Great Steeping Primary School Nursery

Stories with actions and repeated rhymes stood out in Great Steeping’s September 2023 early years inspection: children were encouraged to join in. The nursery forms part of Great Steeping Primary School in Great Steeping, Spilsby. Its day needs to be understood through the early years provision, rather than through the achievements of older pupils.

Ofsted judged early years provision Requires improvement following the inspection on 19 and 20 September 2023. The early years findings combined children’s enjoyment and quick settling with a significant concern about how clearly activities supported their learning. Both sides matter when considering this nursery.

The early years foundation stage (EYFS) is the curriculum context here. In September 2023, the classroom had organised activity areas, and children enjoyed what they could do there. They worked independently as well as alongside other children. That combination gave them opportunities to take part on their own and practise working with others.

Conversation was a concrete part of the learning. Children had opportunities to talk to one another, while adults demonstrated language and helped them expand their vocabulary. Story sessions brought another way to participate: teachers encouraged actions and repeated rhymes. For a parent considering the daily experience, these are useful examples of how speaking, listening and shared activity came together.

The central concern was the purpose of some activities. Intended learning was insufficiently clear within continuous provision, the activities children could engage with in the classroom. This limited how reliably children developed across the EYFS curriculum. Enjoying an activity did not, by itself, mean that its learning purpose was clear.

Learning through activities. The improvement required was to clarify what children should learn from each activity. For families, the distinction matters: an appealing choice of things to do needs a clear educational purpose too.

Settling was a positive feature of the September 2023 early years findings. Children became comfortable quickly, and staff expected much of them. Together, those findings describe an introduction to the classroom in which children settled into participation and adults maintained expectations.

Working with peers and working independently both featured in the early years experience. The opportunities for conversation also gave children ways to engage with one another. These are concrete details of participation and relationships, rather than a promise about how quickly any individual child will settle.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a place in the school’s Reception class. Nursery admission and Reception admission are separate processes: families must apply again through the normal Reception admissions route by the applicable deadline.

Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as two separate decisions. A child’s time in the nursery does not remove the need to complete that later application.

The school’s address is Great Steeping, Spilsby, PE23 5PT. Telephone contact is through 01754830251. This provides a direct school contact for nursery enquiries, with the nursery considered as part of the school rather than as a separate provider.