Barnsbury Primary School and Nursery: Nursery Review

Acorns gives Barnsbury’s youngest children a named place within the primary school. The nursery serves children aged two to four on Almond Avenue in Woking. Its team structure includes a teacher and learning assistants or special needs assistants, linking nursery provision to the wider school’s staffing structure.

Play and practical discovery shape the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): children learn by trying things, talking and exploring. Nursery learning goals for children starting school in September 2022 included growing plants from seed, discussing stories and experimenting with materials. These goals covered language, curiosity and making things.

Those goals also included recognising small quantities, matching objects to numerals and exploring shapes. In November 2021, Ofsted identified plentiful opportunities for learning about numbers across the early years environment. That finding concerns early years collectively, rather than a separate nursery judgement.

The nursery plans local visits within walking distance of the school and seeks parental permission, with the aim of extending learning beyond the school site. Within the nursery goals, independence also had a practical place: managing coats, handwashing and toileting sat alongside learning to play with other children.

Families can raise additional needs with the Inclusion Lead, whose responsibilities include coordinating support and working with parents. The school’s SEND process brings parents into decisions, with support reviewed each term. Where needs warrant it, specialist advice may come from the Speech and Language Therapy Service or Autism Outreach Team, with parental permission. This gives families a route from an initial concern to a plan that can be revisited.

Medical and dietary information forms part of nursery registration, including allergies, regular medication and vegetarian requirements. Children who require an inhaler or Epi-Pen must have one supplied to the nursery with a photograph. In November 2021, several early years staff held paediatric first aid training.

Ramp access leads to the nursery. For families using wheelchairs or mobility aids, that is a concrete access feature to consider alongside their child’s individual support needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their child’s intake.

For September 2026 entry, applications went through Surrey’s coordinated admissions process, with a deadline of 15 January 2026. Nursery attendance conferred no priority in that cycle. Separate from allocation, individual arrangements for phased Reception entry can be made as part of the school’s SEND support.

Attendance patterns introduced in September 2017 grouped the 15 funded core hours into either Monday and Tuesday plus Wednesday morning, or Wednesday afternoon plus Thursday and Friday. A five-day option totalled 30 hours, with the additional 15 hours either parent-paid or funded for eligible families. These dated arrangements should not be treated as a promise of a particular session: completing a nursery application guarantees neither a place nor the requested pattern.

Little Buddies extends childcare for nursery children aged three upwards. Registration requires a separate form and agreement to its terms. Families book through ParentMail, subject to capacity, on a first-come basis; bookings close seven days before the session. Plan ahead if this care is essential. Contact the school office on 01483 763114 or info@barnsbury.surrey.sch.uk for enquiries and current charges.