Abbeywood First School Nursery

Owls, shadows and a robot switching off its screen give Abbeywood’s nursery learning a distinctive starting point: stories become prompts for talking, investigating and playing. This is the nursery provision within Abbeywood First School in Church Hill, Redditch. Its activities connect early language and number work with children’s feelings, friendships and curiosity about the world.

Learning spans the early years areas of communication, physical development, personal and social development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. In parent terms, that means talking with a partner, trying movements, exploring patterns and using imagination alongside early reading skills. These strands meet through shared themes rather than sitting as separate subjects.

The Spring 1 programme uses WOW! Said the Owl to explore colour and nature, while All Through The Night introduces people working after dark and animals active at night. Children investigate shadows and compare darkness with light. Conversations about bedtime and fears connect those discoveries with familiar experiences, giving children reasons to describe what they notice and how they feel.

Read Write Inc begins in Nursery. Letter rhymes and Fred Games introduce listening for sounds; Fred Talk helps children combine those sounds into words. Children approaching Reception encounter initial sounds in the summer term through daily five-minute sessions. The emphasis is on small steps.

Number work includes repeating patterns, exploring position and recognising small quantities. Creative activities include choosing rollers, sponges or brushes for painting and adding detail to drawings of faces. Movement work asks children to balance their weight on different body parts, stretch and link actions. These are concrete ways to practise control, observation and expression.

Emotional development has practical teaching behind it. Story discussions explore feeling nervous, finding reassurance and recognising personal strengths. Children also practise expressing feelings through play and developing assertiveness, helping them put experiences into words.

In February 2025, special educational needs and disabilities were recognised promptly from Nursery onwards, with teaching adapted to children’s needs. The school’s support structure includes targeted group work and more individual interventions; Individual Provision Plans or Pastoral Support Plans have targets reviewed with parents each term. This gives families a defined role in reviewing support.

Across the school, the Rainbow Room provides a space for wellbeing support. Longer conversations with teachers can be arranged through the office. Learning checks. In February 2025, school-wide assessment and checks during lessons were inconsistent, sometimes leaving mistakes uncorrected or next steps poorly planned. Families should keep discussions about their child’s progress specific.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place or confer priority. For September 2027 entry, families must make a separate application using their home local authority’s Common Application Form, with a deadline of 15 January. Worcestershire residents can apply online through Worcestershire County Council. Treat this as a separate decision and deadline, even if your child already attends Nursery.

For enquiries, contact the school office on 01527 962794 or email office@abbeywood.worcs.sch.uk. Abbeywood First School is on Wood Piece Lane, Church Hill, Redditch, B98 9LR. Urgent messages should go through the office; teachers check class email accounts regularly but rarely while teaching.