The Willows School and Early Years Centre Nursery

Water play and a shared early years space give this nursery its character: children pour, build and paint, moving between the nursery, outdoors and Reception learning areas. Play has room to spread. The provision forms part of The Willows School and Early Years Centre in Fishermead, Milton Keynes, with care and education starting from age two.

Time for Twos has its own Little Spiders group. The older nursery groups take minibeast names too: Snails, Caterpillars, Ladybirds and Bumble Bees. For the youngest children, a room with places for rest, cuddles and play sits alongside an outdoor area, giving the day space for quieter moments as well as exploration.

Small groups and play both shape learning through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the curriculum covering birth to five. Topic planning takes account of children's experiences and interests. That means adult planning connects with what children bring to nursery, rather than treating their play as separate from learning.

Water provides a concrete example. Filling containers, tipping water out and pouring between them give children practice controlling their hands while exploring capacity. Painting and cutting sit alongside construction; movement includes jumping, running and dancing. Singing adds another way to take part. The shared indoor and outdoor environment gives children different places to pursue these activities during a session.

Early literacy also has a place. A handwriting scheme begins in nursery, while the school's phonics programme is Super Sonic Phonic Friends. Home learning suggestions include sharing picture books, making playdough and counting household objects: manageable ways for families to continue talking and exploring together.

Ofsted's July 2023 inspection found effective early years teaching in early number work, literacy, physical development and communication, with children enthusiastic about learning and comfortable with routines. The same inspection identified unfinished sequencing in some non-core subjects across the school. That wider curriculum concern should sit alongside the positive early years findings.

Relationships develop through conversation, sharing and learning to take turns. In Time for Twos, staff work with families on potty and toilet use when children are ready. Rest spaces in the room provide somewhere to pause, and children receive snacks described as healthy, with milk or water to drink. These are practical parts of care for younger children, alongside play.

For children staying all day, a school meal is available for an additional charge, or families can provide a packed lunch. Weekly newsletters reach parents by email or through their children, keeping families connected with centre news.

A nursery class teacher and nursery nurses appear in the staff structure. The school's special educational needs and disabilities coordinator can be contacted through the office email. Complex needs. In July 2023, support for a small number of children with the most complex SEND needed greater precision across the school, and staff training was uneven. Families considering this provision should give that concern weight alongside the nursery's day-to-day arrangements.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through Milton Keynes Council's online route by the normal Reception deadline; nursery applications go through the school office.

Shared learning areas provide a practical connection with Reception. Nursery children already move through the wider early years environment, so those spaces can become familiar before the next stage. That familiarity is separate from the allocation of a school place.

Morning nursery sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; full days finish at 3pm. Afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. Doors open at 8.35am for the morning and 11.55am for the afternoon. Time for Twos offers morning or afternoon attendance, with flexibility dependent on spare places.

Funding includes Time for Twos places for eligible families, 15-hour provision and 30-hour places for eligible families. Additional sessions and wraparound care can be paid for. Nursery children can attend the chargeable Breakfast Club from 8am, booked ahead through School Spider, with drop-off between 8am and 8.15am. Refer to the school for current charges.

Own clothes are allowed in nursery; a school jumper is recommended to protect better clothing. Bring labelled spare clothes, coats, book bags and wellies, which can stay at school. Sun hats and sun cream are requested for sunny days. Nursery enquiries and applications go through the office, and visits can be arranged by telephone on 01908 528803.