Springbank Primary Academy Nursery Review

Sleeping Bunnies gave a useful glimpse of nursery learning at Springbank Primary Academy in October 2023: repeating a familiar rhyme became practice in vocabulary and grammar. Children developed language through discussing stories and joining in with a rhyme. Stories mattered.

Nursery and pre-school provision sit on the school site in Cheltenham. In the Ofsted inspection of 25 and 26 October 2023, early years provision was graded Good. That judgement covers the school's early years provision collectively; it should be read in that wider context when considering the nursery.

In October 2023, talking about stories helped nursery children develop their language. Repeating Sleeping Bunnies helped them learn vocabulary and grammar, giving parents a concrete picture of the language learning observed then. Joining in with a rhyme provided practice through a shared activity.

In October 2023, children across Nursery, pre-school and Reception were learning familiar school routines, sharing with one another and taking turns. These are practical building blocks for group learning: children need to participate alongside others as well as develop their own ideas. Activities also encouraged children to express imaginative views of the world, bringing conversation and creativity together.

Across early years, number understanding and physical coordination were strengths at that time. Mini trampolines and balance beams were specific examples of equipment used in structured activities. Bouncing and balancing give a physical dimension to learning, alongside the language work described in Nursery. These examples concern early years collectively, rather than establishing a separate nursery timetable.

Friendships and social routines formed part of children's early experience in October 2023. Learning to share, wait for a turn and build friendships matters for a child joining a group: participation involves relationships as well as activities. Those findings give a useful picture of the social learning taking place across Nursery, pre-school and Reception.

Children across early years were keen to learn and behaved well in October 2023. For parents, that adds another dimension to the learning examples: engagement and behaviour were assessed alongside what children were doing.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Springbank Primary Academy. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat choosing nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

In October 2023, children across early years were well prepared for their next learning stage. That finding concerns educational preparation. It does not establish an admissions entitlement.

The school site is on Springbank Road, Cheltenham, GL51 0PH. For families considering the nursery, this is the location to weigh against the journey they would make for sessions. The school's telephone number is 01242527766.