Tanglewood Nursery School: nursery life and the next step

A log cabin for younger children, classroom bases for older ones and gardens for both give Tanglewood distinct stages of nursery life. Little Tanglewood serves children aged two to three, with space for 20 in the morning and 12 in the afternoon. Its own forest area includes a bungalow for small groups, individual activities and meetings with families.

Main Tanglewood caters for three- and four-year-olds. Discover Room, Adventure Room and Wonder Room each accommodate up to 26 children per session. Three nursery nurses work in each classroom, supported by teachers across the rooms. This is a nursery school in its own right, on Melbourne Avenue in Chelmsford; the next school stage involves moving to primary school.

Choice shapes the main nursery session. After registration and initial play, children can move between their classroom, other rooms and the garden. A shared snack brings each group back to its base before another stretch of play. Tidying follows, then stories or songs once children are ready for Together Time, introduced after the October half-term or according to readiness.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently develops alongside early number work, literacy, creativity and exploration. In the Moment Planning means adults respond to what interests a child during play, extending an idea as it develops. Counting and matching emerge through blocks, water and sand; painting and tools give small hands practice for later writing.

Outdoor learning has named spaces: the Tanglewood Garden and Forest Garden. Children go outside in every kind of weather, so suitable clothing matters. Younger children have their own garden and forest beside the log cabin. In Little Tanglewood, repeated routines such as finding their picture, hanging up bags and washing hands before snack help make the session familiar.

Stretch for children further ahead. In January 2025, adult-led activities extended these children's understanding, but independent play did not consistently let them deepen it. Making those opportunities more suitably challenging was the improvement required, a useful point for families whose child already learns quickly.

Each child has a key person to connect individual care and learning with family life. Stay and Play precedes starting, with home visits offered where possible. Little Tanglewood uses an All About Me book and gradual parental separation; children can move back a step if needed. Before extended sessions begin, children must complete at least one week of core sessions.

Tapestry records learning through photographs, observations and examples of children's work, and parents can add their own contributions. The Greenhouse School App handles notices and emergency closures. Rest is accommodated in a cosy classroom corner, with staff and parents discussing individual needs. Families supply nappies and spare clothes for Little Tanglewood, while toilet training is planned together.

Daily snacks include bread, vegetables and fruit, with milk or water. Children also help prepare food. Extended days require a healthy packed lunch containing no nuts. SEND support includes Makaton, visual prompts, Attention Autism and Sensory Circuits, with One Plan targets reviewed termly. Rainbow Room provides specialist speech and language therapy through referral, while its children belong to Wonder Room. Support is shared rather than an automatic individual adult allocation. Medical training, equipment or capacity to meet needs can affect the starting date.

Attending Tanglewood does not guarantee a Reception place. Families make a separate primary-school application through Essex County Council's online admissions route. For September 2026 entry, the deadline was 15 January 2026; that application cycle is now past.

Transition support is a separate matter. Primary-school staff visit during the summer term to meet children and discuss their learning. Families can meet with both settings to share a One Plan or EHCP, and additional school visits may be arranged where needed. Familiar information travels with the child; admission still requires its own application.

Sessions run in term time: mornings are 9am to noon, afternoons 12.45pm to 3.45pm. Little Tanglewood bookings cover two to five sessions weekly, all mornings or all afternoons, with no full days. Main Tanglewood requires five sessions of one type. Limited extended places run from 9am to 3.45pm, with two, three or five extensions grouped at the beginning or end of the week.

Main nursery provides 15 funded hours from the term after a child's third birthday. Eligible working families can use 30-hour funding for extensions, applying the term before they want extended attendance to start, or pay for them. Lunch supervision is included without a charge; families provide the food. A Private Fund contribution is requested for snacks, cooking ingredients and play materials, increasing with extended attendance. Ask the school for current charges.

Enquiries go to admissions@tanglewood.essex.sch.uk or 01245 352788, and a contact form accepts waiting-list requests. Uniform is optional. Name clothes and wellies, and arrange collection by an adult introduced to staff. Visitors cannot park in the shared school car park.