Field View Primary School Nursery

Muddy Monday takes nursery children into Field View’s school forest each week. Alongside their own outdoor area, used daily, it gives this school nursery a clear outdoor thread. The provision sits within Field View Primary School on Lonsdale Road in Bilston, with a nursery teacher and teaching assistants forming the classroom team.

Communication, physical development and learning to manage feelings and relationships are the nursery’s main curriculum priorities. For a child taking their first steps away from home, those are practical foundations: joining in, expressing needs and becoming comfortable alongside other children.

Play and adult teaching both have a place here. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum covers seven areas of development, with activities organised around themes and experiences that give children something to discuss. Staff combine explicit teaching, supported practice, learning with a partner and independent activity. Children therefore have opportunities both to follow an adult’s lead and to try things for themselves.

Indoor and outdoor play provision is accessible each day. Adults lead particular activities, help children extend their play and observe what they can do. The nursery’s own outdoor area and weekly forest sessions make outdoor learning a regular part of the experience, rather than an occasional addition.

Early reading begins with listening to sounds and activities that develop awareness of how words sound. Letter sounds follow when children are ready, alongside practice in separating and joining sounds aloud. That readiness condition matters: the starting point is preparation for reading, with the next steps introduced as children develop.

Staff keep observations in paper learning journeys and use Development Matters for termly assessments. Day-to-day observations also shape subsequent planning. This connects what children actually do during play with decisions about what to teach next.

Starting nursery can be a first separation from parents. Field View offers support through that adjustment, and nursery staff can speak with families before or after each session. Parents can also join classroom story activities and workshops during the year, giving them a way to participate in their child’s learning.

Photos from home can be sent to eyfsparents@fieldviewprimary.org.uk. Assessments are shared with families, while school communication includes emails, texts and termly parent evenings. For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), half-termly family meetings focus on progress and working together on difficulties. The wider SEND team includes speech and language support staff and can involve external agencies when needed.

Nursery children receive fruit at break time, and milk is free for all pupils. Families are asked to send a filled water bottle each day; refills at school contain water. These are concrete parts of the care routine.

In July 2023, Ofsted found that early-years children paid attention and followed adult directions. This is a finding about early years, rather than a separate nursery grade.

Attending Field View’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the local authority’s normal admissions process. Treat that application as a distinct step from arranging nursery attendance.

Preparation for the move has its own process. Nursery and Reception teachers jointly develop nursery learning goals, and families receive an assessment against those goals at the end of the summer term. Children also take part in summer transition days. These arrangements support the change of class; they do not secure admission.

Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoon sessions run from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. Nursery requests go through the school office, with a morning or afternoon place offered for each child. The two patterns give families a defined session to fit around other commitments.

Contact the office on 01902 925701 or email office@fieldviewprimary.org.uk. School uniform includes a yellow polo shirt and a logo-bearing royal blue cardigan or sweatshirt, with grey or black trousers, a skirt or a pinafore. A reading bag is also part of the uniform.