Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nursery: Nursery Review

Children’s interests shape the learning at Lozells, with the Curiosity Approach and Early Excellence influencing how the early years environment is arranged. Play has a clear purpose here: developing communication, movement and relationships alongside the beginnings of literacy and maths.

The nursery belongs to Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nursery on Wheeler Street in Birmingham. Across the school’s early years provision, there are two spacious rooms built for the purpose and two outdoor areas for play. These are early years facilities, rather than a separate set attributed solely to nursery children.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together children’s social and physical development with early learning. At Lozells, staff plan around what interests the children, using play to develop language, number understanding and the first steps in reading and writing. Children have a part in deciding how their learning unfolds.

Acting out familiar experiences gives them a way to explore what they know. Trying something unfamiliar, persisting when it proves difficult and sharing ideas are also explicit parts of the approach. Staff encourage children to spot patterns, make predictions and try out their thinking. Choosing a method and changing a plan gives independence a practical place in the session.

The Curiosity Approach and Early Excellence inform the surroundings in which this happens. Indoor rooms and outdoor play areas provide settings for exploration, while children’s interests guide the teaching. The emphasis is on using the environment as part of learning, alongside adult support.

Qualified, experienced staff work on children’s communication and social development as well as their learning. The EYFS approach also includes helping children understand themselves and respect other people across differences of faith, gender and ethnicity. Relationships are part of the curriculum.

Before starting, families can use the Nursery Induction eBook. A nursery newsletter provides another connection between home and school. For additional needs, the school contact route directs parents to the SENCO; its pastoral team also works with families and outside agencies, providing a route for discussing concerns or seeking support.

Lunch has a defined place in the longer nursery pattern, with dinners scheduled from 11:30 to 12:30. School meals are managed through School Gateway, where parents can select, reserve and pay for meals. This makes meal arrangements part of the practical preparation for attendance.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions, even though both concern the same school.

The early years curriculum develops independence as children choose how to approach tasks, share their ideas and solve problems. Those experiences matter for the next stage of learning. They do not create an admissions entitlement.

Morning sessions run from 08:30 to 11:30; afternoon sessions run from 12:30 to 15:30. The longer option is labelled Full Time and follows either Monday to Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon to Friday. Its full-day hours are 08:30 to 15:30, so Wednesday divides the two patterns. Families need to match that arrangement to their working week.

Lozells operates in term time and closes on bank holidays. Nursery application forms are linked from the admissions page. Enquiries can go to enquiry@lozells.bham.sch.uk or 0121 566 4450.

Nursery uniform includes a white polo shirt, a navy sweatshirt, jumper or cardigan bearing the school logo, and black trousers, leggings, a skirt or pinafore. Black school shoes are required. Clothing should carry the child’s name, helping items find their way back to the right family.