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Nursery at John Rankin Infant and Nursery 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Daily sound games, equipment for climbing and weekly Forest School give John Rankin’s nursery a clear emphasis on learning by doing. This is Foundation Stage 1, the nursery provision at John Rankin Infant and Nursery School on Garford Crescent in Newbury. It shares the school’s setting while having its own nursery team and building.
Specialist Early Years Teachers lead the practitioners. The team includes class teachers, a room leader who also has a key worker role, teaching assistants and a lunchtime controller. Staff work across the early years to combine a familiar routine with opportunities for children to choose their play.
Play gives the day its shape. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects learning to children’s movement, conversation and relationships, alongside early literacy, maths, creative expression and exploration of their surroundings. Here, those areas translate into concrete activities: threading and playdough for small hand movements, balancing and climbing for larger movements, and conversations with adults and other children.
Stories and singing happen daily. So do phase 1 phonics sessions, using interactive games to practise listening and awareness of sounds and letters. Mark-making materials are spread across the learning environment, giving children opportunities to attach meaning to their drawings and early writing during play. Number songs and stories sit alongside counting and shape resources used outside as well as indoors.
Dressing up, musical instruments and construction with different materials add further ways to explore ideas. White Rose is the maths scheme used from the early years. Purple Learning also introduces early-years strategies that encourage children to think through a difficulty before asking for help; the school aims to build independence through that approach.
Outdoors, Forest School takes place weekly for EYFS children within a ten-acre school site. Activities include den building, climbing trees and natural art. This adds a recurring opportunity to work with natural materials and explore beyond the classroom.
Starting nursery is treated as a transition from familiar home life. The nursery aims to help both children and parents adjust, describing its approach as homelike and caring. A room leader also holds a key worker role, while collaboration across the team supports continuity in the daily routine.
For children staying all day, lunch is at 12.15pm. Afternoon-only children need to eat before their session. Camp beds and light blankets allow children to nap when needed. At snack time, nursery children choose fruit or vegetables from a table and eat with friends; a free fruit or vegetable is provided daily. Nursery children younger than five can receive free milk through Coolmilk.
Tapestry records children’s development and achievements, with accounts created shortly after they start nursery. For additional needs, the school’s SEND approach includes teaching alongside peers and individual intervention when appropriate. Pupil Profiles bring together strengths, preferences, learning barriers and personalised strategies, with parents involved in planning. That gives adults shared information for adapting support.
Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate application through the normal West Berkshire admissions process. Contact the West Berkshire Admissions Team on 01635 519771 or email admissions@westberks.gov.uk to apply. Choosing the nursery and applying for Reception are separate decisions.
Sessions run on weekdays during school terms, with funded and parent-paid options. A full day runs from 9am to 3pm; the afternoon session runs from noon to 3pm. Nursery breakfast club adds an 8.30am to 9am option in the nursery building, useful for families coordinating siblings’ drop-offs.
Children aged three to four have a universal entitlement to 15 funded hours each week. Eligible working parents can apply for a 30-hour funding code, which must be obtained and shared with the nursery before starting. Snack contributions are voluntary. Ask the school for current charges.
To join the waiting list, complete a registration of interest form. Nursery enquiries go to 01635 42376 or JRSNursery@maidenerleghtrust.org; visits can also be arranged through the office. If another adult will collect your child, notify the school beforehand and share the one-time password it supplies with that adult.
Activities include stories, singing, phase 1 phonics games, playdough, threading, construction and imaginative play. Counting and shape resources are used indoors and outdoors, and EYFS children have weekly Forest School.
Yes. Camp beds and light blankets are provided for naps.
Nursery children receive a free fruit or vegetable each day, and those under five are entitled to free milk through Coolmilk. Full-day children have lunch at 12.15pm; afternoon-only children should eat before attending.
No. A separate application is required through West Berkshire’s normal school admissions process.
Contact the school office on 01635 42376 to arrange a visit. A registration of interest form adds your child to the nursery waiting list; admissions enquiries can also be sent to JRSNursery@maidenerleghtrust.org.
