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Nursery at Godwin Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Mud Kitchen play, pond investigations and a stage for drama give Godwin’s early years provision a practical character. Alongside the mainstream nursery sits NARP, a specialist nursery provision for children aged 3–4 with very high levels of additional need. These are distinct routes within the same school in Dagenham.
Children can join the mainstream nursery in the term following their third birthday. In May 2025, the nursery included 16 specialist places for children with substantial additional needs, including autism. NARP combines assessment for an EHC Plan with specialist support, so families considering it are choosing provision designed around complex needs.
Development Matters guides the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. In parent language, this brings together learning to communicate, move, manage feelings and build relationships with early reading, maths, creativity and discovery. Role play and drama give nursery children reasons to talk and listen. Read Write Inc. introduces early reading, while books also go home for families to share.
Practical maths connects learning with play: children use mathematical language while building, tackle problems and keep scores in games. The Outdoor Classroom extends those possibilities across seasons and weather. Children investigate pond life, grow produce, build on a large scale and make pretend food in the Mud Kitchen. A stage provides space for dance and drama. These activities give adults concrete experiences to discuss with children, rather than relying only on abstract explanations.
Within NARP, song time supports choice-making. Adults offer two objects linked to different songs, allow time for a response and praise the child’s attempt. Choices include Row Row your Boat and Wind the Bobbin Up. NARP’s home-learning activities also include Communication Table work linked to speech and language targets, and Workstation tasks involving construction or mark making. These are activities for extending support at home, rather than a timetable for every nursery child.
Settling begins before the first regular session. Summer meetings introduce parents to the nursery, and a stay and play visit lets children explore with a parent or carer. It also gives families an opportunity to explain additional needs or discuss developmental concerns before their child starts.
The nursery has ramps and a changing area. Across the school, staff training includes Makaton signing, autism awareness, workstation use and paediatric first aid. These are relevant resources for families whose children need help with communication or physical care; they do not imply that every adult holds every qualification.
In May 2025, Ofsted found that the nursery’s specialist provision supported children’s needs strongly and helped prepare them for their next educational stage. For some children who cannot explain their day at home, a home-school communication book can be agreed with staff and the SENCo. School adults add notes two or three times a week, and families can write back. Godwin is nut-free, including products containing hidden nuts.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. For the September 2026 intake, the application deadline was 15 January 2026; that cycle has passed.
Preparation is a separate matter. In the 2025 transition programme, nursery children visited Reception, spent an afternoon there with their new teachers on 10 July and took home a transition booklet. Familiar rooms and adults can make the change less unfamiliar, but these activities do not secure admission. Most NARP children move to specialist schools after their year there, so their next step may follow a different path.
Afternoon pattern. The mainstream nursery’s July 2025 arrangements were Monday to Friday, 12.25pm to 3.25pm, a three-hour session. That pattern places nursery in the afternoon rather than covering a full working day.
Nursery enquiries go through the school office on 0208 270 4150 or office@godwin.bardaglea.org.uk. Mainstream nursery admissions are handled by the school; NARP admission is coordinated by a local authority panel.
For nursery sessions, families use the Hatfield Road entrance. At collection, parents wait at the nursery gate and follow the marked route through its playground when staff open it. Tell staff if another person will collect your child. Children should have clothing suited to the weather, with belongings named. Following sickness or diarrhoea, the return interval is 48 hours after the final episode.
Children can enter the mainstream nursery from the term after their third birthday. The school handles nursery admissions.
The July 2025 arrangements were afternoons only, Monday to Friday, from 12.25pm to 3.25pm.
No. Reception requires a separate application through the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
NARP is specialist nursery provision for children aged 3–4 with very high levels of additional need. It supports assessment for an EHC Plan and complex needs, including specialist speech and language support and medical care. Admissions are coordinated by a local authority panel.
Families attend a summer meeting, and children are invited to a stay and play session with a parent or carer before starting. This also allows families to discuss additional needs with staff.
