The Oaklands Primary School Nursery Review

Rhymes, outdoor building and dinosaur investigations give Oaklands nursery its character. This is provision within the main school building in Acocks Green, Birmingham, for children starting in September following their third birthday. Capacity is 26 full-time equivalent places, while teaching takes place in a class of around 25. Those figures describe different things: capacity and the teaching group.

A qualified teacher leads the class with support from qualified practitioners. Families can choose part-time or full-time provision, with the full-time option conditional on eligibility and a full-time code. The setting combines a school-based routine with learning through play.

Projects organise the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning, alongside children’s interests. In practice, that means developing communication, early number understanding and personal skills through stories, making and playful exploration. Oaklands says it values active learning and social play; the nursery projects show how those aims translate into activities.

Rhyme Time brings familiar songs into learning, including Incy Wincy Spider and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Children make props for a Rhyme Performance Day, and families are invited to a Nursery Rhyme Workshop. Singing and making give children different ways to participate, with parents able to share the project too.

Build it up centres on investigating materials and trying ways to connect them. Outdoors, children use shapes and equipment for building; the creative area also provides opportunities to explore maths. Chalk, sand, foam and water paint give variety to drawing and mark making. These are concrete ways to practise hand control while exploring ideas.

Dangerous Dinosaurs! combines science with storytelling. Children examine dinosaur features and investigate materials, smells and textures by making pretend dinosaur poo, linking messy play with learning about plant eaters and meat eaters. Helicopter stories involve acting out familiar tales and beginning to invent dinosaur stories. Colourful semantics supports children in speaking in full sentences, while number work includes counting to 5 and recognising numbers 0–5.

Before starting, families have opportunities to meet nursery staff and visit. Children begin in groups in September, rather than the whole intake starting together. Oaklands expects children to be toilet trained and no longer wearing nappies before admission, making personal care readiness a practical consideration for families.

Food arrangements depend on the session. Part-time children receive a snack during their session; full-time children can bring lunch or request a school-provided packed lunch at no charge. Class Dojo carries activities and learning for home, and nursery workshops give parents another way to join in.

For additional needs, the school’s Inclusion Team includes a SEND coordinator. The Enhanced Learning Provision (ELP) offers short-term support in small groups for eligible EYFS children with emerging or escalating complex learning or speech, language and communication needs. Places are limited and time-bound, require parental consent and depend on meeting the school’s criteria. This is targeted support, with families and external agencies involved in reviewing next steps.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority in the normal admissions round and meet its normal deadline. The 2025–2026 admission arrangements gave no priority for nursery attendance, so familiarity with Oaklands should be kept separate from the allocation of a school place.

For children with SEND, transition support can include an individual introduction to the next teacher and, where needed, an updated photograph book for the holidays. These arrangements help prepare a child for change; they confer no admissions advantage.

Morning sessions run from 8:30 to 11:30; afternoon sessions run from 12:30 to 15:30. Part-time provision totals 15 hours a week, and full-time provision 30. Full-time hours are 8:45 to 15:00, subject to change, for children eligible with a full-time code. Session preferences cannot be guaranteed.

The 2025–2026 funding arrangements allowed eligible families to apply for 30 funded hours each week across 38 term-time weeks. Eligibility depended on work or leave circumstances, income and immigration status.

Nursery applications go directly to the school, using a form from the main office. Enquiries can be made on 0121 706 2168 or through the school’s enquiry form. Visits are by appointment, with an Autumn Term open morning for prospective families. Children need uniform, a book bag, wellies and a drinks bottle; the EYFS entrance is through the side gate.