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Nursery at Edith Moorhouse Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Sparks is the starting point for nursery learning at Edith Moorhouse: a preschool class within the school's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with play, conversation and short teaching activities shaping the day. The provision serves three-year-olds at the primary school on Lawton Avenue in Carterton. In December 2025, 26 children were on the preschool roll. That is an attendance figure, rather than a measure of available places.
Learning moves between brief teaching sessions, activities with an adult in a small group and explorer time, when children choose their play. Adults help children extend what they are doing and introduce their next steps. This gives children opportunities to return to an idea through play after first encountering it with a teacher.
The EYFS places early emphasis on movement, relationships and communication. In parent terms, that means learning to express a need, manage feelings, cooperate with another child and use the body with increasing control. These sit alongside early mathematics, literacy, creative work and exploration of the world.
Language has a deliberate daily rhythm. Stories, rhymes, reading and a daily poem give children repeated encounters with words; adults introduce vocabulary and expand on children's own speech. Role-play and storytelling provide opportunities to use that language. Physical learning includes playground games, with adults demonstrating hopping, jumping and skipping.
Practical experiences also connect ideas to something children can handle. An early-years harvest activity involved growing and eating cress, followed by planting potatoes and caring for them before eating them. Planting then continued during explorer time, giving children another opportunity to understand where food comes from.
Care includes teaching the small skills that make group life work. Adults demonstrate sharing, cooperation and ways to resolve disagreements, then support children as they practise. Children are encouraged to have a healthy snack each day, learn about caring for their teeth and develop independence with personal needs.
In June 2025, Ofsted found that children across Nursery and Reception enjoyed joint play, exchanging ideas and waiting for their turn. Staff's familiarity with individual children helped them recognise where extra support was needed.
For children with additional needs, starting arrangements can include extra visits and discussions involving parents and relevant professionals. Support is based on a child's needs rather than waiting for a diagnosis. The school's SEND system uses a Pupil Passport to describe strengths and needs, with families receiving a copy. Parents of children receiving SEND support meet staff at least three times a year to review targets and progress.
The Deputy Headteacher Inclusion coordinates SEND provision. Possible adjustments include Now and Next boards, visual timetables and quiet spaces, chosen according to need. These can make the sequence of activities clearer or give a child somewhere to reduce distractions.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and does not confer admission priority under the 2026–27 arrangements. Families must make a separate application through Oxfordshire County Council. For September 2026 entry, the application deadline was 15 January 2026.
For pupils with SEND, internal transition involves liaison between teaching staff and the SEND coordinator. Where possible, children visit their next class and parents meet the coordinator. That preparation concerns a child's support needs; Reception allocation remains a separate process.
Preschool applications go directly to the school: complete an enrolment form and return it to the School Office. Visits to view the school can also be arranged through the office, with a member of the senior leadership team or the headteacher. The contact number is 01993 842372.
It is called Sparks and belongs to the school's Early Years Foundation Stage.
Short teaching activities and small groups with an adult sit alongside child-led play during explorer time. Stories, rhymes, a daily poem and physical games are part of early-years learning.
Starting arrangements may include extra visits and liaison with parents and relevant professionals. Staff plan support around needs rather than requiring a diagnosis first.
No. It also gives no admission priority under the 2026–27 arrangements. A separate application through Oxfordshire County Council is required.
Return the preschool enrolment form to the School Office. Contact the office to arrange a school visit, or telephone 01993 842372.
