New Hartley First School Nursery Review

A morning with nursery friends, then an afternoon of Plan, Do, Review alongside older children: that is the distinctive rhythm of New Hartley’s nursery. Its 26 places sit within the school’s Early Years unit, giving children both their own cohort and opportunities to mix beyond it. Play drives the curriculum, with adults also directing activities and supporting children’s choices.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 13 and 14 May 2025. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Mornings keep nursery children together. They have time to get to know their peers and staff, with activities that children initiate themselves forming a substantial part of the learning. Time indoors alternates with outdoor play. Weekly PE adds a distinct opportunity for physical activity.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework, with Development Matters guidance alongside it. Nursery gives greatest attention to three foundations: movement and physical development, managing feelings and relationships, and communication. Literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world complete the seven learning areas. For parents, this means early learning extends beyond letters and numbers to the skills children need to participate, communicate and become more independent.

Afternoons bring Plan, Do, Review across the Early Years unit. Children explain their intended play, carry it out and then talk about what happened. The sequence gives conversation and listening a practical purpose. Adults support and extend play, with vocabulary development an explicit aim; additional activities are introduced in selected learning areas during each half term.

There is an important qualification to that language emphasis. In May 2025, staff supported children’s understanding and acquisition of language effectively, but opportunities during independent learning were sometimes missed. Adult conversations did not consistently encourage children to use the more ambitious words they had learned. More consistent language extension during these interactions was an early years improvement priority.

A nursery teacher forms part of the Early Years team, which also includes an Early Years lead and teaching assistants. This places nursery teaching within a broader team structure.

Children’s differing rates of development and individual interests are part of the curriculum approach, which includes children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Partnership with parents and carers is one of its guiding principles. In May 2025, children in early years learned routines that helped them focus on learning, giving everyday expectations a practical role in the day.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline.

The daily mixing has a different purpose. Afternoon play alongside Reception children offers familiarity with the wider Early Years unit, and the two cohorts follow shared themes. These are useful points of continuity in children’s experience, separate from the allocation of school places.

The nursery day runs from 8.50am to 3.20pm. Attendance operates through a 30-hour pattern or a 15-hour pattern at either end of the week. Families receiving 30 hours of funding can divide its use between settings.

Part-time attendance totals 2.5 days each week. Group A takes Monday and Tuesday as full days, followed by Wednesday morning. Group B starts on Wednesday afternoon, then attends full days on Thursday and Friday. The Wednesday split matters when matching nursery attendance to work and other childcare.

Prospective parents and carers are encouraged to visit the school. For families weighing up the nursery, seeing how the morning cohort and afternoon shared provision work is a useful focus for that visit.