Anderton Park Primary School Nursery Review

Play gives Anderton Park’s nursery its starting point: children explore and learn within the early years provision of a primary school whose curriculum puts language, curiosity and equality alongside one another. On Dennis Road in Sparkhill, the nursery takes children from the term after their third birthday. It is part of Anderton Park Primary School, with its own nursery class listed for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

Learning through play shapes the nursery curriculum. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) gives that play a purpose: developing conversation, movement and relationships alongside early reading, mathematics, creative expression and an understanding of the world. Development Matters supports the planning. For parents, this means learning extends beyond letters and numbers to how children communicate, manage feelings and participate with others.

Playing and Exploring and Active Learning are named learning behaviours here. The emphasis is on how children engage with an activity as well as what they learn from it. Music has a curriculum adapted for EYFS children, giving creative work a place alongside the other learning areas.

Indoor and outdoor activities can reinforce the same idea. At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted highlighted an early years mathematics example in which children explored eight through different activities inside and outside. Resources supported repeated practice, so learning was revisited through doing rather than confined to a single explanation. The school grounds also contain playground areas for movement and play.

Familiar routines matter for children starting school life. In January 2023, early years children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learned the school’s routines promptly. That gives families a concrete indication of how children were adapting to the expectations of the setting at that time.

Support questions have a direct route: the school has a SEND coordinator and a SEND consultant, and families can contact the team through the office. Teaching is adjusted to children’s abilities and interests, with adults using different approaches to meet individual needs. Parents can also arrange a conversation with their child’s teacher during the year. The school’s reporting pattern includes two parent consultation evenings and a summer written report, creating scheduled opportunities to discuss progress.

School lunches are prepared on the premises, with vegetarian, fish and meat choices each day; meat is halal. This is the school’s meal provision, rather than a promise that lunch forms part of every nursery session.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families need to make a separate Reception application through the local authority’s online route and meet the normal application deadline. The school office offers help with completing that application. Treat this as a separate step in your family’s planning: applying directly to the school for nursery does not replace the later Reception application.

Nursery applications go directly to Anderton Park, using an office form or the online application form. Entry starts in the term after a child turns three. This determines when a child can begin, rather than simply whether they have reached their birthday.

For enquiries, contact enquiry@anderton.bham.sch.uk or call 0121 4641581. The school office operates from 8am to 4pm. Visits can be arranged through the school. Its general uniform guidance asks families to label clothing clearly, a practical measure for keeping track of coats and other belongings.