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Nursery at Ladygrove Park 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Flour, glitter, water and oil become a language lesson here: children discuss how ingredients change as they mix them. That practical curiosity gives Ladygrove Park’s nursery its character. Learning starts with things children can handle, explore and talk about.
The nursery belongs to the school’s Foundation Stage unit, alongside two Reception classes. Entry is at the beginning of the academic year in which children turn four, subject to numbers. Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 5 and 6 December 2023. This judgement covers the school’s early years provision together.
Play gives the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) its practical shape: children build independence, develop language and investigate their surroundings through activities. The nursery aims to combine children’s own interests with adult conversations that extend their thinking. In December 2023, children selected materials for model making and pictures themselves, while adults helped them develop vocabulary through mixing ingredients. Choosing is part of the learning.
Enquiry questions give activities a focus. During 2025-26, these included Who helps us?, What can I build? and What's in the garden? Story work involved recalling familiar books, retelling events and discussing fictional people and places. Outside, the garden area provided opportunities to notice seasonal changes, connecting conversation with direct observation.
Creative materials remain accessible in the early years environment, allowing children to follow an idea through painting or clay work. Science includes testing floating and sinking through water play. These are concrete ways to practise observation and prediction, rather than simply hear an explanation. Counting songs also connect music with number learning. Songs from different cultures introduce children to the wider world through music, linking singing with the EYFS area of Understanding the World. The school uses Teaching for Mastery from EYFS, with practice and individual help intended to develop secure mathematical understanding.
Established routines and supportive adult relationships helped children settle into early years learning in December 2023. Adults knew the children and intervened when learning began to slip. A Nursery Leader forms part of the staffing structure, giving this class its own leadership within the wider Foundation Stage.
For families needing additional support, the school’s Inclusion Team works with classroom staff and other professionals. It can meet parents to develop routines and demonstrate behaviour strategies. Class teachers are the initial contact for concerns about learning or needs; the school adapts teaching for children with SEND. This gives parents a practical starting point for discussing support.
Caterlink prepares the school’s meals on site. Ask the school about lunch arrangements for nursery sessions and discuss any medical dietary needs before your child starts. For an allergy or food-related medical condition, families submit a form with a medical professional’s referral letter and discuss it with the school. That process separates medical dietary needs from lifestyle or religious requests.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Oxfordshire County Council’s normal school admissions process. Familiarity with the school must be kept separate from the allocation of a place.
Class changes also involve practical preparation. The Inclusion Team supports families joining new class teams and passes on relevant information and strategies between colleagues. This provides continuity of support; it does not establish an admissions advantage.
Funded nursery attendance follows a fixed term-time pattern: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 9.30am to 2.30pm. Families therefore need a weekly routine that fits those three days. Optional half-hour wraparound sessions at either end of each nursery day carry an additional charge; contact the school for current charges.
To enquire, complete the Nursery Registration Form and send it to office.2609@ladygrove-park.oxon.sch.uk, or post it to the school on Avon Way, Didcot, OX11 7GB. School tours can be requested through the office email. Wellington boots are required for nursery children, making outdoor clothing part of the practical preparation.
Children can join at the start of the academic year in which they turn four, depending on numbers.
Funded nursery hours run from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays during term time.
There are optional half-hour wraparound sessions at the start and end of each nursery day, for an additional charge. Contact the school for current charges.
No. Families must apply separately for Reception through Oxfordshire County Council’s normal admissions process.
The class teacher is the first contact. Families can arrange contact with the SENDCo or Inclusion Team through the school office.
