West Ewell Primary School and Nursery: Nursery Review

Sustained play and purposeful conversation shape the nursery provision at West Ewell Primary School and Nursery. Children help direct their learning, while adults introduce activities that build particular skills. The emphasis is on giving children time to practise, repeat and extend what they have learned rather than moving swiftly between tasks.

At the Ofsted inspection on 30 April and 1 May 2024, early years provision was graded Outstanding within the school's inspection. This was an early years judgement, covering more than the nursery alone. Nursery children demonstrated unusually strong concentration for their age, a concrete strength for parents weighing up the learning experience here.

Play carries much of the learning. Children choose and develop activities from resources that staff select and adapt, with adult guidance added where needed. Longer stretches of play let children return to a skill and explore it further. Teacher-led work also has a place, so the day combines children's choices with explicit teaching.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for this learning. West Ewell uses Birth to Five Matters to help staff understand children's development and plan playful learning opportunities. When modelling a task, adults may demonstrate it first, work through it with children and then let them try independently. That gives a child a practical route from watching to doing.

Topics respond to children's interests and developing skills rather than running for a fixed duration. Where possible, a story or suitable factual book introduces the topic, connecting new learning with children's experiences. The nursery aims to make language central to play and teaching. In April and May 2024, early years staff matched activities closely to individual needs and used conversations to extend learning: everyday exchanges had a teaching purpose.

Staff assess children's starting points through interactions, then check their development regularly. Children who need additional help receive catch-up activities, and planning changes to give them further opportunities to practise. This makes support part of the learning routine rather than leaving a child to keep pace unaided.

Lunch can be brought from home or cooked in the on-site kitchen by Cucina IFG. Families can change between the options. Pasta and jacket potatoes are among the meal choices, giving children familiar alternatives. Nursery school dinners carry a charge.

Dietary information matters whichever lunch option a family chooses. Parents must complete the Special Diet Request Form even for a child bringing packed lunches, and notify the School Office immediately if requirements change. Packed lunches must exclude ingredients containing nuts.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Choosing the nursery should therefore be a decision about the child's nursery experience, with the later school application treated separately.

School meals are ordered through the caterer's app, either ahead for a half term or for individual days. Orders must be placed by 8:00am on the meal day, with credit in the account. Parents select the home-packed option when bringing lunch; families using packed lunches every day can ask the School Office to remove daily meal selections.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school on 020 8393 2417. The school is on Ruxley Lane, Epsom, KT19 0UY.