All Saints CofE VC Infants School Nursery Review

Stories, singing and signing give the nursery at All Saints CofE VC Infants School its clearest character. Provision for two- and three-year-olds sits within the Church of England infant school at Fishers Mead in Dulverton. Communication is a central curriculum thread, with Makaton giving children who do not speak another way to express themselves.

The early years provision was judged Requires improvement at Ofsted’s inspection on 21 and 22 November 2023. That judgement matters alongside the specific strengths in communication: families should weigh how children are helped to express themselves against concerns about how consistently planned learning becomes effective teaching.

Children encounter songs, stories and rhymes from the start of Nursery. These give the day a language focus, rather than treating communication as a separate activity. In November 2023, children who were non-verbal were using symbols confidently and learning Makaton signs. For a child developing communication, that means participation can extend beyond spoken words.

The curriculum sequences knowledge across the school, including early years, so there is a planned order to what children learn. Delivery needed greater precision in November 2023, however: some tasks missed their intended learning purpose, while weaknesses in assessment meant misunderstandings and gaps could escape attention. The practical issue for parents is whether an activity helps their child grasp and retain its intended learning, as well as keeping them occupied.

Experiences beyond the classroom were also limited across all ages in November 2023. Children consequently learned too little about different cultures, religions and races. Families should consider opportunities to explore these alongside the nursery’s communication activities.

Support for additional needs has several routes. Across Moorland Federation, identification draws on family conversations, information from a previous setting, observations, progress checks and discussion with the SENDCo. This gives parents a role in explaining their child’s needs alongside staff observations.

Each school maintains a SEND register and reviews it regularly. Support is checked against children’s targets through the APDR cycle, with interventions reviewed and adjusted. Parents receive termly progress information through their child’s IEP, giving them recurring opportunities to discuss whether support is helping.

Regular contact with teachers and teaching assistants is encouraged. Federation schools hold parent consultations in the autumn and spring, followed by a summer written report; families of children with SEND can also meet the teacher and SENDCo as needed. These arrangements connect everyday concerns with longer discussions about progress.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route by the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the school-place application as separate tasks.

For children joining school in the Foundation Stage, the federation offers Stay and Play sessions to meet staff and become familiar with the setting. A school entry planning meeting brings families and professionals together where a child already has professionally identified SEND. These are transition arrangements, separate from admission decisions.

Contact All Saints on 01398 323231 to arrange a visit and discuss your child’s placement with staff. A visit offers a direct conversation about joining the provision. For the separate school admissions process, Somerset Council is the contact route for All Saints admission arrangements.