Acorns Nursery at Charlton Primary School

A playground and garden opening straight from the playroom give Acorns its own space within Charlton Primary School. This is the school’s nursery for children aged two to four, on the primary school grounds in Wantage, with a separate building and entrance. The admission number is 26 full-time equivalent places.

Play sets the direction. Acorns aims for children to feel secure and happy while tackling new challenges, with time to explore independently alongside activities introduced by adults. It shares Charlton’s values of kindness, responsibility and happiness, giving the nursery and wider school a common set of expectations.

Children choose activities and spend time exploring them, while adults also bring children together in smaller groups and larger gatherings. The balance matters: there is room to follow an interest, alongside opportunities to try something unfamiliar and work with other children. Adult-led activities sit within a day centred on play.

Acorns follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, supporting the skills children develop in their earliest years. Its approach puts that learning into play, exploration and group activities rather than describing the nursery day as a sequence of formal lessons. Charlton’s wider curriculum aims are organised around Discovery, Responsibility, Knowledge and Wonder, beginning in the early years.

Outdoor access is a concrete strength of the layout. The playroom connects directly to the nursery’s own garden and playground, allowing children to use the secure outdoor space throughout the day. Indoor and outdoor exploration can therefore sit alongside one another.

In October 2024, Ofsted found that nursery children enjoyed stories and rhymes and eagerly joined in with familiar books. That gives a specific picture of early reading here: shared language and participation start before children move into more formal reading instruction.

An Early Years Lead oversees both pre-school and Reception, alongside a Senior Practitioner and three Early Years Practitioners at Acorns. For families, this places nursery care within an early years team spanning the next stage of school.

Before starting, new children are encouraged to visit. Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities are also encouraged to meet the SENCo to discuss their child’s needs, giving families an opportunity to explain what support will help from the outset.

Charlton’s support arrangements include termly SEND discussions with families and scheduled telephone conversations. Staff have additional training in communication approaches including May I Join You? and Colourful semantics. Specialist services are discussed with parents before involvement, so families participate in decisions about additional help.

Attending Acorns does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal primary admissions process; Oxfordshire County Council handles the school’s primary-age admissions.

For September 2026 entry, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is past. The shared Early Years Lead provides a connection between the two stages, but staffing continuity and admission to Reception are separate matters.

Places run for 38 weeks each year. The usual arrangement combines sessions into 15 hours a week, fully funded for three- and four-year-olds. Some 30-hour places may be offered, depending on availability. Funding usually begins in the term following a child’s third birthday; some children qualify for funding at two.

Uniform is optional at Acorns. Comfortable clothes suitable for creative activities are requested, with indoor trainers and wellies ready each day for outdoor use. Pre-school admissions enquiries go to acornsadmissions@cha.cambrianlt.org.