Spring Meadow Infant School Review 2026: Nursery-to-Infants with a growing specialist SEND offer

As an infant school, this setting does not sit GCSEs or A-levels, and the usual end-of-primary Key Stage 2 measures are not the right lens either. The most useful “results” indicator is therefore how well the curriculum foundations are working in practice, especially early reading, language, and number.

The most recent inspection report describes current pupils making good progress in core areas such as reading and mathematics, linked explicitly to high expectations and a carefully planned curriculum that builds knowledge over time.

For parents, the practical takeaway is this: if your child needs a strong start in phonics and early number, the school is set up to do that systematically. The report describes daily phonics beginning in Reception, reading books matched to phonics knowledge, and a push for fluency and confidence in early reading, which is exactly the right sequencing for this age range.

It is also worth reading the improvement areas as a parent, because they tell you where the school is concentrating next. The report highlights variability in written work, including handwriting and the depth of written communication, and flags attendance as still a work in progress for some pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils and some pupils with SEND. Those are not unusual priorities in infant settings; what matters is that they are clearly identified, and framed as ongoing work rather than ignored.

The school describes its curriculum as intentionally designed from Nursery through to Year 2, with an emphasis on managing cognitive load so that children “know more and remember more”. It also names specific programmes used in core areas, including Read Write Inc for phonics and Talk4writing within English.

That combination tends to produce a recognisable teaching style: tightly structured early reading sessions, predictable routines, and a clear progression in how children move from oral language to sentence-level writing. For parents, the implication is that children who like routine and clarity often settle quickly, while children who need more time can benefit from the repeated practice that these approaches build in.

The wider curriculum is presented as broad, with reading threaded throughout, vocabulary explicitly taught, and opportunities for visits and visitors used to enrich learning. In an infant school, this matters because it prevents phonics and number from becoming the whole story; children still need structured exposure to science, the humanities, and the creative curriculum, but in a way that fits short attention spans and concrete thinking.

Early Years

Nursery is unusually clearly described for a school website. Provision is split into Caterpillars (from the term after a child turns 2) and Butterflies (3 and 4 year olds, with explicit reference to children starting school in September 2026). Sessions are set out precisely: mornings 09:00 to 12:00 and afternoons 12:00 to 15:00, with the afternoon session including lunch.

The educational approach is framed around play and exploration, with books used as starting points, and a practical emphasis on role-play, mark-making, construction, and sensory play. The implication for parents is a nursery that is likely to suit children who learn best through hands-on activity, and families who want clear routines and expectations rather than a looser “child-led only” model.

SEND and specialist support in practice

Beyond mainstream support, the Spring Meadow Unit is described as a resourced provision with named classrooms (Clover, Iris and Lily), a sensory room, and dedicated staff. The school sets out the support approach and the tools used, including TEACCH-informed structure and specific programmes such as Attention Autism, Identiplay, Play Circle, Drum Fit and Forest School, alongside regular teaching of maths and English skills.

A key practical point for families is that the unit is described as having its own spaces, including a sensory room, library, group spaces, and its own playground. The unit is stated as built in August 2025 for opening in September 2025, which signals a relatively new investment rather than a legacy arrangement.

This is an infant school, so “destinations” are about transition into juniors rather than post-16 pathways. The school website describes working especially closely with Ely St Mary's Junior School as its feeder junior school.

For parents, the question is less about whether children can move on, and more about how smoothly that move happens. In practice, infant-to-junior transitions are strongest where schools align on routines and curriculum language, and where Year 2 is treated as a genuine preparation year, not just a holding pattern after Reception and Year 1. The inspection report explicitly frames current pupils as being prepared well for learning at junior school, which is the most useful reassurance available at this stage.

If you are comparing junior options, it is still wise to ask how information is shared for children with SEND, and whether transition visits are structured and repeated. This tends to matter most for children who find change hard, including many pupils with speech, language and communication needs.

Reception entry is coordinated by Cambridgeshire County Council, not handled solely by the school. For September 2026 Reception entry, the local authority states that on-time applicants receive offers on 16 April 2026.

Demand indicators suggest the school is meaningfully oversubscribed, but not in the “impossible to access” category that some urban primaries experience. The latest available demand data here shows 45 applications for 29 offers, which is about 1.55 applications per place. In practice, this usually means families should treat the application as competitive, but not assume it is closed off unless you live extremely nearby.

The school website also promoted school visits for the September 2026 intake in early October, which suggests a standard pattern of autumn term tours for prospective Reception families. Because specific dates can change year to year, it is sensible to treat “early October” as the typical window and check the current year’s booking arrangements directly with the school.

