Richardson Dees Primary School Nursery

Nursery Caterpillars gives Richardson Dees Primary School’s youngest children a distinct class identity within the Wallsend school. The nursery offer is for three and four-year-olds, with a nursery teacher and an early years support team. Independence is a clear thread: in June 2022, children in early years adapted readily to routines and showed confidence in doing things for themselves.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 28 and 29 June 2022. That is the school’s early years judgement, rather than a separate nursery rating.

Communication, movement and relationships sit alongside early reading and mathematics in the nursery’s curriculum planning. Its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) maps cover physical development, language and communication, and personal, social and emotional development. In parent terms, these bring learning to talk, manage feelings and develop physical skills into the same picture as literacy and number work.

Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design have their own nursery maps too. Core Texts and an Overview of Key Words and Phrases give books and vocabulary identifiable places in the planning. The emphasis extends beyond learning letters: language has a planned role across the nursery curriculum.

In June 2022, early years children had daily phonics teaching, providing regular practice with the sounds used in reading. There was also a school reading concern: some pupils’ books were harder than their reading knowledge supported, affecting fluency and enjoyment. This was a school finding, not a nursery-specific criticism.

A nursery teacher works within a wider early years team that includes a higher level teaching assistant, a learning support assistant and an apprentice teaching assistant. These are distinct roles within the team; they should not be read as a nursery staffing ratio.

For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the school’s support process connects the class teacher, SEND coordinator and parents. Individual Education Plans are reviewed each term and shared with families. Specialist referrals, including to Speech and Language Therapy or Educational Psychology, require parental permission. This gives families a role in deciding the next steps when classroom support needs to be supplemented.

Communication about SEND can happen through conversations, telephone calls, a written diary, Class Dojo or See-saw. The school also points families towards North Tyneside’s Early Years Partnership for support before Reception. Physical access includes a ramp at the front of the school, ground-level doors at the rear and an accessible toilet downstairs. These details matter when planning access for a child with mobility or care needs.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Richardson Dees follows the North Tyneside admissions scheme, so nursery attendance and the Reception application should be treated as separate decisions.

Transition support is a different matter from admission. For children with SEND moving between classes, information and support plans pass to the next teacher through a formal handover. Visits, photographs or a book can help explain the change, and parents can meet the new teacher and discuss provision. That preparation helps make a change understandable; it does not secure a place.

The nursery has a 30-hour offer. Alongside it, the school advertises a free Breakfast Club and wraparound childcare ending at 5:30pm. For families organising work and collection, that later finish is a useful practical detail. The funding page also links a nursery Chargeable Extras document; refer to the school for current charges.

Nursery drop-off and collection use the gate on the right of the main school entrance on High Street East. Enquiries and visits go through the office: call 0191 2638139 or email office@rdees.org.uk to arrange a look around.