Leintwardine Endowed CE Primary School Nursery

Puddle jumping, field walks and a church visit for harvest shaped The Nest’s September 2023 activities, giving children direct experience of village life. This is Leintwardine Endowed CE Primary School’s nursery, taking children from two years old. It came under school governance in 2023, bringing the provision into the school’s own organisation.

Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 13 and 14 December 2023. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

A two-year curriculum connects learning with the local area, with flexibility to follow children’s interests and needs. The nursery aims to develop confidence and independence alongside children’s physical, emotional and language development. Local experience gives those aims a practical setting: in September 2023, nursery children visited the church for harvest, jumped in puddles and walked through fields.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together seven areas of development. For parents, that means learning to communicate, move and manage feelings alongside early reading, writing and maths, discovering the world and creative expression. Activities overlap rather than sitting in separate subject boxes.

Stories and role play introduce vocabulary, while adults encourage children to respond during shared reading. Mark making gives children an early way to express ideas on paper. Maths includes noticing small quantities without counting and comparing groups, building an understanding of numbers through observation and talk.

Creative work explores texture and colour, with singing, storytelling and performance among the activities. In December 2023, early years children joined Key Stage 1 in a Nativity for parents, giving them an opportunity to perform to an audience. A school-wide improvement priority from that inspection was more deliberate progression in spoken language; assessment in some foundation subjects also needed sharper checks on retained learning. These are school-wide concerns, rather than separate nursery judgements.

Learning to manage emotions and personal needs forms part of nursery provision. Children are encouraged to help one another and build relationships with adults and peers, making independence a social process as well as a practical one.

The nursery team includes childcare qualifications at Level 3, an NNEB qualification and Elklan speech and language training. Its structure includes child protection and Early Help coordination, alongside the school’s SENCo and designated safeguarding lead. For families seeking SEND advice, the SENCo can be contacted through the school office.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. The application route is Herefordshire Admissions.

Learning continuity is a separate matter. In December 2023, the connection between Nursery and Reception supported the establishment of early reading habits. That educational link should not be treated as an admissions entitlement.

The nursery belongs to the school on Watling Street in Leintwardine. General enquiries go through the school office on 01547 540641 or by email to admin@leintwardine.hereford.sch.uk. This provides a direct point of contact for families considering The Nest.