Locking Primary School Nursery and Preschool

Two-year-olds learning to name shapes give a concrete sense of Locking’s early years provision: language develops through the things children are doing. Nursery and preschool form part of Locking Primary School on Meadow Drive, with provision starting at age two. This is an introduction to school life through play and relationships.

In June 2026, Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision to be Strong standard. That judgement covers the early years as a whole, rather than giving the nursery a separate grade. Teaching develops children’s language and early reading, while nursery children show curiosity and maintain their concentration during activities. For parents, those are useful signs of learning taking shape before formal schooling.

Play supplies the starting point. Across the Foundation Stage, staff use in-the-moment planning, responding to children’s interests and extending their thinking through conversation as an activity unfolds. The implication is practical: an interest a child brings to play can become an opportunity to learn, with an adult helping to move it forward.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning to communicate, move and manage relationships with early mathematical, creative and literacy experiences. Locking uses the Extend Nursery and Preschool Curriculum alongside this framework. Its ELAN curriculum maps distinguish the two-year-old provision from preschool, with areas covering understanding the world, mathematical development and expressive arts. Fine motor development also has its own map, giving small movements a place alongside larger physical skills.

Foundation Stage spaces are described by the school as using natural materials and real objects, with neutral colours intended to let children’s work supply the colour. Children can move between indoor learning and outdoor provision for much of the day. That gives play room to change setting rather than keeping learning at a table.

Language has a concrete purpose here. In June 2026, two-year-olds were using the correct words for square and triangle. Naming what they encounter connects vocabulary with understanding, rather than treating talking as a separate exercise.

The team includes nursery and preschool leads and key workers. In June 2026, staff knew children closely and built considerate, warm relationships; children developed a feeling of belonging early on. This matters for young children learning to trust adults beyond their family.

Support for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) includes adjustments to early years activities so children can participate with their peers. The school’s wider support process involves teachers, the SEND coordinator and parents reviewing individual plans together. Families therefore have a role in deciding and reviewing additional help.

Food sits within a school-wide allergy rule: nut products must stay out of packed lunches. ELAN Catering prepares school meals in the kitchen on site. The nut restriction matters when families pack food, regardless of their child’s preferred lunch.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through North Somerset School Admissions; the application deadline is 15 January 2027.

Children attending preschool who receive early years pupil premium or service premium also need a supplementary information form submitted with their school application and sent directly to the school. This requirement should not be read as a promise of a place.

Transition support is a separate matter. When children move between classes or schools, current staff and the SEND coordinator pass on information about needs and helpful strategies. That helps the next team understand the child from the start.

For enquiries, contact the school office at office@locking.extendlearning.org or on 01934 822867. School visits can be booked by telephone, giving families an opportunity to meet the team and discuss joining.