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Nursery at Byfield 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A nursery garden, forest school and a building designed for young children give Byfield’s nursery a character of its own within the primary school grounds. Children can join from their second birthday and stay until they begin Reception. The nursery occupies a building behind the main school on Bell Lane, Byfield.
Acorn Class is the nursery’s school identity, with a nursery manager and early years practitioners making up its team. Its connection with the school is practical: children regularly use school facilities alongside their own nursery spaces.
Play shapes the sessions. Byfield follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), putting early learning into activities children can explore, with adults leading some experiences and children choosing others. Cooking, imaginative play and forest school sit alongside craft work and sensory exploration. The balance gives children opportunities to follow an interest as well as join an activity guided by an adult.
Outdoor learning extends beyond the nursery garden. Children also use the field and playground, while the school hall provides space for games and PE. These are different settings for movement and play, rather than one outdoor area doing everything. Inside, materials for drawing and writing remain accessible and can become part of pretend play, giving children a reason to make marks within their games.
Show and tell provides another way to take part: children can occasionally bring something special from home to discuss. That links familiar objects with opportunities to speak to the group. Sensory activities and craft work provide further ways to explore and express ideas.
Each family has an allocated keyworker who helps their child settle, supports their progress and maintains records. Parents may stay while their child settles and can telephone during a session for reassurance. This gives families a named staff relationship and a practical way to check how a difficult separation has gone.
Care includes nappy changes and support with toilet training. Changing mats and low toilets are provided, and children may bring a potty from home. Staff ask parents to share their toilet-training strategies with the keyworker so that home and nursery can use a consistent approach.
Lunch can be brought from home, or families can buy a daily hot meal supplied by Kingswood Education Catering. Packed-lunch waste goes home so parents can see what their child ate. Children bring a water bottle; fizzy drinks and sweets are excluded. Nuts are permitted only when no child has an allergy requiring their exclusion.
For concerns about special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the school’s support structure includes a SENDCO and access to Speech and Language Therapy and Target Autism. Ramps provide access across the school. Parents can also raise concerns informally with the nursery manager, and staff tell parents about minor accidents at collection.
Familiarity with the school grows through regular use of Reception facilities and transition sessions involving the Reception teacher. These sessions prepare children for starting school; they do not secure admission.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal local authority route by the deadline for their child’s entry year. For the 2020/2021 admissions cycle, nursery attendance gave no priority, and applications went to the local authority by the middle of January. Those dates and arrangements belong to that past cycle.
Term-time opening runs from 08:45 to 15:15, Monday to Friday. Families can choose a morning session ending at 11:45, an afternoon from 12:15 to 15:15, or a full day. Lunch club bridges 11:45 to 12:15. Occasional additional sessions may be accommodated following discussion with staff.
Funding includes 15 hours over 38 weeks from the term after a child’s third birthday, with 15 hours also available to eligible two-year-olds. Some children qualify for an additional 15 hours from the term after turning three. A termly funding contract is required; additional sessions are charged separately. Contact the nursery for current charges.
The red logo jumper and polo shirt are optional. Children have their own coat peg and drawer, and only adults authorised on the registration form may collect them. To enquire or arrange a nursery visit, email byfieldnursery@stowevalley.com or call 01327 260349.
Children can start from their second birthday and remain until they begin Reception.
Morning sessions run from 08:45 to 11:45, afternoons from 12:15 to 15:15, and full days from 08:45 to 15:15. Lunch club runs from 11:45 to 12:15 during the term-time nursery day.
Yes. Parents may stay to help their child settle and telephone during the session for reassurance. Each family has an allocated keyworker.
No. Reception requires a separate application through the normal local authority route. Nursery attendance gave no priority in the 2020/2021 admissions cycle.
Staff accommodate nappy changes and support toilet training. The nursery has changing mats and low toilets, and children may bring a potty from home.
