Hewens Primary School Nursery Review

Play, early language and learning to work with others give Hewens Primary’s school nursery its shape. Children can join from 3 years old, within the school’s Early Years provision in Hayes. This is an introduction to school life through play, with independence and relationships forming part of the learning alongside reading and number.

The January 2025 Ofsted inspection graded early years provision Good. That judgement covers the school’s early years, rather than a separately inspected nursery. The school’s six Rs bring its wider ethos into these early experiences: being respectful, responsible, resilient, rational, resourceful and reflective.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects care with learning. Here, its starting points are conversation, movement and children’s emotional and social development. Literacy and mathematics sit alongside creative expression and discovering how the world works. For parents, that means learning encompasses how a child communicates and relates to others as well as what they can read or count.

Planned play allows children to learn independently and alongside their peers. Speaking and listening have a central role, while activities also develop concentration and cooperation. Outdoor learning is part of Foundation Stage curriculum planning. Across the school grounds, a pirate ship provides a focus for playground play, with a woodland area offering another physical setting for exploration.

Read Write Inc begins in early years. Its Fred the Frog puppet helps children hear separate sounds and combine them into words, making the connection between spoken language and reading concrete. In January 2025, inspectors identified early years mathematics activities involving number pairs totalling 10 and counting using different languages. These examples show how number learning can connect calculation with talk.

Parents can contribute to learning through Tapestry, the early years online journal. Staff add observations, photographs and videos; families can share pictures and observations from home too. This gives parents a way to follow development and add experiences that staff might otherwise miss.

For additional learning needs, the school works with families to agree observation, assessment and consultation. Class teachers can draw on specialist teachers and other professionals within the Academy Trust when planning support. Families also have a Lead SEND Officer/SENCO enquiry route. Speech and Language Link provides home activities and advice, while Hillingdon Talks, Moves and Plays connects families with information about speech and language, occupational therapy and physiotherapy services.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal local authority process and meet the deadline for their entry year. Hewens follows the London Borough of Hillingdon’s admission procedures and timescales; when applications exceed places, allocation follows the oversubscription criteria. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

General enquiries go to Hewensprimary@trhat.org or 020 3819 3434. The school is on Hewens Road, Hayes, UB4 8JP.

Little Marvels supports wraparound arrangements with Hewens Primary, allowing school nursery children to use both provisions. That is a separate arrangement to consider when planning care around nursery attendance. For travel, the school asks families to park clear of its gates, keep driveways unobstructed and switch engines off while parked. Its parking pledge also encourages active travel at least once a week.