St Barnabas Nursery, Market Lavington

Sand-area scales, storytelling and learning through play give St Barnabas Nursery its character. This is the nursery provision at St Barnabas Church of England School in Market Lavington, with sessions for two-year-olds and children aged three and four. Its Christian setting welcomes applications from families of any faith or background.

A nursery room leader heads the provision. The emphasis is on children developing independence alongside their learning: managing feelings, getting dressed and handling toileting are among the nursery’s goals. These everyday skills sit alongside conversation, books and making things, rather than being treated as separate from education.

Play and exploration shape the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum here. In parent terms, children learn by trying things, investigating and talking about their experiences. Continuous provision gives them choices of learning challenges and time to pursue their interests, practise skills and use earlier learning independently. Adults model conversation and encourage children to explain their play and thinking.

The learning spaces include a sand area where scales provide a practical context for counting. Outside spaces also form part of continuous provision. This links learning to materials children can handle and questions they can investigate, rather than keeping it solely in adult-led activities.

Strong Foundations is the nursery’s named approach across early creative work, music and exploration of the world. Children experiment with materials, make marks and discuss their creations. Sound, song and rhythm feature in musical play; early history begins with children’s own lives and family stories. The starting points are familiar and concrete.

Book Worm and Master Maker are two of the nursery’s curriculum goals. The first centres on enjoying books, looking at illustrations and retelling familiar stories; the second on developing ideas and making constructions. Independent Individual addresses self-care and feelings. Together, these goals give parents a useful picture of learning that includes both practical capability and imaginative play.

Hot lunch is optional. Meals are prepared at school, and families can discuss particular dietary requirements with the office. That gives children staying through lunchtime a cooked-meal option, with dietary needs considered individually.

For additional needs, the school’s support arrangements include personalised plans and termly meetings with families to review targets. Parents can raise concerns with the class teacher, with the SEND co-ordinator involved in deciding next steps. This provides a route from an initial concern to agreed support and review.

Physical access. The school building has two levels, with steps between classrooms, the hall and playground. Ramps provide alternative routes, but children with physical needs require individual access planning. Families should consider how those routes will work for their child.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through the normal admissions route: Wiltshire residents apply online to Wiltshire Council, while families living elsewhere apply through their home local authority. For September 2026 entry, the deadline was midnight on 15 January 2026.

The arrangements labelled 2025/26 gave conditional nursery priority. Criterion four covered nursery children living in the designated or shared area who were eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium, Pupil Premium or Service Premium. Criterion eight covered nursery children outside the designated area with one of those eligibilities. Attendance alone did not meet either criterion.

Transition support is separate from admission priority. Before a child receiving additional pre-school support starts school, a meeting brings parents and nursery staff together to discuss the transition. Where relevant, an early-years teaching assistant or class teacher visits the pre-school to begin building a relationship.

Four session patterns run from 08:45 to 15:15, 08:45 to 12:00, 08:45 to 13:00, or 13:00 to 15:15. These provide a choice between a full day and shorter attendance patterns.

Universal funding provides three- and four-year-olds with 15 hours a week across 38 weeks, starting in the term after their third birthday. Eligible working parents can access 30 hours; St Barnabas offers these across 38 weeks within school terms. Eligible two-year-olds can receive 15 funded hours from the term after their second birthday. Additional attendance and optional hot lunches carry charges; contact the school for current charges.

Nursery enquiries go through the school office on 01380 813436 or admin@stbarnabas.equamead.org. Prospective parents and children can arrange a visit by telephone, giving families an opportunity to see the provision before applying.