Little Owls Nursery at The Nene Infant & Nursery School

A mud kitchen stocked with fruit and conkers from a nature walk gives Little Owls its practical, playful character. This is The Nene Infant & Nursery School’s nursery provision in Wisbech, serving children aged 2-5 at the Norwich Road early years base. Opening extends beyond school terms: weekday provision runs across 48 weeks annually.

Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Good in September 2022. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separate nursery inspection. The nursery rooms occupy one level, with slopes for wheelchair access and accessible toilets, making the physical layout relevant to families with mobility needs.

Play and activities guided by adults share the day. Children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), covering seven learning areas, with emphasis on communication, physical skills and personal, social and emotional development. In parent terms, learning to talk, move and manage relationships sits alongside practical exploration. Children’s interests help shape their individual curriculum.

The nursery’s year-round free-flow arrangement lets play move between indoors and outdoors. In October 2025, children collected apples, berries and conkers at the school field in Money Bank, then used their finds in the mud kitchen. January 2026 brought investigations of animal tracks in snow, painting outdoors and watching the snow melt. These are concrete examples of learning through materials and changes children can explore themselves.

Creative workshops in February 2026 explored Circles, Patterns & Rotation through loose parts, pipettes, paint and spirograph shapes. Cooking provided another practical task: children helped prepare vegetables and assemble spring rolls, practising chopping and discussing knife safety. Songs also support learning and routines during the day.

In September 2022, nursery teaching placed clear emphasis on language, with adults encouraging conversation and early activities drawing on children’s home lives to help them settle. The September 2022 inspection also identified a whole-school concern about activities sometimes failing to match curriculum plans, weakening recall, and called for further training and checks; this was not identified specifically as a nursery weakness.

Each child has a key person. Induction gives parents and children time to play together and get acquainted with staff, followed by visits and short sessions before the full booking begins. Parent consultations, stay-and-play opportunities and shared story sessions give families ways to remain involved.

Meals are part of the session, prepared on site each day by the nursery caterer. Menus rotate over four weeks and change at least twice annually. In January 2026, children practised washing their crockery after breakfast and snacks, and putting on winter clothing themselves: care routines also become opportunities for independence.

A manager, deputy, nursery officers and assistants form the team, alongside lunch supervisors and the caterer. Staff receive safeguarding training and enhanced DBS checks. For children needing additional support, the key person is the first contact about progress. Nursery SEND plans are reviewed half-termly through Assess, Plan, Do, Review, giving support a regular review cycle.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority’s online process by the normal application deadline. For 2027/28 entry, nursery attendance does not itself confer priority under the oversubscription criteria.

Transition support is a separate matter. For children with SEND, arrangements may include extra meetings with the next teacher, classroom visits and photographs assembled into a transition booklet. These help children become familiar with people and places; they do not change admission rights.

Little Owls opens each weekday from 8am to 6pm. Funded hours can be booked in blocks lasting five or ten hours. The 15-hour arrangement allows term-time use or spreading hours across the year. For eligible families presenting a valid code, the 30-hour arrangement is stretched across 48 weeks, providing 23.75 funded hours weekly; the manager determines how many such places can be offered.

Request a place using an expression-of-interest form. Nursery enquiries go to 01945 583907 or littleowls@nenerjs.org. Comfortable clothing that children can manage themselves is requested, along with weather-appropriate items and at least two complete changes of clothes each day. Label clothing and shoes.