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Nursery at New Town Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Stories, nursery rhymes and ambitious new words give New Town’s nursery its clearest character: spoken language matters from the start. Children join in familiar story refrains and explore what unfamiliar vocabulary means, giving parents a concrete picture of how early learning takes shape here.
The provision is Foundation Stage One within New Town Primary School, on School Terrace in Reading. Children become eligible the term after their third birthday, subject to places being available. The wider school occupies Victorian buildings beside the canal. In January 2025, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good.
Two three-hour sessions shape the nursery timetable, with a morning group and an afternoon group. Places cover 15 or 30 hours each week, depending on eligibility. That distinction matters for families fitting nursery around work or other care arrangements.
Learning has a planned sequence from the nursery onwards: teaching builds in an order rather than treating activities as isolated experiences. Within the early years foundation stage, the concrete examples are language based. Stories and rhymes introduce words for children to understand, while repeated refrains invite them to take part. Listening and joining in work together.
For a parent interested in early communication, this is a useful emphasis. The nursery’s story work combines familiar language that children can recognise with more demanding vocabulary that extends what they understand.
Families have a direct route to staff through the school’s Open Door approach. Leaders can be approached in the playground at collection or drop-off, and staff can direct questions to the appropriate colleague. This gives parents a way to raise everyday concerns through conversation.
Additional needs have a school-level point of contact: a SENDCo who has completed the government SENDCo qualification. The school aims to arrange additional educational provision where children require it. Families can contact the SENDCo through the administration email, making this a practical starting point for discussing support.
Reading’s SEND Local Offer also helps families find local support, services and activities. It extends the routes available beyond conversations with school staff.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process; choosing the nursery should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself.
School admissions are handled by Brighter Futures for Children, while nursery admissions are managed by New Town. Keep those two processes separate when planning your child’s next step.
Morning nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am; the afternoon session runs from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. The weekly allocation is conditional: children are offered 15 or 30 hours according to eligibility.
For nursery enquiries, contact the school administration team on 0118 937 5509 or email admin@newtown.reading.sch.uk. The office operates between 8:30am and 4pm, providing a defined window for telephone enquiries.
Prospective families can arrange a school tour by email. An administration team also offers help with application forms, useful for parents who want support completing the paperwork.
Children are eligible from the term after their third birthday, where places are available. This makes the term boundary, rather than the birthday itself, the starting point for planning.
Morning nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am, and afternoon nursery from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Children are offered 15 or 30 hours per week depending on eligibility.
Children practise listening, join in familiar refrains and learn the meanings of more ambitious words. These activities develop spoken language and vocabulary from the nursery onwards.
Contact the school’s SENDCo through admin@newtown.reading.sch.uk to discuss your child’s needs. Reading’s SEND Local Offer provides another route to information about local services, support and activities.
No. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal school admissions process, managed by Brighter Futures for Children. New Town manages nursery admissions itself.
