Redcastle Family School Nursery

Stories, poems and learning to share give Redcastle’s nursery its clearest character: language and relationships matter together. The nursery forms part of Redcastle Family School on St Martin’s Way in Thetford, giving children their first experience of learning within the school.

Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 15 and 16 November 2022. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Language gives the early years day a clear focus. In November 2022, adults helped children expand their vocabulary through poetry, rhymes and stories, then supported them in using unfamiliar words themselves. Listening is only part of the learning: children also practise expressing what they mean. For parents, this connects shared reading with the practical business of helping a child communicate.

Social learning sits alongside that language work. Children learn how to share resources and treat other children kindly; in November 2022, they put those lessons into practice. These are useful foundations for joining group activities and playing with others.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the foundation phase of children’s school learning. Here, the clearest examples of that learning are vocabulary development and learning to cooperate. Beyond the classroom, the school has a Sensory Garden and Forest School among its outdoor learning spaces. These are school facilities, rather than evidence of a particular nursery timetable.

Knowing the individual child was a strength of early years care in November 2022. Adults understood children’s particular needs and responded to them, with the youngest children receiving good care. That makes individual attention a concrete part of the inspection picture.

Before children start, Foundation Stage staff meet parents, and families have the opportunity for a home visit. Where additional needs require discussion, the SEND coordinator can bring together parents, the previous setting and professionals such as a health visitor. This gives families a way to explain their child’s needs before the change of setting.

Additional support follows an Assess, Plan, Do and Review cycle. Teachers discuss and review SEN profiles with parents at least once each term, so families take part in reviewing the next steps. Across the school, support includes a resident speech and language therapist, visual timetables supported by Makaton, and personalised learning resources.

Support targets. In November 2022, some school SEND plans were too general to show precisely what children should learn, making the effect of extra help harder to evaluate. For a family using additional support, specific targets and review discussions therefore matter. The same inspection also required greater precision about learning content in a small number of school subjects; this was a school finding, not a nursery-specific criticism.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the normal Reception admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat that application as a separate decision from choosing the nursery.

Transition planning within the school takes place in the summer term. Staff work with children and parents on changes of class, with particular attention to children with SEND. This preparation supports the change of setting; it does not secure admission.

The school office can be contacted on 01842 752239. It is also the contact point for arranging a school visit to discuss whether the setting can meet a child’s additional needs.

For children who need regular medication, the school prepares an individual healthcare plan and reviews it annually. Medical requirements are collected from parents before admission, giving families a practical opportunity to explain care needs before their child starts.