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Nursery at Appleby Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Letters and sounds give Appleby’s nursery a clear starting point: children take part in activities that introduce the building blocks of reading before formal phonics begins. This is the school’s own Nursery class, with a nursery manager listed in its teaching team, rather than a separate childcare setting.
Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 26 and 27 March 2024. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision; it is not a separate nursery rating.
Early reading is the clearest picture of children’s learning here. In March 2024, nursery children enjoyed activities introducing letters and sounds, giving them a foundation for the next stage of reading. The emphasis is on beginnings: becoming familiar with the sounds and letters that formal phonics teaching will build on.
Planning has two named strands, Nursery Curriculum Year A and Nursery Curriculum Year B, listed under the Early Years Curriculum. These give parents specific nursery plans to explore, rather than relying only on the school’s broader curriculum description. Across its curriculum, the school plans learning in successive steps, including through the early years, so new knowledge builds on what children have already encountered.
Curriculum consistency. The whole-school inspection also identified uneven delivery in some subjects in March 2024, with tasks sometimes insufficiently aligned to the intended learning. This was a school-wide concern, rather than a finding explicitly confined to nursery, but it provides context alongside the Good early years judgement.
A nursery manager sits within the teaching team, while the school also has an inclusion leader. For families considering additional support, a meeting with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator can be arranged through the school’s administrative email address. That provides a direct route into a discussion about a child’s needs.
The school’s support process can include an Early Help Assessment involving the family, school and outside agencies. Its purpose is to bring those people together around the child’s support. Separately, younger children can have a taster session with a parent present, giving families an opportunity to spend time in school together before starting.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process; choosing the nursery should be treated as a decision about the nursery experience itself.
The letters-and-sounds activities provide educational preparation for later phonics learning. That preparation is distinct from admission: familiarity with early reading does not secure a place.
The school’s timetable runs from 8.45am to collection at 3.15pm for its classes. For a visit, contact the office by telephone or email. Tours are led by a member of the senior leadership team and include an opportunity to meet the child’s class teacher, giving parents a concrete way to explore the setting before making their choice.
They take part in activities introducing letters and sounds. In March 2024, these activities were helping prepare them for later phonics learning.
Early years provision was graded Good at the school’s Ofsted inspection on 26 and 27 March 2024. This was not a separate nursery inspection.
The school can arrange a taster session for younger children, with a parent welcome to join them.
No. Nursery and Reception admission are separate, and families need to apply again through the normal Reception admissions process.
Call 01768 351431 or email admin@applebyprimary.cumbria.sch.uk to arrange a visit. The same email address can be used to arrange a meeting with the SEND coordinator.
