Gateway Lodge Nursery at Lea CofE Primary School

Plastic coins used for snacks in October 2023 illustrate early learning here: a familiar routine became an opportunity to explore numbers. Gateway Lodge Nursery is part of Lea CofE Primary School in Lea, Ross-on-Wye. At that inspection, the nursery's preschool provision served two- to four-year-olds, with some attending part time.

The early years provision received a Good judgement at the Ofsted inspection on 17 and 18 October 2023. That judgement covers the school's early years provision, rather than a separate inspection of Gateway Lodge Nursery. It is a useful distinction when weighing the nursery within its school setting.

Letters, sounds and early number work provide the clearest picture of learning. In October 2023, teaching about letters and sounds began in the Nursery class through a carefully ordered programme. The sequence matters: children encounter the building blocks of reading in a planned order, rather than as disconnected activities. Resources were used consistently, giving that teaching a common approach.

For mathematics, an early years activity involved children using plastic coins to pay for snacks. This connected counting and number understanding with something familiar and immediately meaningful. The example makes the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) tangible for parents: early learning can take place through a practical activity, as well as through direct teaching.

Teaching consistency. In October 2023, school-wide improvement priorities included adapting tasks more precisely for mixed-age classes and strengthening checks on curriculum implementation. These were school-wide concerns, rather than findings specifically assigned to the nursery. They belong alongside the positive early years examples when families consider how teaching is planned and reviewed.

Additional support has a place within the school setting. In October 2023, the school included specialist provision serving some early years children with social and emotional difficulties, alongside older pupils. Its relevance is specific: this was support for children with those difficulties, rather than a description of every nursery child's care.

Safeguarding arrangements across the school were effective in October 2023. This is a school-wide finding that provides context for the nursery's place within the school.

Attending Gateway Lodge Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Lea CofE Primary School. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Choosing the nursery and securing a school place are separate decisions; the nursery choice should therefore stand on the preschool experience itself.

Part-time attendance formed part of Gateway Lodge Nursery's provision in October 2023. For enquiries, contact the school office on 01989 750296 or email admin@lea-primary.hereford.sch.uk. The school address is Lea, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 7JY. This gives families a direct contact route to the school that incorporates the nursery.