Redscope Primary School Nursery Review

A house corner for collecting objects, a garden for exploring and familiar songs to help children settle: Redscope’s nursery starts with experiences young children can recognise. There are two stages within the school’s Foundation Stage provision. Redscope Early Years (REY) caters for two-year-olds and rising threes; Clever Kittens, the Foundation Stage 1 nursery, covers ages three to four.

Children can begin from the term after their second birthday. For families, the distinction between REY and Clever Kittens matters practically: their morning sessions start at different times, while Clever Kittens also has a longer-day option.

Exploration shapes the learning. Children use both indoor and outdoor spaces, with resources intended to encourage creativity and thinking. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together early language, movement and emotional development with learning about number, literacy, the world and creative expression. In parent terms, learning extends beyond letters and counting to communicating needs, making friends and becoming more independent.

REY’s autumn activities give that approach concrete form. Group sessions introduce familiar nursery rhymes and listening to other children. Blocks and boxes become materials for building and knocking down; bags in the house corner support collecting and transporting objects. Paint, glue and playdough invite hands-on exploration. Physical activities use soft play and trim trails, while the room and garden provide familiar spaces before children explore the school grounds.

There is an important learning caveat. Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 13 and 14 June 2023, with activities that captured children’s interest. In June 2023, however, children had too little opportunity to revisit mathematical learning, limiting how securely their understanding developed. Mathematics practice. Repetition was the early-years improvement priority. Families should keep that finding in mind when considering the balance between exploration and practising number skills.

Settling begins with getting to know the child. REY uses All about me conversations to identify favourite songs and rhymes that can ease the move from home. A key person provides comfort and helps children manage separation from parents. For entry into F1, home visits or contact with another setting can form part of transition when necessary.

An Early Years Teacher holds responsibility for children’s education in REY, including those facing barriers to learning. Where additional needs arise, teachers, the SENDCO and parents plan the next steps together. Individual Education Plans are shared with families and reviewed with them at least twice a year. Redscope Early Years also has a toilet with disabled access, a concrete consideration for children needing accessible care facilities.

Parents contribute through Stay and Play sessions, meetings and Class Dojo. Staff share observations and planned learning steps, giving families a way to connect nursery experiences with what their child does at home.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet its deadline. Rotherham’s local authority allocates school places; choosing the nursery should therefore remain a decision about the nursery experience itself.

For children receiving SEND support, records pass to the next teacher or key worker to maintain continuity. That transfer of information supports care and learning through a change of class. It is separate from the allocation of a school place.

REY sessions run from 8:45 to 11:45 or 12:15 to 15:15. Clever Kittens mornings run from 8:55 to 11:55, with afternoons from 12:15 to 15:15. Its 30-hour option runs from 8:55 to 15:15, giving families a different pattern from the shorter sessions.

Both funded and paid places are offered. The minimum offer is 15 hours, extending to 30 hours for eligible parents or carers. September, January and April intakes depend on availability; Clever Kittens has a September intake for children turning four during that academic year.

Application forms for REY and Clever Kittens come from the main school office. Returning a form requires a copy of the child’s full birth certificate. Enquiries can be made on 01709 740350 or by email to RSP-enquiries@nclt.ac.uk.