Curry Mallet Church of England Primary School Nursery Review

Play with a question to explore gives Curry Mallet’s pre-school its character. Children aged 2-4 attend on the primary school site, where trees and farmland surround the school. The grounds include a Forest School area and an environmental studies area: a rural setting for the early years.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 8 and 9 October 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Adult-guided activities sit alongside play that children initiate themselves, with learning spaces indoors and outside. Themes introduce questions for children to investigate. This gives a session both direction and room for children to pursue an interest, rather than making every activity an adult’s choice.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects learning with care. Its starting points are movement, communication and emotional and social development: becoming more coordinated, expressing ideas and learning to manage feelings. Literacy, maths, creative work and exploration of the world build on those foundations. In practice, children explore number relationships and shapes, experiment with art materials and talk about familiar places and experiences.

Jigsaw PSHE includes adult-led work on relationships, taking turns and recognising other people’s needs. Barefoot computing develops early technology skills. Forest School sessions bring attention to seasonal changes, plants and animal habitats, giving children concrete things to observe and discuss. Songs and percussion introduce rhythm and ways to express feelings through sound.

Curriculum progression. In October 2024, the pre-school curriculum had not sufficiently adapted to changes in provision. Some learning steps lacked detail, leaving staff unclear about how to extend what children already knew. Children consequently did not build securely enough on earlier learning. This is a material consideration for parents weighing the learning programme alongside the play opportunities.

Early routines helped children settle in October 2024, including the youngest two-year-olds. Children became comfortable quickly, a reassuring finding for families considering their child’s first experience away from home.

A pre-school leader works alongside a pre-school assistant whose role also includes ELSA. Paper learning journeys record children’s development, while observations inform planning. These provide a record of the child’s learning rather than relying solely on finished pieces of work.

The EYFS approach includes children with special educational needs and disabilities. A deputy safeguarding lead has a specific pre-school role, giving concerns about younger children a designated point of responsibility within the school’s safeguarding team.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process and meet its deadline. Somerset Council handles school admissions and sets the arrangements for this voluntary controlled school.

For transition, the school aims to support continuity through staff communication and collaboration. Preparation for the next classroom and allocation of a place are separate matters.

For pre-school enquiries, telephone 01823 480 421. School visits can be arranged by calling the office for an appointment, providing an opportunity to see the setting before making a decision.

Opening pattern. In September 2024, pre-school opening was reduced to two-and-a-half days a week. That dated change matters when assessing how attendance would fit a family’s childcare arrangements.