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Nursery at Windrush Valley 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Water play, butterfly painting and den building give Windrush Valley’s nursery day its character. Children choose activities, join adults for sound games and spend time exploring outdoors. There is room for both concentration and movement.
In Ascott-under-Wychwood, the nursery forms part of Windrush Valley School, an independent school for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has its own Nursery class. That gives the provision a distinct place within the school, rather than treating the youngest children as an extension of an older year group.
Mornings begin with children choosing their play. A water tray provides pouring practice, wooden blocks become towers to count, and the craft table offers paint to mix. Staff choose activities around children’s interests and their next learning steps, so these familiar materials serve specific purposes: hand control, number awareness and experimentation.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, move, manage feelings and build relationships. Here, topics connect the learning, with a two-year cycle intended to limit repetition. In October 2025, ISI found that the early years combined learning through play with carefully planned adult-led activities, and children made good progress. Choice and guided teaching both have a place.
Carpet sessions introduce phonics through stories, rhymes and games with sounds. Early mathematics also includes recognising the number of objects in a small group without counting each one. These are concrete foundations for reading and working with numbers.
Music adds another way to participate: early-years lessons use puppets and instruments, with children encouraged to sing and move. Learning about other people starts early too. In October 2025, children explored the roles of police, paramedics and firefighters, giving them concrete examples of people who help others. Books selected to question stereotypes also helped children learn respectful behaviour. These activities give language and social learning a practical focus, linking what children hear in stories with how they understand and treat the people around them.
Outdoors, the mud kitchen, garden and balance bikes give children different ways to investigate and move. Forest School includes making dens and balancing on logs. The October 2025 early-years findings also describe weekly forest sessions alongside PE taught each week by the school’s coach, connecting physical practice with learning to co-operate.
Lunch is followed by a rest, then a quieter afternoon that may include cooking, a shared story or another turn at a morning activity. This change of pace gives the day a pause between its busier parts.
Care at mealtimes received specific attention in October 2025: children were supervised while eating, and arrangements supported safe eating. Early-years staffing ratios met statutory requirements. Adults also helped children practise sharing and deal with disappointment, making emotional development part of everyday learning.
A Nursery class teacher has an early childhood studies degree and a primary teaching qualification. Additional learning support is coordinated by the school’s SENCo, who works with teachers and families. Where needed, individual support programmes include strategies and materials for parents as well as staff, giving home and school a shared approach.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families should treat Reception registration as a separate step and apply through the school’s admissions process, which makes offers conditional on a place being available. The nursery decision and the Reception decision need separate attention.
The 2025–2026 charging structure uses three-hour nursery sessions, with additional non-funded sessions charged separately. It also allows last-minute bookings subject to availability. Before-school and after-school care carry separate charges, and late collection attracts an additional charge. Contact the school for current charges before committing to a pattern of attendance.
Private tours can be arranged through the school office throughout the academic year. For enquiries, call 01993 831793 or email info@windrushvalleyschool.co.uk. A visit offers a useful opportunity to see the play spaces and meet the team.
Children choose activities such as water play, block building and painting, join phonics sessions, and explore outdoors. After lunch and a rest, the afternoon may include cooking or a shared story.
Yes. Children use a mud kitchen, ride balance bikes and look for minibeasts in the garden. Forest School activities include den building and balancing on logs.
No. Reception registration is a separate step. Contact the school about its admissions process; offers depend on a place being available.
The 2025–2026 charging structure includes additional non-funded three-hour sessions and last-minute bookings subject to availability. Contact the school for current charges.
Private tours can be arranged through the school office throughout the academic year. Call 01993 831793 or email info@windrushvalleyschool.co.uk.
