Victoria Park Nursery School & Family Hub

A large garden beside Victoria Park gives this Newbury nursery a clear starting point: learning through play, with room to move. Purpose-built premises house a maintained nursery school for children aged two to five, with teachers, Early Years Educators and support staff working together. This is nursery education in its own school setting.

Ofsted’s April 2026 evaluation gave inclusion and personal development and wellbeing a Strong standard, with curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, and leadership and governance at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. Those separate judgements give families a more useful picture than a single label.

Children choose activities, while adults join their play to introduce language, demonstrate skills and add a challenge. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: learning to communicate, manage feelings and develop physical skills, alongside early literacy, number, creativity and understanding the world. Play has a teaching purpose.

Helicopter Stories lets children invent stories of their own, while Key Stories receive closer attention. Every Child a Talker supports staff training in early language development, and the termly Rhyme Challenge links songs and rhymes at nursery with practice at home. Families can attend the end-of-term performance. These give conversation and storytelling a place in everyday learning.

Outdoor play continues throughout sessions, with clothing needed for changing weather. Growing2Gether supports Forest School in private woodland at Shaw: children can explore, make dens, climb trees and practise campfire skills. Children have the opportunity to attend in their final nursery year, with an optional contribution towards extra staffing.

Storytelling props help children understand words, and counting during snack time connects number to something familiar. Curriculum development remains a consideration: staff need clearer information about learning goals and assessment so that interactions consistently take children’s learning further.

A key person provides the main link between each child’s learning and their family. A home visit and a quiet settling session with a parent precede the start, followed by an individual settling programme. Tapestry carries learning updates and an early settling report; parents can contribute observations from home. That creates a continuing conversation rather than relying only on formal meetings.

Food arrangements are straightforward. Children staying for Lunch Club bring a packed lunch, while the snack table supplies fruit, vegetables, milk, water and other healthy choices. Nursery-provided food is vegetarian, and nuts and nut products must stay at home. Adults help with eating and drinking; nappy-changing facilities and support with toilet training also form part of care.

SEND support includes Makaton, visual timetables, quiet rooms and sensory areas in the Chestnut and Willow Group rooms. The key person plans individual support under the SENCo’s oversight. Early identification and adjustments to teaching were strengths in April 2026, including support for children learning English alongside their home language.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Reception admissions process and meet its deadline.

Preparation for that move is practical: stories, circle times and conversations introduce the change, staff from the next school are invited to meet children, and nursery staff arrange supported visits to new settings. Transition books can help children needing extra preparation, while the receiving school gets assessments and relevant support paperwork. Familiarity and information help the move; they do not secure admission.

The September 2026 timetable now applies: mornings run from 8.45am to 11.45am, lunch club from 11.45am to 12.30pm, and afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Breakfast and Tea Clubs have ended. Families using 15 funded hours attend five mornings or five afternoons; the 30-hour pattern comprises five mornings, five lunch clubs and four afternoons, excluding Friday afternoon.

Funded provision includes 15- and 30-hour places for three- to five-year-olds, plus 15-hour places and a small number of 30-hour spaces for two-year-olds. Extra sessions depend on space, are reconsidered each term and require advance payment. Refer to the school for current charges.

Contact the office on 01635 41296 or office@victoriapark.w-berks.sch.uk to arrange a visit. Attendance routines. Work with families to establish consistent attendance remained an improvement priority in April 2026. Report an absence before the session; late entry and agreed early collection go through the office.