Highfield Nursery School: play, partnership and the nursery day

A single-storey building on a large site gives Highfield Nursery School a concrete starting point: space for early learning, with wheelchair access. This is a nursery school in its own right on Finedon Road in Wellingborough, serving children aged two to five. Its provision centres on those early years.

Highfield belongs to the Foundations for Children Nursery Schools Federation. Nursery practitioners, teachers and leaders make up its team. The nursery aims to help children become confident, caring and happy, with an appetite for learning that continues beyond their time here.

Play shapes the learning. Across the federation, children explore both outside and indoors. Resources for play may include blankets, boxes and clothes, leaving room for children to develop their own ideas. These everyday resources leave room for imagination: children can try solutions, practise skills and gradually learn to work together. Adults watch and listen before joining in, allowing children to lead their play rather than directing every activity.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) gives that exploration a learning framework. Language, physical skills and emotional and social development provide the starting points. As children grow, activities also develop their understanding of the world, early reading and writing, mathematics and creative expression. The practical implication is a curriculum that responds to young children's interests and development.

Observation informs what happens next. Staff follow each child's learning and use it to plan activities and support further development. Individual learning journeys track that progress, making the connection between play and planned learning explicit. The federation aims for children to become curious, resourceful and willing to try new things; its approach also recognises that some children need adult help to participate in play.

Settling begins before the first nursery session. Highfield offers a home visit and opportunities to play before children start, giving families and staff a chance to build familiarity. That makes the introduction a process rather than a single first-day handover.

Conversations with parents cover what children enjoy, their care needs and routines at home. These details give staff a starting point for understanding the individual child. Regular parent consultations continue that exchange, while parents participate in the progress check for two-year-olds. Learning and care are therefore discussed together.

The federation also provides advice sessions and courses for parents and carers about children's learning. For safeguarding concerns, families can ask for the Designated Safeguarding Senior Lead or, in her absence, a Deputy Safeguarding Lead. This gives parents a specific team role to approach.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and securing a school place as separate decisions.

Highfield opens during term time, from 8.30am to 3.30pm. That gives families a school-day opening window to consider alongside their working hours. The nursery closes on three days each year for staff training, which also needs to fit into childcare planning.

Funded early education places are offered for all three- and four-year-olds and some eligible two-year-olds. An application asks families to specify the funding their child will receive. Contact Highfield on 01933 225039, email adminhighfield@ffcnschools.com or use its enquiry form. An online application route is also provided for Highfield.