South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Stories, rhymes and learning to speak confidently give South Malling’s early years provision its clearest character. The nursery belongs to the Church of England primary school on Church Lane in Lewes. Its staffing includes a nursery teacher, a deputy supervisor and an early years practitioner, giving families distinct teaching and care roles within the nursery team.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 20 and 21 May 2025. This is an early years judgement within the school inspection.

Communication has a clear place in early learning here. In May 2025, staff helped children build vocabulary and express themselves confidently. For a nursery child, that means learning to put thoughts into words alongside the beginnings of reading. Stories and rhymes were part of early years learning, and children were starting to connect letters with sounds. These are concrete foundations for understanding language and enjoying books.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for this stage of education. In plain parent language, it brings together learning, development, health and safety. Its learning areas cover physical skills and relationships alongside communication, with mathematics, literacy, creative expression and understanding the world also included. The emphasis is broader than reading alone: children’s social and physical development belong alongside their first encounters with letters and numbers.

For children needing additional help, the school’s support process involves the class team and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). The March 2025 SEND policy sets out an Assess, Plan, Do and Review cycle. Parents contribute to identifying needs and agreeing support; the response is then reviewed and adjusted. This gives families a defined process for discussing concerns and checking whether an intervention is helping.

The school’s 2025–2026 SEN information report described Speech Link and Language Link assessment software, plus Jump Ahead activities for physical development. It also listed access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and educational psychologists. These were school-level resources, with support selected according to the individual child’s needs. They provide specific starting points for conversations about communication or movement difficulties.

Additional Needs Plans in that document set out intended outcomes and the support provided, with reviews involving parents at least three times a year. Families therefore have a recurring opportunity to contribute observations from home and discuss changes to support.

Physical access deserves attention too. The May 2022 accessibility plan described disabled access and facilities in the nursery. The 2025–2026 information report also identified a school-site limitation: the upper playground was inaccessible to wheelchair users. For a family using a wheelchair, that distinction matters when considering access to different parts of the site.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must apply separately through the normal Reception admissions process and meet its deadline. South Malling follows East Sussex’s admissions policy; the county admissions team is the contact for that process. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

The nursery’s school address is Church Lane, Lewes, BN7 2HS. Enquiries can go through the school office on 01273 473016 or office@southmalling.e-sussex.sch.uk. For Reception admissions, contact East Sussex at admissions@eastsussex.gov.uk. This separates the nursery enquiry from the later school-place application.