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Nursery at Giffard Park Primary School
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A sensory room, forest school sessions and a qualified teacher give Smart Steps its own identity within Giffard Park Primary School. This is the school’s pre-school for children aged three and four, managed by the primary school and based within its grounds on Broadway Avenue, Milton Keynes.
The indoor and outdoor spaces have been refurbished, giving children places to explore both inside and out. School attachment also brings practical connections: library visits feature among the activities, and the pre-school curriculum links with the learning children encounter later. Those connections shape the experience. They do not secure a Reception place.
Cooking, gardening and forest school sessions bring practical activity into the nursery day. Children also use the sensory room, visit the library and make music. Together, these give the day several different kinds of experience, from handling ingredients and growing things to exploring books and sounds.
Smart Steps sits within the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the early learning phase. Its curriculum combines learning about the world with vocabulary development, early maths and the beginnings of phonics, helping children connect language and number with their experiences. Creativity, imagination, curiosity and independence are explicit aims for the indoor and outdoor provision.
Social learning has a place alongside those early skills. Staff support children as they interact and begin making friends, so learning includes relationships as well as activities. Pre-school children also participate in Christmas Nativity performances, with opportunities to dance and sing for an audience. That adds a shared performance experience to the everyday music offer.
A fully qualified teacher is part of the pre-school provision. Staff work with parents and carers to build on children’s earlier learning experiences, giving families a role in connecting home and nursery life.
In February 2025, Ofsted found that identifying additional needs began in the early years, with adults quickly understanding individual children and establishing routines that helped them settle and follow instructions. For a child who needs extra support, this makes the early understanding of their needs especially relevant. The school’s SENCo can be contacted through the office to discuss concerns about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Food has its own booking considerations. Smart Steps offers a hot meal, while snacks carry a voluntary contribution. The lunch session must be attached to a morning or afternoon booking, so it forms part of a longer nursery visit rather than a standalone session.
Attending Smart Steps does not guarantee admission to Giffard Park’s Reception. Nursery enrolment and Reception admission are separate processes: families must apply again through Milton Keynes Council by the normal Reception deadline. The school directs applicants towards the council’s online application route.
Preparation for that change is a separate matter. Smart Steps links its curriculum with the school’s, and the school’s personal, social, health and economic education programme gives transition a summer-term focus for pre-school children joining the school. This supports preparation for the next stage; it does not determine admissions.
Term-time bookings include morning sessions from 08:30 to 11:30, afternoons from 12:30 to 15:30, and a full-day option. Lunch runs from 11:30 to 12:30 and must accompany either a morning or afternoon session. These options let families choose a shorter session or combine nursery attendance with lunch.
Children can start once they turn three. Funded sessions begin in the following term, with private payment possible beforehand. Smart Steps accepts privately paid and funded places, describes a 15-hour weekly entitlement over 38 term-time weeks, and offers 30 funded hours for eligible children. Refer to the school for current charges, including meals and additional sessions.
To request an application pack or register, telephone the school office on 01908 617868. The Smart Steps enquiry form also asks for the child’s date of birth and the preferred session days and times, making it a direct route for setting out the pattern your family wants.
Smart Steps is for three- and four-year-olds. Children can start when they turn three, with funded sessions beginning the following term.
Morning sessions run from 08:30 to 11:30 and afternoons from 12:30 to 15:30. There is also a full-day option. Lunch, from 11:30 to 12:30, must be booked alongside a morning or afternoon session.
Activities include gardening, cooking, music, forest school sessions and library visits. Children also use the sensory room.
No. Families must make a separate Reception application through Milton Keynes Council by the normal deadline.
Call the school office on 01908 617868 to enquire or request an application pack, or complete the Smart Steps enquiry form with your child’s details and preferred sessions.
