The School-Based Advantage: Why Early Years Environment Matters
Why parents are moving towards school-based nurseries and how the right setting prepares your child for life.
In recent years, the landscape of Early Years education has shifted significantly. Parents are increasingly recognising that the years before ‘big school’ are not just about childcare, they are a critical period for intellectual and social development.
Recent data from the Department for Education (DfE) confirms this trend. While standalone provision and childminder numbers have dropped by 39% since 2018, the number of school-based nursery providers is projected to rise by 15% by 2025.
Why the migration toward school-based settings? The data suggests parents are prioritising quality, consistency, and a richer educational environment.
The Research: Why The Setting Matters
It is not just about having a safe place for children to play; it is about the impact of the environment on their future. The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project, one of the broadest longitudinal studies ever conducted in the UK, provides compelling evidence for the importance of the setting itself.
The research clearly shows that pre-schools embedded within a primary or all-through school typically perform better, offering significant gains in intellectual and social development. Key findings highlighted that:
- Holistic Growth - High-quality pre-schooling is directly related to better intellectual and behavioural development.
- Balance is Key - Children make the best all-round progress in settings that view educational and social development as complementary and equal in importance.
- Active Learning - Effective pedagogy is not passive, it involves ‘sustained shared thinking’, interactions where educators actively extend a child's understanding through conversation and play.
What Should Parents Look For?
If you are evaluating nurseries, the focus should be on the culture and the opportunities provided. We recommend assessing settings against these five criteria:
- Stimulating Structure - Overall quality matters. The setting should feel structured and purposeful. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is not babysitting, rather it is preparation for life.
- Breadth of Opportunity - Does the nursery offer more than just a playroom? School-based settings often provide access to wider facilities and specialist teaching that standalone settings cannot match.
- Warm Relationships - Trust your instincts. A high-quality setting balances educational ambition with genuine warmth. You and your child should feel an immediate sense of belonging.
- Purposeful ‘School Readiness’ - Look for a setting that instinctively understands the complementary nature of learning new things and learning how to behave.
- Integration - Education flows best when the nursery is embedded in a school. Teaching becomes the lifeblood of the setting, and children benefit from a seamless transition as they move up through the year groups.
The Radnor Approach
At Radnor House Sevenoaks, we believe Pre-School is more than a childcare setting. We provide a nurturing, ambitious environment where Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED) sits at the heart of everything we do.
We believe that confident, happy children are ready to learn. By prioritising strong relationships and emotional wellbeing, we create a foundation where academic learning is equally valued.
Crucially, being a school-based nursery allows us to offer rich, engaging experiences that go beyond the standard curriculum. From the age of two, our pupils benefit from specialist teaching in Music, Drama, PE, Swimming, French, and Forest School. This integrated approach supports each pupil to develop the knowledge, skills, and self-belief they need to thrive as curious, capable learners.
