Okehampton Primary School and Foundation Unit Nursery Review

Play sets the pace at Okehampton’s nursery, with learning shaped around children’s interests rather than a sequence of formal lessons. The nursery sits within the school’s Foundation Stage Unit on Glendale Road and caters for children aged two, three and four. Its connection with the wider early years team is central to the arrangement: Foundation Stage practitioners support children throughout their time in the unit.

Children progress according to readiness. Younger children can tackle later stages of learning when they are ready, so age alone does not determine their next challenge.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework. For parents, that means attention to movement, communication and emotional development alongside early number work, literacy, creativity and discovering how the world works. Adult-guided activities sit alongside play that children initiate themselves. There is room for both direction and choice.

Continuous Provision is the named approach to organising the indoor and outdoor learning environments. Activities are planned around children’s interests, with opportunities they can pursue independently as well as with an adult. Outdoor learning includes exploring the natural world; indoors and outside, the intention is for children to investigate problems and develop their own ideas. Staff use questions and conversation to extend that thinking.

Read Write Inc. preparation begins in nursery. The emphasis is on getting children ready for the phonics programme, rather than treating nursery as a formal reading class. During the Ofsted inspection on 25 and 26 May 2022, teaching across Nursery and Reception was clear, planned activities developed independence, and adults’ conversations supported children’s vocabulary and confidence. These findings concern the combined early years provision, rather than a separate nursery grade.

A child’s keyworker is the first contact for concerns, with unresolved issues passed to school leadership. Parents can request verbal updates about progress, while joining arrangements include consent for an online learning journal using Tapestry/Dojo. This gives families a route for receiving progress notifications as well as talking with staff.

Medical information, dietary requirements and involvement from other agencies are collected when children join. Medicine administration requires parental consent. The nursery aims to remain nut free: families are asked to avoid sending food or packaging that may contain nuts, and to avoid products containing nut oils. That expectation extends beyond lunch to care products.

For special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the school uses a cycle of assessing needs, planning support, putting it into practice and reviewing its effect, with parents contributing their experience. The May 2022 inspection identified a school-wide concern that some pupils with SEND needed more precisely targeted help. It also found a school-wide weakness in assessment in some subjects: learning did not always take sufficient account of pupils’ existing knowledge. For families considering nursery support, discussing the particular provision their child needs is therefore a useful part of choosing the setting.

Nursery attendance neither guarantees nor gives priority for a Reception place. A separate school application is required. Devon residents apply through Devon County Council’s online admissions service by 15 January; families living elsewhere apply through their own council.

The educational connection is separate from admission. Children move through the Foundation Stage at their own pace, supported by practitioners across their time in the unit. That continuity concerns learning and staff support. It does not reserve a school place.

Morning, afternoon and All Day sessions can be requested from Monday to Friday, with lunch also included among the booking choices. Sessions are booked for a full term. Funded hours, paid sessions or a combination can be used, and confirmation of funding is required before a funded place can be offered.

Funding arrangements include 15 hours a week from the term after a child’s third birthday and a 30-hour option requiring a funding code. Eligible two-year-olds can receive up to 15 hours through Devon’s 2gether scheme. Additional sessions are chargeable; contact the school for current charges. Nursery applications and enquiries about funding or hours go to nursery@dmatschools.org.uk.

Collection arrangements require families to identify authorised adults, with identity checks for unfamiliar collectors. Parents generally cannot drive onto the school grounds; Blue Disability Badge holders may request access through the office under specified circumstances. Waitrose parking permits are arranged through the school office, giving families another option for the journey.