Fawbert and Barnard Infants' School Nursery

Learning to manage feelings starts in Nursery here, alongside learning the words children need to explain their ideas. That combination gives Fawbert and Barnard Infants' School's nursery a clear character: early education includes both knowledge and the everyday business of getting along with others. The provision belongs to the infant school on Knight Street in Sawbridgeworth.

Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 12 and 13 March 2024. This is an early years judgement within the school's inspection, rather than a separate nursery rating. For parents, the useful detail behind it is the combination of carefully planned learning, precise vocabulary teaching and established routines.

The early years curriculum builds the knowledge and skills children need for later learning. In March 2024, its planning was a strength: learning had a clear purpose, rather than being a collection of disconnected activities. That matters when choosing a nursery for its educational day, because the experiences should help children build on what they already understand.

Vocabulary receives close attention from the early years onwards. Children are taught the words associated with what they are learning, giving them language for discussing ideas as well as recognising them. The emphasis is on understanding and expression. It makes communication part of the learning itself.

Established routines were helping early years children thrive in March 2024. From Nursery onwards, the expectations include being prepared for activities, treating others respectfully and acting safely. These give young children a consistent framework for taking part. Classrooms and outdoor areas were included in the school's tours for prospective nursery and Reception parents during the September 2026 admissions cycle.

Emotional learning begins in Nursery. Children learn to handle their own feelings and consider how other people feel, making relationships part of their early education. For a parent, that is a useful complement to the emphasis on vocabulary: expressing an idea and understanding another child's feelings both matter in a shared learning space.

Support across the school includes an in-house speech therapist and a counsellor. These are school resources, rather than a promise that each nursery child will receive specialist sessions. Their relevance is practical: additional expertise can be brought into support when needed.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their child's entry year. Treat choosing the nursery and securing a school place as two separate decisions.

For September 2026 entry, the application period ran from 1 November 2025 to 15 January 2026, with a Hertfordshire County Council admissions route. That deadline has passed. It belongs to that intake and should not be carried forward as the deadline for another year.

Nursery enquiries go directly to the school. For a start part-way through the year, phone the school to check spaces; this gives families a direct route for an enquiry about joining now. Contact the office on 01279 722357 or email admin@fandb.herts.sch.uk.

During the September 2026 admissions cycle, school tours were for adults only and limited to 10 sets of parents, with bookings taken in order of request. Those dated tours are past events. The school is on Knight Street, Sawbridgeworth, CM21 9AT.