The Nursery provision at Lapford Community Primary School caters for children from the age of two upwards. It is open during term time, Monday to Friday, from 9am – 3.30pm with various full-time or part-time sessions available. Hot lunches can also be provided.

Please contact Lapford Community Primary School with any Nursery enquiries:

Tel: 01363 83292 Email: admin@lapford-primary.devon.sch.uk

The Nursery has its own well-resourced classroom base, which includes free-flow access to an outside area. Children enjoy a thematic and creative approach to their learning and can choose from a range of stimulating and carefully planned activities. Children have daily opportunities to explore and learn in a variety of ways, according to their interests and needs, in a bright learning environment. Children feel welcomed, happy, safe and secure in the Nursery.  

The Nursery Day  

Nursery pupils are free to choose from a range of activities, available both indoors and outdoors. Throughout the Nursery session, children are given opportunities to learn through play by choosing from a wide range of activities. They also enjoy focused activities led by the staff. Our Nursery children also have the opportunity to take part in whole class activities with older pupils. These activities include stories, English and Maths sessions, topic-based discussion sessions, music, singing and Physical Education.

The Learning Environment 

Nursery children are taught alongside our youngest school pupils (Reception and Year 1). Teaching and learning for all the children is overseen by an experienced classroom teacher. In addition to the opportunities for Nursery children to learn and play alongside older pupils, we also have quieter areas for our youngest pupils, including sensory play and a rest area.  

 The classroom is organised into different areas, which change and develop according to children’s interests and to our topics and class texts.  Activities are carefully planned to extend children’s understanding across the curriculum, through exploratory play and provocations in the environment. Adults in the classroom provide a supportive role, guiding children in activities and teaching them within the provision.  

The Curriculum 

During the Early Years Foundation Stage, all children have access to a stimulating and challenging curriculum where the central element is play.  These play opportunities are carefully planned, to extend and build on the children’s experiences from home.  The progress of each child is monitored through frequent observations and daily dialogue between the adults in the setting. This is to ensure that each child’s learning experiences are developed appropriately, and all children are given support in any areas of need. 

The curriculum is organised into seven areas of learning and development, and from this the activities in the Foundation Stage are planned. These areas are: 

• Communication and language 
• Physical development 
• Personal, social and emotional development 
• Literacy 
• Mathematics 
• Understanding the world 
• Expressive arts and design 

We offer activities linked to all seven areas on a weekly basis within the provision, and each child’s strengths and needs in each of the seven areas are carefully monitored.

Sessions Times, Funding & Costs

• Morning sessions: 9am-12pm or 1pm, depending on whether your child stays for lunch.
• Afternoon session: 1pm-3.30pm
• Whole day: 9am-3.30pm.
• Wraparound care is also available from 3.30-5.30pm.

For information whether your 2-year-old child is eligible for funded childcare, please click here.

All 3- and 4-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours of funding. Some children of working parents may be eligible for extra funded early education and childcare. For more information, please click here.

The cost for sessions in addition to any funded time is £5 per hour for 2-year-olds and £4.50 per hour for 3-4-year-olds.

Sharing Information About Your Child’s Learning and Development 

We celebrate children’s learning successes using Tapestry, an online learning journal. Parents are also able to share home learning with school staff using this platform, so that all learning can be celebrated. 
If Early Years staff have any concerns with your child’s learning, development or behaviour, they will contact you to share these. 
At the end of Nursery, before your child starts school, you will receive a report outlining your child’s achievement and progress. 

Key Person 

Your child will be allocated a key person.   
The key person will: 

• Work with the parent to plan and deliver a personalised plan for their child’s well-being, care and learning 
• Act as the key contact for the parents and make links with other carers involved with the child, such as a childminder, co-ordinating the sharing of appropriate information about the child’s development with those carers. 
• Be responsible for developmental records and for sharing information on a regular basis with the child’s parents, to keep those records up-to-date, reflecting the full picture of the child in our setting and at home. 

We Welcome Visits

We love to show off our wonderful provision and welcome visits from prospective parents.  We find that this is the most important start to your child’s experience into nursery. 
If you would like to book a visit, please email admin@lapford-primary.devon.sch.uk or phone the school on 01363 83292.  If you are thinking further ahead, we would also be delighted to show you around our fabulous school too.

We also run a Stay & Play group, please see here for details!