Nursery admissions are different. Nursery information is presented as a distinct route, with its own sessions and structure, and the school indicates entry for younger children from the term after they turn 2. In most maintained nursery settings, places are not guaranteed to convert into a Reception offer; families should treat Nursery and Reception as connected educationally, but separate admissions processes.

If you are shortlisting multiple Ely-area infant and primary options, FindMySchool’s Map Search is useful for checking how your address lines up with any distance or catchment priorities that may apply in a given year, especially when a school is oversubscribed.

Pastoral support is unusually well-explained on the school website for an infant setting. The school uses the Thrive approach, described as an assessment-informed model to support emotional and social development, with practical strategies and action plans. Sessions can be individual or small group, using activities such as storytelling, circle games, arts and crafts, sand play, movement and relaxation, and cooking and food preparation.

This matters because, at ages 2 to 7, emotional regulation is often the main barrier to learning. A structured pastoral approach can be the difference between a child “not being ready” and a child thriving once routines and coping strategies are in place.

The latest Ofsted inspection confirmed safeguarding as effective, and described staff as vigilant and well trained, with pupils learning about safety including online safety and healthy relationships in age-appropriate ways.

Extracurricular provision at infant age should be judged differently from secondary school clubs. Breadth matters, but so does age-appropriateness and supervision. The school’s enrichment picture has three distinctive strands, based on what is explicitly described in official and school sources.

First, there is structured outdoor learning. Forest School appears both as part of clubs provision and as a repeated feature in class information, which usually indicates it is not just an occasional event. For children, the benefit is practical: outdoor problem-solving, messy play, and physical confidence, which often supports attention and language indoors.

Second, there is a practical, skills-based club set. The school’s clubs information names construction, multi-skills and football, all of which map well onto infant attention spans, coordination and turn-taking. Parents looking for calmer options should ask whether the construction sessions run as guided build challenges, free build, or a mix, since that affects who enjoys it most.

Third, there is a music and performance thread. a school band, with opportunities for pupils to sing and play instruments including guitar, drums and other percussion. That is unusually specific for an infant school, and suggests a school that is prepared to offer practical music-making rather than limiting music to classroom singing.

The other enrichment point worth flagging is cycling. The report states that pupils learn to ride a bicycle, which is a tangible life skill and tends to be meaningful for confidence, balance, and independence.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees for Reception to Year 2. Families should still budget for the usual costs that sit around any infant education, such as uniform, optional trips, and any paid clubs or wraparound care.

Wraparound care is clearly published: breakfast club opens at 07:30, and provision runs until 17:45, organised by Active Play Education. The nursery day is also clearly set out, with sessions running 09:00 to 12:00 and 12:00 to 15:00 (or 09:00 to 15:00 for children attending 30 hours).

The school website does not present a single, definitive statement of start and finish times for the main school day in one place, so parents should confirm the current gates and classroom timings directly via the school’s published routines or termly communications.

For travel, Ely is well served by rail, and Ely railway station is a practical reference point for families commuting. Local infant drop-off patterns can vary sharply by year group and sibling needs, so it is worth asking how the school manages morning flow, parking expectations, and safe walking routes.

• Competition for Reception places. Demand data indicates oversubscription, with 45 applications for 29 offers in the latest available cycle. For families without priority criteria, it is sensible to plan a second preference that you would genuinely accept.

• Attendance remains a stated priority. The latest inspection report identifies attendance and punctuality as an area still improving for some pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils and some pupils with SEND. If your child has health or anxiety-related attendance risks, ask how the school works with families early, rather than waiting for patterns to settle in.

• Writing quality is a development focus. The same report highlights variability in written work, including handwriting and depth of writing. For some children this will be a non-issue; for others it means you should ask what support looks like for fine motor development and transcription stamina in Year 1 and Year 2.

• Specialist provision is substantial, but admissions routes differ. The Spring Meadow Unit is described with specific approaches and staffing, but places in specialist provision depend on an Education, Health and Care Plan route rather than standard admissions. Families exploring this pathway should engage early with the local authority process.

A Good infant and nursery setting with clear curriculum structure, a strong emphasis on early reading, and a notably developed specialist SEND offer for an infant school. It suits families who want a well-organised early years pathway, including those who value structured phonics and a clear behaviour culture, and it can be a strong option for children who benefit from predictable routines and language-rich practice. The main challenge is securing a place in an oversubscribed intake, and for some families the key due diligence step will be understanding the school’s evolving work on attendance and the consistency of writing outcomes.