The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
Nursery at Slade 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Chalk marks outdoors, stories to return to and road signs made for toy vehicles: early learning at Slade has practical purposes. This is Slade Primary School’s nursery in Erdington, Birmingham, for children aged 3 and 4. Families can choose part-time attendance or a full day, with provision running during school terms. The nursery team includes an EYFS teacher and a nursery teaching assistant.
Children’s interests help shape the learning. Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Slade uses an In the Moment approach to creative work: adults pick up on what children want to explore and use that interest to extend learning. For parents, that means children’s own ideas have a place alongside planned teaching.
Books give the nursery a recurring focus. Children explore a book weekly or fortnightly, with adults demonstrating writing and helping them try it themselves. Pictures and illustrated word mats provide prompts. At the writing station, envelopes, crayons and whiteboards give children different ways to make marks with a purpose, rather than simply practise on a worksheet.
Physical activity also prepares children for writing. Play dough invites squeezing and rolling; tweezers exercise small hand movements; ribbon sticks encourage bigger arm movements. Outside, children use chalk and can make road signs for large toy trucks. Small-world cars bring similar opportunities indoors. These are concrete connections between play, hand control and early communication.
Spoken language comes first in nursery reading: adults share poems, sing rhymes and plan conversations around stories and role play. Read Write Inc letter-sound teaching begins in the term before children start Reception, introducing 25 single letter sounds. Nursery maths follows Development Matters and White Rose principles. Technology has a practical element too, with EYFS children exploring buttons on programmable toys and using touch-screen iPads.
Learning about feelings has its own programme. PATHS, short for Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies, is used in EYFS to teach emotional understanding, self-control and ways to resolve disagreements. The Turtle Technique gives children a named calming strategy. Role play and stories help turn these ideas into situations young children can recognise.
For children needing additional support, Cherry Garden divides early learning into manageable developmental steps. The Early Support Developmental Journal also supports EYFS children with complex needs, helping families and staff record development and identify where further help is needed.
Parents of children with SEND are involved in decisions about support. Contact includes termly progress discussions, held by telephone or in person, and half-termly coffee mornings. Initial concerns about a child can be raised with their class teacher or teaching assistant, giving families a direct starting point for a conversation.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and does not confer priority under Slade’s admission criteria. Families must make a separate Reception application through Birmingham City Council’s online school admissions route by the normal deadline.
When places are oversubscribed, priority goes to looked-after or previously looked-after children, then qualifying siblings, then children living nearest. Choosing the nursery therefore needs to be a decision about the nursery experience itself, with the Reception application handled separately.
Morning attendance runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. The full-time session starts at 8:30am and finishes at 3:15pm. These fixed patterns give families a clear basis for organising the week, but the nursery operates in term time only.
Places can be self-funded or use 15-hour or 30-hour funding. Nursery children are eligible for the fee-paying Kids Club before and after school. For September 2025 bookings, the club was described as full with a waiting list; check current availability before relying on this care. Contact the school for current charges.
Children can start in the term following their third birthday. September and January are the usual enrolment points; a summer-term start may be possible if places remain. Nursery enquiries go through the school office on 0121 675 0618 or enquiry@slade.bham.sch.uk.
Children aged 3 and 4 can attend, starting from the term after their third birthday.
Morning sessions are 8:30am to 11:30am, afternoon sessions are 12:15pm to 3:15pm, and full-time sessions are 8:30am to 3:15pm. Attendance is term time only.
Places can use 15-hour or 30-hour funding, or be self-funded. Contact the school for current charges.
No. Nursery attendance does not confer priority or guarantee a place. Families apply separately through Birmingham City Council’s school admissions route.
Stories, poems, rhymes and planned conversations build spoken language and familiarity with books. Read Write Inc letter-sound teaching starts in the term before Reception.
