Thameside Primary School Nursery Review

Songs, rhymes and careful listening mark the start of learning to read at Thameside Primary School’s nursery. The emphasis begins with sounds and spoken language, giving children something concrete to practise before reading becomes more demanding. This is nursery provision within a primary school in Grays, where the school’s age range begins at three.

At the inspection on 8 and 9 October 2024, Ofsted graded early years provision Good. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately graded nursery. The early years findings describe children building confidence with numbers, learning to participate together and developing persistence: useful foundations for both learning and everyday group life.

Listening is a clear starting point. Nursery children distinguish sounds and build their familiarity with language through songs and rhymes. These activities put the beginnings of reading into forms young children can join in with, rather than making early literacy solely about printed words. A rhyme gives children language to repeat; listening to sounds gives them something to notice.

The wider early years learning includes counting and using numbers with increasing confidence. Alongside this, children practise maintaining attention, waiting for a turn and participating in learning with the whole class. The learning therefore involves both knowledge and the habits needed to use it in a group. Taking a turn matters here as well as knowing a number.

In October 2024, expectations for children were high from the outset, and early years children behaved well. They also developed perseverance and resilience. These findings give parents a picture of learning that includes staying with a task and managing participation alongside other children.

Curriculum consistency. The October 2024 inspection identified a school-wide need to improve how consistently teaching put the curriculum into practice. Some significant mistakes went uncorrected, and some tasks did too little to help learning stick. This is a relevant caution about teaching across the school; it was not presented as a nursery-specific weakness.

Relationships form part of the early years picture. In October 2024, children built positive connections with others while learning to concentrate and participate together. For a young child, those social habits matter alongside the learning itself: joining a group involves listening, sharing attention and allowing someone else a turn.

The same findings describe children developing persistence. This gives the social and learning expectations a practical connection, with children learning to keep going as well as to take part.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions route and meet the relevant deadline. Treat choosing a nursery place and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.

The early years work on concentration, turn-taking and joining class learning provides useful preparation for the next stage of education. Those learning habits should be considered separately from admission: familiarity with school life does not itself secure a Reception place.

The school’s address is Manor Road, Grays, RM17 6EF. Its telephone number is 01375372188. These give families a direct contact point for the school and a concrete location to consider when planning the journey.