Temple Mill Primary School Nursery Review

Wooden planks become outdoor pathways, magnets prompt investigations, and homemade binoculars turn a story into a bear hunt. Caterpillar Class at Temple Mill Primary School gives children aged 3-4 a start built around play, with up to 29 places in each session. It is a nursery within the school, with its own classroom and an outdoor learning area shared with Reception.

A class teacher leads the nursery, while the school has an EYFS lead. Morning, afternoon and full-day patterns give families distinct ways to use the provision. The character of the learning is clear: adults follow children's interests and extend them through practical activities.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, move, manage feelings and relationships, and explore books, numbers, creativity and the surrounding world. At Temple Mill, the initial emphasis falls on language, physical development and personal and social skills. The nursery aims to build independence through open-ended play, with adults observing what interests children before developing activities around it.

There is plenty of concrete detail behind that approach. Children have tested materials with magnets, dressed as medical staff and used bandages and stethoscopes in role-play. Outdoors, they have arranged wooden planks into pathways, giving construction a physical dimension and a reason to work together. Water play, messy activities and small-world play add different ways to investigate and imagine.

Stories also become things to do. A bear-hunt activity involved making and decorating binoculars before searching outside. Nursery books include Rosie’s Walk and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, bringing familiar stories into the learning. White Rose Maths Mastery shapes early maths through games, number songs and brief adult-led activities, followed by opportunities to practise during play.

In April 2024, Ofsted identified effective early-years work on speech and communication, alongside indoor and outdoor spaces that encouraged independence, imagination and early literacy and number learning. Phonics began in Nursery, and rhymes, songs and stories contributed to children's early reading experiences. This connects playful exploration with the first steps towards understanding written language.

Parents and carers can help children settle into the classroom before leaving. That gives the start of a session a practical role in easing separation. For a longer conversation with a teacher, families can arrange an appointment or request a telephone call through the office, rather than relying on a hurried exchange at collection.

SEND support is coordinated through the school's SENCO and inclusions role. Observations, assessments and conversations with parents inform individual plans and interventions; staff also work with outside agencies. Transition support for children with SEND includes visits and information sharing, helping adults prepare for a child's needs before a move.

School meals are cooked on site by ABM Catering. Full-day nursery attendance includes a separately charged lunch-cover period, so families need to distinguish supervision at lunchtime from their funded learning hours.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. For the 2026/27 admissions cycle, nursery attendance gives no priority under the oversubscription criteria. Families must make a separate Reception application using the Medway Common Application Form through the coordinated admissions process. Choosing Caterpillar Class therefore needs to make sense for the nursery experience itself.

Transition is a separate matter. Nursery and Reception share outdoor learning space, and children moving into Reception are offered a gradual settling programme. Familiar surroundings can support that change, but they do not alter the admissions decision.

The booking patterns are five mornings, five afternoons or five full days. Morning sessions run from 08:45 to 11:45, afternoons from 12:15 to 15:15, and full days from 08:45 to 15:15. Funded places cover 15 or 30 hours; paid sessions are also offered. The 30-hour funding excludes the lunch period, which carries a separate supervision charge. Contact the school for current charges.

Nursery enquiries go through the school office on 01634 629079 or office@templemill.medway.sch.uk. Families can register interest directly or send the initial admissions form to the office. Nursery uniform includes a purple top, grey or black jogging bottoms and trainers, with a book bag and PE bag. Clothing and footwear should carry the child's name, and school-logo items are optional.