St James Nursery, Okehampton

Children’s interests help shape the learning in Caterpillars, the nursery class at St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School in Okehampton. It caters for children aged two, three and four within a Church of England primary school. Indoor exploration and learning outdoors belong to the same early years approach, giving children opportunities to pursue ideas in different surroundings.

Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Good following its inspection on 24 and 25 January 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Play provides the structure for learning. The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), combining activities guided by adults with those children initiate themselves. For parents, that means development includes movement, conversation and relationships alongside early literacy, number, creativity and understanding the world. Staff use questions and interactions to help children extend their thinking.

Continuous Provision is the named approach to arranging the indoor and outdoor learning environments. Activities are planned around children’s interests, with opportunities to explore independently as well as work with adults. Outdoor learning includes discovering the natural world. The purpose is to let children continue developing ideas when an adult is not directing the activity, rather than making every learning opportunity depend on an instruction.

Read Write Inc. Ready prepares nursery children for the school’s phonics programme. Across EYFS, Talk Through Stories develops vocabulary and familiarity with stories, while Say a Poem brings poetry into language learning. These give families a concrete picture of the emphasis on speaking and listening. In January 2023, language and communication were a clear early years teaching priority, and nursery children were learning quickly to distinguish acceptable behaviour from unacceptable behaviour.

Caterpillars has a full-time Level 3 Foundation Stage Practitioner, with teaching assistants also working across nursery and Reception. The school aims to begin getting to know children as individuals through home visits, linking its approach to children’s interests and needs.

For additional needs, the school’s SEND process includes early conversations with parents, agreed next steps and a repeating cycle of assessment, planning, support and review. Visual timetables and extra processing time are among the school’s adaptations. These provide practical ways to discuss how a child might participate in learning. The school kitchen cooks meals on site.

Communication. In January 2023, some parents raised concerns about communication across the school, and leaders were asked to strengthen relationships with families and respond promptly to concerns. Curriculum clarity. The same inspection required clearer identification of essential knowledge in some school subjects. These were school-level improvement points, rather than separate nursery judgements.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process. Devon residents apply through Devon County Council at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonline between 15 November and 15 January; families living elsewhere apply through their home local authority, with the same closing date.

Read Write Inc. Ready is preparation for later learning. It should be understood separately from the application for a school place.

Nursery starts at 9am. School gates open at 8:40am, and parents should notify the school if they will be late collecting their child.

For joining enquiries and to arrange a visit, contact the office on 01837 52341 or email admin@stjamesokehampton.org.uk. The school is on Fort Road, off Crediton Road, Okehampton, EX20 1GJ.