The Hermitage Infant School Nursery

Butterfly Class puts communication first: language development begins in Nursery, with children building the vocabulary to talk about their learning. This is provision for children aged two, three and four within The Hermitage Infant School in St John's, Woking. The nursery opened in January 2020 and expanded in September 2024, when wraparound care became an option for three-year-olds.

At the inspection on 4 and 5 March 2025, Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Outstanding. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Development Matters supports nursery curriculum planning alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Here, the concrete emphasis is on communication and the foundations of learning: children develop spoken vocabulary, including language about numbers, and work on phonological awareness, their awareness of speech sounds. Those strands give parents a clearer picture of the nursery's learning priorities than a promise of early formal lessons.

Technology also forms part of early years activities. Tablets and Bee-Bots are accessible during ongoing provision, with computers and iPads available weekly. Children use technology both in activities they choose and in activities directed by adults, giving them different ways to explore and learn.

Curriculum clarity and assessment. In March 2025, some subjects needed a clearer sequence of essential knowledge across the school, including the progression from early years. Checks of understanding in some school subjects also left learning gaps unresolved. The school needed to check understanding more consistently and adapt teaching promptly to tackle gaps and misconceptions. These school-wide concerns matter alongside the positive early years judgement.

A nursery lead teaches Butterfly Class and holds paediatric first-aid responsibilities. Within the wider school team, an Inclusion Leader and SENDCo supports the approach to additional needs. The schools follow Surrey's Ordinarily Available Provision guidance and provide interventions where needed to support children's next steps.

For families using English as an additional language, the wider schools' support includes translated communications and family meetings. Staff have speech and language experience, and some have Makaton qualifications. Surrey's REMA service can also help with translation. These arrangements give families practical ways to communicate with staff about their children.

Safeguarding concerns can be raised confidentially through the school office with a designated safeguarding lead. All staff receive safeguarding training annually, so responsibility extends across the team.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Surrey School Admissions, following the normal admissions timetable. The local authority manages entry to that year group. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions, even when the intention is to stay at Hermitage.

Six booking patterns, labelled A to F, combine shorter weeks and five-day attendance. A pairs Monday and Tuesday, 8.40am to 2.40pm, with Wednesday, 8.40am to 11.40am, for 15 hours. C provides another 15-hour pattern: Wednesday, 12.10pm to 3.10pm, then Thursday and Friday, 8.40am to 2.40pm. B and D extend the two longer days to 3.10pm, making each pattern 16 hours.

For five-day attendance, E runs Monday to Friday, 8.40am to 2.40pm, totalling 30 hours. F finishes at 3.10pm each day and totals 32.5 hours. The additional half-hour on the longer days in B, D and F carries a charge; refer to the school for current charges.

Funding options include FEET for eligible two-year-olds, universal 15-hour funding from the term after children turn three, and extended 30-hour funding for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Nursery applications go to the school office or nursery@hermitage.surrey.sch.uk.