Dorothy Barley Infants' School Nursery Review

A climbing frame and a mud kitchen restaurant give Dorothy Barley’s nursery garden two distinct jobs: building physical skills and making room for pretend play. This is the nursery within Dorothy Barley Infants' School on Davington Road, Dagenham, serving children aged three and four.

Children normally begin in September following their third birthday. Rising Three places allow a start in the following term instead, subject to availability. Full-time and part-time places give families a choice of attendance pattern.

Garden play has concrete purposes here. In a nursery news example, children practised larger movements on the climbing frame and made pretend dinners in the mud kitchen restaurant. One activity involves physical challenge; the other gives children something to imagine and talk about together. These are useful examples of learning through activity.

Another nursery update describes children making a St George’s Cross flag and learning that London is England’s capital. That connects making something with finding out about the wider world. Practice for different sports races also appears in the nursery news, bringing movement and teamwork into the day.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the framework for learning and care for children aged zero to five. Its learning areas bring together language, movement and social development with early literacy, maths, creative work and understanding the world. In June 2025, Ofsted found that early-years children persisted and concentrated during activities in both indoor and outdoor spaces. For parents, the emphasis is on children learning to stay with a task as well as taking part.

Settling into routines is a strength supported by the June 2025 inspection: early-years children adjusted promptly and soon understood how the day worked. The September 2026 calendar included nursery home visits on 3 and 4 September, providing a scheduled opportunity for contact with families before the term’s routines developed.

Support for additional needs sits within the school’s SEND arrangements. An internal intervention space is led by the SEND coordinator and Special Support Assistants; children using it also have opportunities to learn with peers in their mainstream classroom. Families should distinguish this school provision from an automatic nursery placement in that space.

The school’s SEND information sets out an assess, plan, do and review cycle, with parents involved in termly individual education plan meetings. This gives families a recurring point to discuss targets and next steps. Its fee structure also identifies optional meal charges, so meal costs need to be considered separately from funded learning hours.

A nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place at Dorothy Barley. Parents must make a separate application through Barking and Dagenham Council, using the normal Reception application process and its closing date. The online route is eAdmissions.

For children with SEND, the school’s transition arrangements include sharing information with the receiving setting and support from the SEND coordinator for visits. That is preparation for a move, separate from the allocation of a school place.

Morning nursery runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; the afternoon session runs from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Collection gates open at 11:20am and 3:20pm respectively. Those fixed sessions are practical anchors when planning work and travel.

Provision is organised in term time. The nursery offers 15 funded hours each week for three- and four-year-olds, with 30 hours for eligible children. Additional hours and optional meals are separate charging categories; contact the school for current charges.

Nursery applications use a Nursery Application Form, obtainable through the school office. Tours can also be booked through the office. Telephone 0208 270 4655 or email office@dorothybarleyinfant.org.uk to arrange a visit and discuss an application.