Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre Nursery Review

Rhyme, shared books and balloons carrying classmates’ pictures give Southwold’s early years provision its character. Language and friendship are practical activities here. The nursery belongs to Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre on Kennington Road in Radford, Nottingham, with entry to the Early Years Centre managed directly by the school.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 26 and 27 November 2024. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Learning starts with listening. In November 2024, Nursery children explored everyday sounds and rhyming as the beginnings of language and communication. Early years language teaching was effective, while mathematics introduced counting and number. For parents, these are concrete foundations: noticing sounds, finding words and beginning to understand quantities.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) activities bring stories into practical learning. After reading Jack and the Flumflum Tree, early years children collaborated on boats they designed and built. The story supplied a reason to make something together. A Wonderdome visit extended a topic about travel into space, introducing rockets and astronauts through the visiting experience.

SCARF gives social learning a similarly tangible form. In one Early Years Centre activity, children matched pictures on balloons to classmates and sought them out to make friends. These examples give children reasons to talk, make things and work together.

There was also a development point in November 2024: the progression of mathematics from early years into the next stage of school was still being refined. The foundations in counting were appropriate, but that sequence remained work in progress.

Feelings are explored through stories and play. Early Years Centre children acted out Colour Monster with coloured scarves, matched emotions and drew five people they could approach when sad. That makes an abstract topic concrete: children practise recognising a feeling and identifying someone to tell.

Friendship activities have included Happy in Our Skin and The Little Bully. Children used a mirror to discuss differences between themselves and their friends, connecting inclusion with something they could see.

Parents have joined early years book-sharing events, including a Young Readers Programme activity led by the Literacy Trust in which children received a new book. This gives families a shared reading experience to continue at home. For additional needs, enquiries to the school’s SEND coordinator can be sent to admin@southwold.nottingham.sch.uk.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Nottingham City Council is the route for school admissions, while the school handles Early Years Centre applications itself. Keep those two applications distinct when planning your child’s next step.

Contact the school office to arrange a visit or join the nursery waiting list. The enquiry route is direct: call 0115 915 5756 or email admin@southwold.nottingham.sch.uk. Visits offer families a chance to discuss their child’s move into the Early Years Centre before applying.