Gloucester Road Primary School Nursery Review

Family stories, first books and learning about the world give Gloucester Road’s nursery a recognisable preschool focus. The provision includes two-year-olds and sits within Gloucester Road Primary School in Cheltenham, as part of its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Nursery leadership includes a nursery manager and a nursery teacher. The school aims to build confidence, responsibility and respect alongside enjoyment of learning.

Three session choices shape the day: a morning, an afternoon or a full day. Families can therefore choose a shorter session or combine the morning and afternoon in one booking. The EYFS brings care and learning together, connecting communication, physical development and relationships with early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world.

Learning starts close to home. Nursery history explores children’s own lives and the jobs their parents and grandparents have done; geography uses the theme Our World. These give families familiar subjects to talk about with their children, linking learning to people and places they already know.

Movement featured in the 2024–25 nursery PE plan too. The sequence included introductory activities, fundamental movement skills, dance and gymnastics. That gave physical learning several forms rather than relying on one type of activity. Books are another early starting point: in February 2025, Ofsted identified the nursery as the beginning of children’s reading development. For parents, this places early encounters with books within the nursery experience itself.

Apetito prepares meals in the school kitchen, with menus changing seasonally. Children can bring a balanced packed lunch instead. The school excludes nuts and accommodates dietary allergies, so food arrangements need to reflect each child’s requirements. A morning snack can be supplied by the nursery for an additional charge, or families can provide their own.

Edulink carries important messages, while texts handle reminders and short-notice information. Parent meetings take place in the Autumn and Spring terms, with ten-minute appointments for exchanging information. Children needing special medical care have a healthcare plan; parents supply nappies or pull-ups and changing supplies where needed. These are practical ways to carry a child’s care requirements into the session.

SEND support follows Gloucestershire’s Graduated Pathway, using Assess, Plan, Do, Review to agree support and revisit progress. The SENCO coordinates provision and contact with specialists, including speech and language therapy and educational psychology. Families also have a SEND Parent Forum each half term. The school building has a single-level layout and an accessible toilet, useful physical details for families considering access needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Gloucestershire’s coordinated admissions process. Nursery attendance is not an oversubscription priority criterion; choosing the nursery should therefore be a decision about the preschool experience, with the Reception application treated separately.

For children with SEND moving between classes, staff share information ahead of the change. A transition book or passport can be made where helpful, and additional classroom visits may be arranged where appropriate. These preparations address the child’s experience of moving on, independently of admission decisions.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and full days from 9am to 3pm, with requests available Monday to Friday. Wraparound care is booked and confirmed by email. Families should plan drop-off and collection around limited parking; the nursery’s parking arrangements exclude parent use of the school car park.

The nursery accepts the 15-hour entitlement from the term after a child’s third birthday and 30-hour codes for eligible families. Two-year-old funding depends on eligibility for either the working-parent entitlement or disadvantaged-child scheme. Additional hours, wraparound care and nursery-supplied snacks are invoiced monthly; school lunches are paid separately in advance through ParentPay. Contact the school for current charges.

Enquiries can go to nursery@gloucesterroad.gloucs.sch.uk or 01242 512792. Return the registration form through the school office with the child’s birth certificate; the child is then added to the nursery waiting list, and the team contacts the family when there is availability or the child is old enough to start. Bring labelled spare clothes and a water bottle for each session.