subjects. Language, movement and social development sit alongside maths, literacy, creative expression and learning about the world. That means developing independence and relationships belongs alongside learning sounds and numbers.

Indoors, children explore activities, make decisions and work together through play. Whole-class teaching and smaller groups add focused work on phonics, stories, maths and the world around them. The school uses a provision-based approach: open-ended activities give children room to investigate and follow their interests.

Outdoor learning has specific equipment and space behind it. Daily outdoor access includes the woods, where low ropes offer physical challenges and the mud kitchen gives children materials to investigate together. Natural resources form part of the play. These features give movement and exploration a place in the learning day.

In March 2023, Ofsted found that nursery and Reception children practised sounds, letters, shapes and numbers, maintained their concentration and received activities adapted to their interests and needs. That finding supports the balance between child-led exploration and adult guidance described here.

Home visits and stay-and-play sessions help children get to know staff and their surroundings. They also give families time to explain their child’s needs.

Tapestry keeps parents involved by sharing learning experiences, achievements and next steps. Regular conversations with staff complement that contact, allowing home and nursery to exchange information about the child.

Activities are adjusted around individual needs. In March 2023, adults in early years adapted learning skilfully, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is useful evidence for families considering how support fits into ordinary classroom activity.

School lunchtime arrangements offer a choice between a meal at school and a packed lunch, selected each day. The school asks families to leave nuts, sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks out of packed lunches. These are school-wide arrangements, rather than a separate nursery menu.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two decisions.

The play-based provision approach continues beyond nursery into the school’s early classes. That provides continuity in the style of learning, but it should not be confused with an admissions entitlement.

Nursery opening hours are 9am to 3pm, with 15, 20 or 30 hours a week available. A morning session runs from 9am to noon. The 30-hour week can be arranged through the office and funded using a qualifying code, or paid for privately by families who do not qualify. Contact the school for current charges.

Nursery applications use an online form. To arrange a school tour or make an enquiry, contact the office on 0208 950 5388. The school is on Harcourt Road, Bushey, WD23 3PR.