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Nursery at Millbrook Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Goldilocks becomes a chance to act, retell and try new words at Caterpillar Nursery. This is Millbrook Primary School’s provision for children aged 3+, in Freshbrook, Swindon, and its place within the school extends to lunch in the main hall alongside older children.
Early years provision was graded Good at the Ofsted inspection on 26 and 27 November 2024. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision rather than a separately graded nursery.
Three-hour sessions give the day its practical shape, while learning combines teaching led by adults, supported play and time for children to pursue their own ideas. Whole-group activities sit alongside smaller guided groups and individual play supported by a practitioner. Children therefore encounter learning in several ways, rather than spending the session on one type of activity.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, movement and emotional development with early reading, maths, creativity and discovering the world. Development Matters also guides the curriculum. Weekly Wonder Words give children vocabulary to explore and use in conversation. Children also learn about countries, festivals and traditions important to their early years group, connecting learning with their own experiences. In November 2024, pre-school children dramatised Goldilocks and the Three Bears, putting events in order and using language from the tale. Stories become something children do, as well as hear.
Inside and outside, resources let children revisit ideas through play. The early years maths provision includes construction blocks, measuring tapes and scales, with outdoor sand and water trays and wooden number tiles. These give number and measurement a practical setting. Weekly Welly Walks add another opportunity to explore outdoors.
Creative work includes experimenting with colour and texture, while junk modelling brings paper and scissors into making activities. Jigsaw supports personal, social and emotional learning. Each child also has a proud place display for achievements, making their own work part of the learning environment.
Joint pre-school leaders form part of the team, alongside a pre-school assistant, with an EYFS leader within school leadership. Communication works both ways: practitioners share significant learning moments through Dojo, and parents can send examples from home. A weekly blog explains the learning, giving families something concrete to discuss with their child.
A daily healthy snack is provided and carries a charge. Children attending all day can have a charged hot school lunch; nursery children eat in the main hall with other school children. Lunch therefore brings them into a shared school space.
For additional needs, the school’s SENCO oversees support and the class teacher plans provision, with teaching assistant involvement where necessary. Parents can raise concerns with either role. The school occupies one level, has wheelchair access and includes a toilet with space for changing, practical features for families considering accessibility.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Swindon Borough Council’s admissions department. For September 2026 entry, the deadline was 15 January 2026; that application cycle is now past.
Learning continuity is a separate matter. Familiar pre-school songs and texts are revisited in Reception alongside new ones, giving children recognisable material as their learning develops. This is curriculum continuity, not an admissions entitlement.
Morning sessions run from 08:30 to 11:30 and afternoons from 12:30 to 15:30, Monday to Friday. Provision follows term time for 38 weeks each year. Caterpillars also opens daily from 08:30 to 15:30, with staying for lunch subject to availability.
Universal funded provision covers 15 hours, with 30 extended funded hours for eligible children. Attendance beyond funded hours is charged, including the additional five hours when a child with 30-hour funding attends all day every day. Snacks and optional hot lunches carry separate charges. Contact the school office on 01793 872800 for nursery enquiries and current charges.
Caterpillar Nursery caters for children aged 3+.
Sessions run Monday to Friday, from 08:30 to 11:30 or from 12:30 to 15:30, during term time for 38 weeks per year.
Staying for lunch is subject to availability. Children attending all day can have a charged hot school lunch and eat in the main hall with other school children.
Practitioners share significant learning moments through Dojo, parents can send moments from home, and a weekly blog explains what children have been learning.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Swindon Borough Council’s admissions department. The deadline for September 2026 entry was 15 January 2026.
