Radcliffe-on-Trent Infant and Nursery School: Caterpillar Nursery

Stories, songs and daily art give Caterpillar Nursery its character. Communication starts in nursery and runs through the children's everyday routines, with vocabulary teaching supported by pictures as well as words. This is the school's own nursery provision on Bingham Road in Radcliffe-on-Trent, welcoming applications for children turning three.

In March 2024, Ofsted found that children began their early education well, with adults encouraging resourcefulness and independence. Books were a priority from the beginning. For parents, that points to an early education built around helping children express themselves and attempt things for themselves.

Language has a concrete place in the early years foundation stage (EYFS), the early learning phase that includes nursery. Talk Through Stories gives children opportunities to retell stories aloud, recognise characters and explore unfamiliar words. Understanding what happens in a story matters alongside learning its vocabulary: children practise making sense of language, rather than simply repeating it.

Daily singing adds another route into words and sounds. Nursery rhymes follow a progression through the early years, and children take part in World Nursery Rhyme Week each year. Widgit symbols support vocabulary teaching across the school, pairing visual prompts with language. These are specific ways to help children join in and communicate.

Art is also an everyday activity in the Foundation Stage. Children experiment with making marks and practising craft skills, returning to activities through experience and repetition. The emphasis gives them repeated opportunities to try an idea and develop control, rather than treating art as an occasional finished product.

The Foundation Stage movement curriculum includes balancing, coordinating footwork and practising ball skills. Its learning goals also cover sharing, taking turns and following instructions, including doing these with adult help. Physical learning therefore includes how children participate together, as well as how they move.

Parents with concerns about speech, language or communication are directed to their child's class teacher. That gives families a clear first contact for discussing a difficulty, including concerns that have not yet become an identified need.

Support for families also includes early years calming ideas and a separation anxiety activity. These provide a starting point for thinking about worries around being apart. They should be understood as family resources, rather than a description of an individual child's settling programme.

Attending Caterpillar Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat that application as a separate task from joining nursery.

There is continuity in language learning: the nursery rhyme progression continues into Reception. Familiar songs can link the learning stages, but curriculum continuity does not secure an admission place.

For nursery applications, use the Caterpillar Nursery application link. The school office can be contacted on 0115 911 2991 or at admin@rotins.notts.sch.uk, providing a direct route for an enquiry.

The school asks parents and guardians to download the Arbor App.