Highfield Primary School Nursery Review

A three-hour morning gives Highfield’s nursery a clear shape: children begin after their third birthday, with learning organised around themes and their individual interests. This is the nursery provision within Highfield Primary School, on Charville Lane West in Hillingdon. Its emphasis is on exploration, practical activity and learning alongside other children.

The morning runs from 8.30am until 11.30am. The EYFS curriculum organises learning into seven areas, with activities adapted to children’s needs and interests. In parent terms, children learn through play, movement, investigation and thinking creatively. Learning happens outside as well as indoors, so the classroom is only part of their learning environment.

Themes connect the nursery’s learning rather than dividing everything into separate subjects. Art gives a concrete picture of what children practise: mixing colours, combining materials with different textures and deciding which resources will help them make their own creation. Drawing develops from enclosed shapes towards pictures with more detail, including faces. Children also practise handling pencils and cutting paper with scissors. These activities combine making choices with learning to control tools.

Ofsted’s October 2024 inspection identified opportunities to explore language and letters in the early years environment, alongside learning to take turns and growing seasonal produce in the grounds. That brings early learning into everyday actions: sharing an activity, experimenting with marks and seeing food grow.

The same inspection raised a school-wide curriculum concern: in some subjects, learning did not build securely enough over time, and further work on curriculum design and delivery was required. Inspectors also identified further work needed for the school’s reading curriculum to have a consistently strong impact. These were concerns about the school’s curriculum, rather than separate nursery judgements.

Children’s differing rates of development shape the early years approach. Activities are adjusted to the individual, and the EYFS provision includes children with special educational needs and disabilities. For families, the useful principle is that learning should respond to the child rather than expect everyone to progress identically.

Parent communication uses Parentmail and the school website, with messages sent by text or email. Termly meetings give parents an opportunity to discuss progress with the class teacher. Families needing to discuss additional needs can contact the school’s special educational needs coordinator through the office. This provides a direct route to the person responsible for coordinating support.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process. Highfield directs applications through the authority where the family pays council tax; Hillingdon residents can use Hillingdon Council’s school admissions service.

Teacher liaison supports the move from nursery into the infant classes. That continuity concerns preparation for the next stage, and should be kept separate from the allocation of a place.

The nursery offers a morning session. Applications go directly to the school: families can telephone 01895 230843, collect an application form from the office or download one through the Joining Us page. Highfield also directs families to the Government website to check their entitlement.

For enquiries, email office@highfield.hillingdon.sch.uk or use the school’s contact form. The nursery application route and the later Reception application route are separate, so families should plan for both stages.