St Peter and St Paul Carbrooke Nursery Review

Butterfly and Bumblebee give this nursery its identity, with a room for two- to three-year-olds and outdoor learning woven into the week. The provision belongs to St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery on Church Street, Carbrooke. It offers an early start within the school, while keeping nursery learning focused on play and children’s development.

Bumble Bee Class is the younger children’s room. A nursery lead and nursery assistants form the team, giving families nursery-specific staff roles within the wider academy structure.

Play combines children’s own choices with activities introduced or led by adults. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: learning involves relationships, growing independence and practical exploration, rather than simply preparing children to sit through lessons. Staff observe children over time and use those observations to decide what to teach next. This lets planning respond to the child.

Topics change each half term, with books connecting different parts of learning. The two-year-olds’ curriculum includes Superworm and Dinosaur Roar!. These give the youngest children recognisable stories around which activities can develop. The school aims to build confidence, social skills and an understanding of feelings alongside knowledge.

Outdoor space extends the classroom, and children can move freely into it. Weekly outdoor learning adds another dimension. Millennium Green, opposite the school, provides 10 acres of woodland and open ground for some of this learning. That gives outdoor exploration a place beyond the nursery’s own surroundings.

For additional needs, the academy uses a cycle of assessment, planning, support and review, with parents involved in each stage. The SENCO helps identify barriers to learning. Individual medical requirements are discussed with families and recorded in an agreed care plan, giving health needs a specific place in support arrangements.

Healthy Smiles includes nursery children: they have the opportunity to clean their teeth after lunch, using toothpaste and bamboo toothbrushes supplied by the school. In wraparound care, breakfast includes toast and cereal; later food choices include fruit, sandwiches and yoghurt. These are club meals, rather than a description of the nursery lunch.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the deadline for their intake.

For the 2025-26 admissions cycle, applications went through Norfolk or Suffolk County Council, online or on paper, with a deadline of 15 January 2025. That date belongs to a past intake. For children with SEN, planning a change of class includes discussion with the family and child at their summer-term review. Transition support and admission to Reception are separate matters.

Breakfast Club opens at 7.30am, with breakfast served until 8.15am. After School Club runs from 3.15pm to 6pm, with nursery care starting at 3pm. The clubs share a daily limit of 40 places across children aged 2-11, so this is a shared school provision.

Families can book recurring days or individual sessions through Parentmail, or by contacting the office. Cancellations require at least 24 hours’ notice. Club drop-off and collection use the kitchen entrance, identified by its purple door; families ring the bell when collecting after school. Contact the office on 01953 881537 or office@st-peter-st-paul.norfolk.sch.uk for enquiries and current club charges.