Highweek Community Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

A purpose-built Early Years Centre gives Highweek’s youngest children a setting of their own within the primary school. The nursery caters for ages two to four on Coronation Road in Newton Abbot. Children’s interests help shape their learning, with adult interaction used to develop language and support their next steps.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 21 and 22 March 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Curiosity gives the learning its direction. Practitioners build on what interests children, helping them extend their vocabulary as they explore. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework, with seven areas of learning and development linked by habits such as concentrating, experimenting and persisting. For parents, the emphasis is on how children learn as well as what they discover.

Achievosaurs make those habits concrete. ASKARAPTOR represents asking questions, TRYATOPS encourages children to keep trying, and SHAREONYX connects learning with sharing resources and ideas. These characters give children words for the effort and thinking involved in a task, rather than focusing only on finishing it.

Outdoor investigation has a practical place in early years learning. In March 2023, children explored minibeasts outdoors and used clipboards to record their discoveries. They participated readily in activities and learned the routines and rules. Finding something, describing it and recording it brings observation and language together in one activity.

The Early Years team includes teachers, teaching assistants and practitioners qualified at Levels 2 and 3. This places several professional roles around the provision, alongside the school’s SENCO and inclusion leadership.

For children needing additional help, Thrive assessments are used in Nursery and Early Years to help identify needs. Parents can begin a discussion with their child’s teacher or contact the SENCO to talk through concerns and possible next steps. The school’s SEND provision also includes intimate care plans developed with parents where children need additional personal care, making family involvement part of that planning.

My Child At School is the school’s messaging service for parents. It provides a route for information about activities, events and urgent messages.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority in allocation. Families must make a separate application through Devon’s normal school admissions process, using the online application route and meeting the local authority’s deadline.

Familiar friendships may make the move into school feel less daunting. Highweek’s admissions guidance recognises that benefit when children start alongside peers they already know. It is a social benefit, with no bearing on who receives a place. Families should keep the Reception application separate from their nursery arrangements.

Visits can be arranged through the school office by appointment. For nursery enquiries, use the contact form, telephone 01626 216300 or email admin@highweekprimary.co.uk. The Early Years team also welcomes conversations about its provision, so a visit offers a direct introduction to the people and setting.

Nursery children wear the EYFS uniform introduced in September 2025. Options include purple jogging bottoms with a white polo or purple PE T-shirt; warmer-weather choices include black sports shorts or a purple summer dress. Grey trousers and grey dresses are excluded from this uniform. Children also need a waterproof coat for outdoor learning, keeping their clothing suited to exploration as well as indoor activities.