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Nursery at Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Play, conversation and Spinney Stories give this nursery its character. Three and four year olds attend Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery in Harlow, with a mixture of 48 children in each session. It is the school's own nursery provision, within its early years stage.
Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 12 and 13 November 2024. Activities were planned with clear learning purposes, helping children build the knowledge and skills expected of them. That judgement covers the school's early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery.
A three-hour session combines opportunities to choose play with more structured learning. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the framework for children's learning and development. Here, its practical expression includes conversation, movement, managing feelings and the beginnings of reading and writing. Toys, books and resources are within children's reach, so choosing what to explore is part of the learning.
Language develops through play, exchanges with adults and organised carpet time. Read, Write Inc introduces reading and writing from the start of nursery, while Spinney Stories gives children time to enjoy books together. The nursery reading programme includes daily story time, sometimes supported by bags containing objects related to the story. Those objects give children something concrete to connect with the words they hear.
Movement matters too. Children have opportunities to practise balancing, jumping, climbing and running, alongside activities developing smaller hand movements. Specialist PE teachers teach children twice weekly. This places physical development alongside communication and early literacy in the nursery experience.
Settling starts before the first full session. Home visits introduce families to key workers and teachers; stay and play sessions let children become familiar with classrooms. A first week with shorter attendance then introduces routines gradually. Staff can also consider sessions below three hours where a child's social or emotional needs make that appropriate, informing the parent of the adjustment.
Parents are encouraged to share concerns and information that can shape their child's learning. Class Dojo carries achievements, news and home activities, while Tapestry also supports communication with families. Adults observe children's interactions and model behaviour expectations, making help with feelings part of everyday teaching.
For additional needs, the school's SEND arrangements include One Plans with individual outcomes and termly meetings involving families and staff. Speech and language work and motor skills interventions can form part of targeted support. The school also has a specialist Sensory room and Nurture area. These are school facilities, with support planned around individual needs.
At the start of the school day, children are offered breakfast in class, with cereals including Cheerios and Shreddies and a choice of dairy or non-dairy milk. This is a morning arrangement.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Cooks Spinney. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route by the normal deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two distinct decisions, even though the nursery is part of the school.
Children attend either five morning sessions or five afternoon sessions each week, totalling 15 hours. Morning sessions run from 8:30 to 11:30; afternoons run from 12:30 to 15:30. That pattern requires a collection or handover during the working day.
Session allocation. A family's preferred session cannot be guaranteed. The nursery manager and senior leadership team allocate sessions, so the offered pattern matters when planning childcare.
Parents can register interest at any time, and children enter termly when places become available. Contact the school on 01279 437590 to enquire about a nursery place. A birth certificate and evidence of residence are required before admission.
Sessions include three and four year olds, with a mixture of 48 children in each session.
Morning sessions are 8:30 to 11:30 and afternoon sessions are 12:30 to 15:30. Children attend five mornings or five afternoons each week.
Home visits, stay and play sessions and an initial week of shorter attendance introduce children to staff, classrooms and routines gradually.
Read, Write Inc introduces reading and writing. Children also enjoy Spinney Stories and daily story time.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee entry to the school, and families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions process.
