Buswells Lodge Primary School Nursery Review

Water play, messy activities and a class Toucan to take home give this morning nursery its own character. Foundation Stage One, also called Toucan class, is Buswells Lodge Primary School’s nursery provision in Beaumont Leys, Leicester. Children can start in the term following their third birthday, subject to space. It is a part-time introduction to school life, with play shaping the learning.

A class teacher and two teaching assistants form the nursery team. The short morning pattern gives families a clear practical starting point, while the classroom’s outdoor area brings water play into the session. Named wellies belong on each child’s peg. Expect clothes to get messy.

Learning happens through play, indoors and outside. Cornerstones provides a framework, with activities also shaped around children’s interests. Within the seven learning areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the nursery emphasises movement, communication and personal and social development. In parent language, that means practising listening and speaking, managing feelings, building relationships and developing both large movements and finer hand skills. These are treated as foundations for later learning.

Literacy, mathematics, creative work and discovering the world sit alongside those foundations. Aprons are supplied for messy activities, and outdoor water play makes spare clothing and wellies useful practical preparations. Rhymes also connect classroom learning with home: examples include Once I Caught a Fish Alive. Each day, a child takes the class Toucan home and records their evening together through drawing and writing.

The historical inspection picture needs attention. In May 2022, Ofsted found that early-years planning lacked detail, some adults expected too little and some children received insufficient support, although nursery children joined enthusiastically in songs and stories. In September 2023, a monitoring inspection found that the redesigned indoor and outdoor environments supported learning, but further work remained on specifying what children should learn and checking curriculum delivery. For families, the useful focus is how play activities build knowledge and how staff recognise each child’s next step.

Milk and fruit are supplied daily at no charge, and bagels come to the classroom each morning. Children can bring a labelled water bottle. Before starting, families are encouraged to practise everyday independence, including handwashing, toileting and putting on a coat, so familiar care tasks become part of preparation for nursery.

Tapestry connects home and classroom through photographs and observations. Parents can respond and add their own pictures; Wow vouchers share achievements at home, while Helping Hand activities identify something to practise. After the first half term, Wednesday Stay and Play gives parents time alongside their child’s favourite activities.

For additional needs, the first conversation is with the class teacher, with access to the SENDCo through the office. Support can involve the Early Years Support Team or Speech and Language Therapy Service. Families participate in planning and reviewing support, and children with medical conditions have an Individual Care Plan. This gives parents routes for discussing learning and care together.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. For the 2025–26 admissions arrangements, the deadline was 15 January, using the Common Application Form; nursery attendance carried no oversubscription priority. Treat nursery choice and Reception application as separate decisions.

Transition support is a different matter. Depending on individual needs, moving from nursery can involve extra meetings with the new teacher, classroom visits to locate toilets and pegs, or a booklet with photographs of people and places. These help children prepare for change; they do not determine admission.

Morning places run from 08:45 to 11:45. Contact the office on 0116 2352129 or office@buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk to enquire or arrange a school tour. Confirm the session arrangements when booking a place.

Uniform is expected each day, with grey bottoms, a white top and a blue jumper. A school logo is optional, so plain uniform can be bought from other retailers. Drop-off is at the classroom door. Children leave individually with an authorised adult; families complete a collection form and must telephone the office if an emergency changes who will collect.