Oakhurst Community First School Nursery Review

A Water Wall and movable Get Set, Go! Blocks give Oakhurst's nursery play a practical, exploratory character: children can investigate how water moves and tackle trails built from blocks. This is learning through doing.

Acorn is the nursery class within Oakhurst Community First School in West Moors. The nursery welcomes children aged 2 to 5 and uses facilities within the school. Free play and informal learning shape the provision, giving children opportunities to explore rather than relying solely on adult-led tasks.

In April 2026, Ofsted judged the early years to meet the Expected standard. That judgement covers the school's early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage here includes learning about numbers, developing language and discovering the world through practical activities. Children starting Nursery Year have a curriculum shaped around what they can already do. That starting point matters: activities can build on a child's existing understanding.

Stories become things to make and explore. In April 2026, children used Three Billy Goats Gruff as inspiration for constructing bridges with different materials and shaping trolls from play dough. These activities connect listening with making, allowing children to use a story's ideas in their own play. Children also pursued activities independently and had opportunities to practise physical skills.

Outside, messy play equipment supports sensory exploration and working together. The Water Wall gives children a concrete way to investigate gravity, recycling water and its movement. Get Set, Go! Blocks can be rearranged into trails with different levels of challenge, so physical play includes solving problems as well as moving.

Language teaching needs closer attention. In April 2026, most adult interactions helped children develop speech, but some lacked a sufficiently specific focus on language. This limited communication progress for some children. Improving staff expertise in these interactions was an explicit next step.

Activities are adjusted after staff assess children's abilities, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In April 2026, these adjustments supported achievement across early years learning. For families, the useful distinction is support built into activities, rather than expecting every child to approach them identically.

The nursery welcomes children with SEND and from different religious and cultural backgrounds. A school-wide improvement priority in April 2026 was to make support-plan actions and targets more precise. Families whose children need additional help should consider that alongside the positive early years findings.

Safeguarding concerns can be raised through the school office with the designated safeguarding team. The school discusses welfare concerns with parents before involving other agencies unless doing so could compromise the child's welfare.

Attending Oakhurst's nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their child's entry year. Being familiar with the school and securing admission are separate matters; plan for the application as well as the nursery years.

The nursery operates on five days during term time. Government funding is available to eligible children aged 3 and 4, so eligibility matters when planning attendance.

Nursery enquiries can be made through the nursery contact form or by calling the school office on 01202 871577. The office opens from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, providing a defined window for telephone contact.