A NURSERY school in the heart of Tilehurst has made history in the town as it celebrates its 80th anniversary.
Blagrave Nursery has entered its ninth decade of looking after children in the area and giving them a place to play and build foundations for their education.
The nursery marked the occasion with a 1940’s themed event, where attending children adorned period clothing such as peak caps, braces, and collared dresses.
They also sang songs from the 1940s, joined by teachers, staff, and parents at the nursery.
Deputy Mayor of Reading, Cllr Paul Gittings was in attendance, giving a short speech and cutting a celebratory cake, which had been donated by Cake and Beyond, also in Tilehurst, to mark the occasion.
The event also welcomed former attendees, including those who currently form the co-chairs of the nursery’s board of governers, and this very journalist.
Blagrave Nursery was founded in Tilehurst amidst a time of growth for the area in the early 1940s, and the Education Act of 1944 saw a number of previously temporary educational measures in England, such as nurseries, become more permanent.
While the nursery itself has had some upgrades, part of the site still bears the building;s long history, as a former bomb shelter is still in use at the nursery as a storage space.
Louise Bancroft and Chris Cottee, co-chairs of the Governors’ committee at Blagrave Nursery, are both former attendees at the nursery.
Mr Cottee said: “It’s absolutely delightful, especially to see a thriving, bustling nursery full of happy kids–especially in old-fashioned costume. It’s joyous.
“My first day here was back in September 1971, and I was even able to look myself up in the admissions book.
Ms Bancroft said: “I was here around ten years later, in about 1981.”
Now the pair are part of the team who continue to shepherd the nursery as it moves into its 81st year.
Mr Cottee said: “It’s really positive to be able to see changes even over the last year, where the nursery has gone from strength to strength.
“When you see what the nursery teachers are doing–you think when you’re a little kid that it’s all just play, but it’s not.
“What the teachers and staff do here is intentional, it’s all geared towards learning.”
Lisa Telling is the executive head of nursery, as well as the Kennett Federation of Katesgrove and Soutcote Primary Schools, which now officially oversees Blagrave Nursery.
Ms Telling said at the event: “The Federation has unofficially looked after the nursery for the last two years, but as of this month has been officially designated.
“The local authority approached me as they needed a head teacher, and asked if I would take the role.
“As a maintained nursery, [one which is overseen by local authorities], it was a very different role.”
She explained that the Blagrave was going through some difficulty at the time: “It was seeing very low numbers, and staff didn’t quite know what was going to happen to them.
“It felt really dicey, to be honest.
“However we worked with other partners at other maintained nurseries here in Reading to build the community back up here.”
Together, they worked to ensure that the nursery was secure once again: “Today we’ve gone from 30 enrolled children to over 90.
“We opened a room for two-year olds, following the unveiling of the government’s two-year-old funding– and that means that working parents can access free childcare and know that their children are in a safe environment.
“We are a teacher-led nursery– private, independent, and volunteer nurseries absolutely have their place, but we always aim to give our kids an absolutely solid foundation for their learning.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it–I’m very privileged to be able to work with such amazing members of staff and as part of a thriving community.”
She explained: “This was a school we were at risk of losing here in Reading, and seeing absorbed into other schools.
“Two years ago, I was worried we wouldn’t have made the 80th, but with new government funding that was introduced for two-year-olds, and the 30-hour funding also introduced, here we are.
“Now we’re looking forward with positivity on what we can build for the future.”
