Windham Nursery School: the nursery day

Little Windham gives two-year-olds their own indoor and outdoor spaces, with opportunities to use a sensory garden, sensory room and soft play area. That age-specific base sets the pattern here: provision organised around young children’s learning and care, rather than a primary-school timetable.

Windham Nursery School serves children aged two to four in Richmond. Its two-year-old provision has 34 spaces across morning and afternoon sessions. Alongside mainstream provision, Jigsaw serves preschool children across Richmond borough, supporting social interaction and communication needs, including autism. These are distinct parts of a nursery school, with opportunities for Jigsaw children to join mainstream nursery activities.

Play and planned teaching work together. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum develops movement, relationships and communication alongside early mathematics, literacy, creative expression and understanding the world. Development Matters and Birth to 5 inform the teaching. A mastery approach divides bigger ideas into manageable steps; staff also respond to investigations that begin with children’s interests. For parents, that means learning has a direction while leaving room for a child’s curiosity.

Books have a daily place in Little Windham, Big Windham and Jigsaw, and children can choose them outdoors as well as indoors. Little Windham adds nursery-rhyme singing twice a week. In Big Windham, reading for pleasure also has twice-weekly sessions. Letters and Sounds informs early phonics, with rhythm, voice play and listening to instruments helping children notice sounds before later reading and writing. A weekly book to take home and the Drop and Swap library in the main reception area extend that habit beyond nursery.

The older children have their own outdoor and indoor areas too. Learning also reaches beyond those spaces: in March 2025, activities included outings to farms, libraries, parks and train stations, alongside African drumming and clarinet performances. Hose pipes used for stretching and pulling gave children practice in controlling movement. Ofsted’s inspection on 4 March 2025 found that children, including those with SEND, learned exceptionally well, with vocabulary developed throughout their activities.

Two-year-olds have one adult for every four children. For the three-year-old provision, the staffing ratio is one adult to 13 children, with three adults per session; the school aims for four adults, including a qualified teacher. That distinction matters when comparing the support offered at different ages.

For children with SEND, a visit before starting brings the family and staff together to discuss interests and needs. Jigsaw combines a teacher and two early years educators in each class with speech and language therapy and occupational therapy input. Individual Targeted Plans focus on each child’s development, so specialist work connects to their own next steps.

Tapestry lets families and staff exchange photographs and comments about learning at home and nursery. Parentmail handles messages and payments. These give parents practical ways to follow their child’s experiences. Nutritious snacks supported healthy-eating learning in March 2025; safeguarding arrangements were effective at that inspection.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate primary-school application through the normal admissions process. Windham directs parents to the council’s primary admissions guide and to eAdmissions for applications.

Transition support is a separate matter. The SEND policy describes inviting Reception teachers and SENCOs to meet children at nursery and discuss their needs and strengths with staff. Relevant assessments are passed on, while children with an Education, Health and Care Plan have transition meetings involving parents and the receiving setting. This helps the next team prepare for the child; it does not secure admission.

The part-time pattern is five mornings or five afternoons, Monday to Friday: 8.30–11.30am or 12.45–3.45pm. From September 2026, the funded 30-hour pattern runs 9.45am–3.45pm, with a charged early extension from 8.30–9.45am, which must be agreed in advance for the term. Three-year-olds can also take a full-time place from 8.30am–3.45pm, combining a funded morning with a charged extension that includes lunch club. Parents accessing 30-hour funding must supply their eligibility code.

Fruit contributions and voluntary activity donations are additional requests. Contact the school for current charges at info@windham.richmond.sch.uk or 020 8831 6060. Collection gates open five minutes before sessions finish, and children should be collected promptly. Jigsaw tours are bookable by emailing reception with the preferred slot; these last approximately 30 minutes.