Stoke Primary School Nursery Review

Two nursery stages give Stoke’s youngest children different starting points: The Meadow takes children aged two to three, while Caterpillar Class serves three- and four-year-olds. Both belong to Stoke Primary School’s site in Coventry; Caterpillar occupies space inside the main school building. The Meadow has 15 morning places and another 15 in the afternoon.

Play and communication shape the provision. Families also have a substantial role in the start: home visits and sessions together precede attendance, with the pace agreed around the child. This makes settling a process families help plan.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through children’s development. In The Meadow, the emphasis is on movement, talking and listening, and learning to understand feelings and relationships. Sharing books and making early marks develop through the language and physical development provision.

Through the Eyes of the Child helps staff shape their planning after getting to know a group’s interests and starting points. Themes provide a framework, but plans change as children’s play and development suggest different next steps. For parents, the practical implication is that the group’s needs influence what happens next.

Caterpillar combines time to explore resources and revisit play with short teaching opportunities. These can involve the class, a smaller group or a child alongside their key worker. Stories, singing and conversations give adults opportunities to introduce vocabulary and help children explain what they mean. The spring learning document includes drawing lines, circles and shapes, discussing shapes and asking questions. Everyday activity carries the learning.

Ofsted’s inspection on 27 and 28 February 2024 judged early years provision Requires improvement, while finding that nursery children adapted promptly to routines, shared play successfully and behaved well. Across early years, some adults expected too little of children and their conversations did not consistently extend understanding; greater curiosity and more useful adult dialogue were required. The report also found weaknesses specifically in Reception: the organisation of learning and classroom space restricted children’s independent thinking and learning, leaving them insufficiently prepared for the next stage. These concerns matter alongside the positive nursery findings when assessing how play becomes learning.

A home visit starts the settling process in both nursery stages. Caterpillar’s visits usually happen in the preceding summer term, followed by opportunities for children and families to play together in the setting. Caterpillar’s transition usually begins in early September, with parents involved in reviewing the pace. The Meadow also uses home visits and familiarisation sessions, allowing a slower start when a child needs it.

In Caterpillar, families receive updates at assessment points and can discuss learning with staff. For additional needs, the school’s SEND arrangements use Edukey plans that parents can access and comment on, with support reviewed through assessment, planning, action and review. The school works with Speech and Language Therapy and the Early Years SEND Team, providing routes to specialist advice when needed.

Physical care has practical provision too. Nursery classrooms contain toilets and handwashing facilities, while the school site has single-level access and a hygiene suite for physical needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Coventry’s normal primary admissions process at the usual application time. The nursery admissions policy explicitly rules out preference or priority from attendance; the primary arrangements for 2025/26 also require nursery families to apply separately.

Transition support is a separate matter. Before nursery children with SEND move into Reception, the SENDCo liaises with nursery staff during the summer term to share information about their needs. That handover supports planning for children who are progressing; it does not change admission rights.

Both stages operate during school terms. Caterpillar accepts children receiving the universal 15-hour entitlement or extended 30-hour funding. The Meadow accepts eligible children with either 15 or 30 funded hours and offers morning and afternoon sessions. Neither stage currently offers additional hours bought as a top-up, so families needing more time must account for that restriction.

The main school office handles nursery enquiries and application forms. Families can visit the office or contact Stoke Primary School on 024 7645 1724. This is also the enquiry route for checking funded childcare eligibility for The Meadow.