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Preschool

Learning in Preschool

A belief that adventure is never far away underpins the ethos at Southville Primary School's Preschool (Nursery), which is based at our Merrywood site.

Set in an airy, well-lit room with connected outdoor space, our experienced team of staff build excellent relationships with the children and through carefully planned experiences, well-chosen resources and continuous opportunities for imaginative play, ensure they grow and develop as learners and people.

Being based within the main primary school building means the provision is overseen by the school senior leadership team, ensuring the curriculum, provision and safeguarding arrangements are of the highest possible standard. Together we work to ensure the children have a happy and inspiring experience that prepares them for the transition to Reception. We believe in a hands-on approach that develops and encourages curiosity, creativity and independence. Many of the children continue their learning journey into Reception at Southville Primary, building on their learning and maintaining lasting friendships.

If you would like to meet the staff and look around, please contact the school office. Our next open evening/parent tour of the Nursery is on:

  • Thursday 23 October 2025, 3:45–4:45 PM
  • Tuesday 3 February 2026, 3:45–4:45 PM
  • Thursday 19 March 2026, 3:45–4:45 PM

We have new intakes to Preschool three times a year, in September, January and April. For more information about how to apply for a Preschool place click here. 

Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

We work hard to develop the whole child in Preschool, allowing each individual to make progress across all of their skills. The environment and the learning opportunities that we set up for the children cover this wide range of areas. The EYFS framework covers seven areas of learning:

  • personal, social and emotional development
  • communication and language
  • physical development
  • literacy
  • mathematics
  • understanding the world
  • expressive arts and design

In Preschool, we focus more on some of these key areas than other. For example, we spend a lot of time developing the children’s communication and language skills as opposed to their literacy skills. It’s very important for children of this age to develop their spoken language before they learn to apply this to written language later on. We also focus very much on physical development and personal, social and emotional development. We encourage the children to be as independent as possible in self-care such as using the toilet, putting on their own coats and feeding themselves.

Continuous Provision

Our indoor and outdoor environment is set up to allow the children to lead their own learning and follow their own interests. At set times of the day, the children are free to choose their own learning opportunities from those set up by the adults in the classroom and outdoor learning environment. This approach also promotes children’s independence and confidence.

Adult-led Learning

At certain times of day, the children are asked to participate in adult-led learning opportunities such as songs, stories and listening activities that work towards developing phonic awareness. There are also focus groups led by adults that work on key skills that we want the children to develop.

OP&L Online Journal

We make summative assessments by using a tool called OP&L (Observation of Play and Learning). This tool is used across the EYFS and includes children in both our nursery and reception classes.
OP&L is a snapshot overview of a child’s development at regular intervals and is important in our early years setting because it gives us a tool to tell each child’s individual story and to reflect on what support they need from us. We assess children against developmental milestones to identify whether a child is at a typical stage of development or whether early intervention is appropriate. Our ‘OPAL’ assessment tool allows us to monitor children’s development in seven areas of learning These are:

  • Communication and Language
  • Personal, Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Development
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world
  • Expressive arts and design

We assess children against a starting point milestone and every six months from their birth date at an age- related milestone. By assessing children in this way, we are ensuring judgements are fair, relevant and accurate. We will meet with parents/carers at each milestone and co-construct an assessment, using knowledge from the team working with the child in school, the child’s opinion (child voice) and from the rich experiences that the parents/carers bring from home. At the end of this meeting, we will inform parents/carers if their child has met or not yet met the age related GLD milestones. If a judgement of ‘met’ in all areas has been reached, parents and carers will be given some suggestions of how to help their child reach the next step in their learning.
If a judgement of ‘ not yet met’ has been reached, the practitioner and parents/carers will then decide together on how to make progress in this area and if any interventions might be appropriate from the school/home or in some cases a referral to an outside agency. They will also be given a summary of how to help their child reach the next step in their learning.
After each six-monthly assessment (also called spotlights) we will review the progress made in our intended actions for development to ensure that the child is still progressing or if the intended interventions have been successful.