Ferndale Primary School Nursery Review

Three daily patterns give Ferndale’s nursery its practical character: a morning session, an afternoon session or a six-hour day for children eligible for the 30-hour provision. This is the school’s own nursery in Great Barr. Children may join from the term following their third birthday, subject to space. The 30-hour option accommodates up to 24 children; that limit applies to the longer provision, rather than the nursery as a whole.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good following its June 2022 inspection. This is an early years judgement within the school inspection, rather than a separate nursery rating.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) puts learning to communicate, developing movement skills and managing feelings and relationships at the centre of the curriculum. Literacy, creative expression, understanding the world and mathematics extend those foundations. For parents, that means early education has a broader purpose than learning letters and numbers: personal and physical development count too.

Half-term plans take account of children’s interests and needs alongside the educational programmes. There is a Nursery Planning Overview, while the nursery’s 100 Books to Read resource gives families a specific starting point for sharing books. These resources connect curriculum planning with something parents can use at home.

In June 2022, the early years curriculum matched children’s needs, and learning was sequenced to develop existing skills. Vocabulary received explicit attention. The useful emphasis here is on building understanding progressively, with language supporting further learning.

Children using the 30-hour provision need lunch each day. Families can send food from home or order a charged meal through Dolce. This makes lunch planning part of the longer-day arrangement.

For communication, there is a nursery email address and Parent Portal. The school’s wider arrangements include written updates in spring and summer, with parent meetings in autumn and spring. Everyday concerns go first to the class teacher, with after school identified as the best time for a conversation.

School-wide SEND arrangements include individual support, monitoring of progress and regular discussions involving parents. Help is available through the SENDCO/Inclusion Manager and Sandwell Advisory and Support Service. Learning targets. In June 2022, school-wide improvement priorities included clearer next steps for some children with SEND or English as an additional language, alongside more consistent curriculum delivery and assessment. Families should keep specific learning targets central to support discussions.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no attendance-based priority under the listed admission criteria. Apply separately through your local council’s online school admissions service by 15 January before the September start. Treat this as a fresh application.

The listed priorities cover care status, qualifying medical needs, siblings and distance. A sibling attending nursery does not count for the sibling criterion. Children whose EHCP names the school are admitted ahead of other applicants. These allocation rules, rather than nursery attendance, determine the admissions position.

Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from noon to 3:00pm. Both are three hours daily across five days. The 30-hour pattern runs from 8:30am to 2:30pm, also across five days, with a government eligibility code required. Families must apply for and provide the code by the preceding term’s deadline, with their child already three by that date. The school gives 31 August for a September start and 31 December for a January start. Parents must renew eligibility when prompted; failure to do so leads to withdrawal of the funded offer.

For children on the 30-hour pattern, a charged extension takes collection to 3:00pm. Booked days stay fixed for the term and are charged even when a child is absent. Ask the school for current charges.

Eastwood Road is the nursery entrance for every collection and afternoon drop-off. Morning drop-off can use any school entrance, but gates shut at 8:45am. Nursery children wear uniform: grey bottoms, a white or burgundy polo, a burgundy jumper or cardigan and sensible black footwear. Logos are optional.

To register interest, collect a form from the school office and return it with a birth certificate or passport. For nursery enquiries, use nursery@ferndale.sandwell.sch.uk.