Umberleigh Primary Academy Nursery

Stories, songs and growing independence in school routines characterised Umberleigh’s early years provision at the April 2023 inspection. The nursery sits on the primary school site and caters for children aged two, three and four. It offers an introduction to school life on the same site as the older pupils, rather than a separate childcare setting.

The school belongs to TEAM Multi-Academy Trust. Its shared educational aims include helping children become confident learners and develop resilience. For a nursery family, those aims put learning habits alongside the knowledge children begin to acquire.

Listening to stories and joining in songs were features of early years learning in April 2023. These activities helped children extend their vocabulary: books and music provided ways to encounter language before independent reading. Reading began in the early years, giving these youngest children a part in the school’s emphasis on literacy.

Learning also involved becoming comfortable with routines. In April 2023, children adapted quickly to the school’s routines, showed independence and remained absorbed in their activities. That matters beyond keeping a session orderly. Familiar routines can help children concentrate on what they are learning and take a more active part in their day.

Across TEAM, Building Learning Power provides a shared framework for discussing how children learn. Its four elements are reflectiveness, resourcefulness, reciprocity and resilience. In parent language, the emphasis is on thinking about learning, asking questions, working with others and persevering. The trust uses classroom displays to make these ideas visible, giving adults and children language for discussing effort and learning habits.

There is also a teaching concern to weigh. Ofsted’s inspection on 26 April 2023 identified gaps in some staff’s subject expertise, explicitly including early years, which limited how well some children developed their knowledge. The improvement required was greater staff expertise across subjects. The April 2023 inspection also identified a school-wide reading concern: some adults modelled phonics sounds inaccurately, limiting some pupils’ reading development. This was not identified specifically as a nursery finding. Families should consider that concern alongside the positive findings about children’s engagement and independence.

Settling into everyday routines was a strength of the early years experience in April 2023. Children’s growing independence and sustained engagement suggest that becoming familiar with school expectations supported their participation in learning.

Teaching support. The April 2023 findings also raised a school-wide concern about support for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND): learning targets were insufficiently focused on their key knowledge gaps, slowing progress. This was not identified specifically as a nursery finding. For families considering additional support, the practical issue is how clearly an individual child’s learning needs translate into precise targets.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Umberleigh Primary Academy. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route by the normal deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as separate steps; joining the nursery should not be taken as securing the next school place.

The school is at Dorridge Hill, Umberleigh, EX37 9AD. For a nursery enquiry, telephone 01769540362. This gives families a direct school contact when considering the provision.