Woodcroft Nursery School: nursery life and the next step

A sensory room, gardens and separate home bases give Woodcroft’s nursery provision several ways to meet children’s needs. This maintained nursery school in Great Baddow, Chelmsford, caters for ages two to five; children move on to primary schools rather than continuing into a Reception class here.

Little Woodcroft has 24 places per session for two- to three-year-olds. Big Woodcroft’s Hedgehogs and Squirrels rooms have 52 places per session for ages three to five, alongside eight in the Butterflies Enhanced Provision Room. Those are session capacities, so they should not be read as the number of children attending across the week.

Play provides the starting point. Adults follow children’s interests, join their activities and help extend their learning. The Early Years Foundation Stage framework and Development Matters 2023 guide planning, with teaching adapted to children’s starting points. In parent language, that means learning through play while adults work deliberately on the skills each child needs next, including communication and independence.

Spacious classrooms sit alongside outdoor play areas and gardens. In May 2023, children picked garden apples and used them to make crumble, watched butterflies develop and helped care for ducklings. These experiences gave adults concrete subjects for conversation. Children also helped choose stories and name the ducklings, giving them a say in nursery life.

Observation of Play and Learning (OPAL) tracks development through six-monthly milestones. Two spotlight discussions each year bring parents into the process, while Learning Journals lets families see observations and contribute examples from home. Assessment therefore connects what happens in nursery with what parents notice themselves.

Curriculum consistency. The May 2023 inspection identified a few areas where planning needed greater precision. Activities and adult conversations varied slightly in how reliably they taught and revisited important skills. This is a useful focus for parents discussing learning with staff.

Settling starts before the attendance pattern does. Families are offered a home visit to meet the home base team, including key persons; families living more than three miles away have an individual nursery visit instead. A one-hour stay-and-play precedes admission. Staggered starts and at least two shortened settling sessions follow, with a longer transition agreed when needed. That gives families room to adjust rather than expecting an immediate full session.

Parents can message their child’s key person through Famly. For additional needs, support includes classroom adaptations, SEN nursery nurses and learning support assistants. The SENCO holds the National SENCO Award, and teams have training in Early Talk Boost. Butterflies normally provides one adult for three children, with individual support sometimes needed. Its children also spend time in the main nursery each day. Accessible toilets, a changing bench and shower facilities support personal care.

Lunch Club children bring a packed lunch; nuts and egg must be excluded. Optional food charges can be replaced by healthy food supplied from home. Families provide nappies, wipes and creams themselves. In May 2023, safeguarding arrangements were effective, with concerns recorded and additional help sought promptly when necessary.

Attendance at Woodcroft does not guarantee a place at any particular primary school. Parents must make a separate application through the local authority for their chosen school, meeting the normal Reception application deadline. Choosing the nursery and securing a primary place are separate decisions.

Transition support addresses familiarity and care. Future teachers and SENCOs are invited to discuss children with nursery staff. Where possible, nursery staff accompany visits to the new school, and photographs may become a book shared at home and nursery. For children with an EHCP, the future school’s staff may join an outcomes meeting to help plan support.

Term-time attendance runs Monday to Friday. Core sessions are 8.45–11.45am and 12.45–3.45pm, with Lunch Club between them. Breakfast Club starts at 7.45am; Slipper Club extends the afternoon to 4.45pm or 5.45pm. Bookings use fixed sessions, with extra sessions dependent on space. Changes to an attendance pattern require four weeks’ notice.

All three- and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 funded hours weekly in term time from the term after their third birthday. Eligible families can access 30 hours, and funding is also offered for eligible two-year-olds. Funding can cover core and club sessions. Additional attendance can be purchased; the Special Fund contribution is voluntary. Ask the office for current charges.

Use the Expression of Interest form or call 01245 473222 to arrange a New Families visit. Collection is restricted to authorised people, with an emergency password recorded for each child.