Mytham Little Stars Nursery

Sparkle for two-year-olds, Starlight for children aged three and four: Mytham Little Stars gives its youngest children distinct class identities within Mytham Primary School in Little Lever, Bolton. The nursery forms part of the school's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with SEND coordination covering this phase. Families can begin here from age two.

There is a waiting list for nursery places. That makes an early enquiry useful for families planning a start, with visits arranged directly through the nursery.

Sounds, songs and familiar nursery rhymes give early learning a concrete starting point. In February 2023, Ofsted found that children in the early years began this work early and received a successful introduction to reading. For parents, the emphasis is on the small building blocks of language and reading rather than school results. The February 2023 report also called for more training for adults at school and home to help a few pupils practise reading more regularly and develop accuracy and fluency. This was a wider-school concern; the report did not identify those pupils as nursery children.

The EYFS policy emphasis also reaches beyond what children know. Children develop ways of learning, with involvement in personal targets at a level suited to them. Those targets can concern emotions, behaviour or relationships as well as learning: taking part and understanding their own progress matter too.

Attention Autism and curiosity-based learning feature in the governors' early years development priorities for 2025–2026. These are plans to develop inclusive practice, rather than a promise of a particular activity in every session. Refresher training for early years staff and induction support for a new Nursery Manager are also priorities, connecting changes in leadership with the team's classroom practice.

Settling includes learning to share. In February 2023, early years children were becoming assured learners, adjusting to school and taking turns with resources. That is useful reassurance about the social side of starting nursery, alongside the early reading work.

Support begins with assessment when children join the EYFS. The SEND policy sets out a graduated response, moving from classroom support to individual provision maps and, where needed, external specialists. Maps are reviewed each term and shared with families. Separately, the February 2023 inspection identified inconsistent use of assessment in a minority of subjects, leaving some misunderstandings and gaps in remembered learning unresolved. It called for more consistent assessment practice. That wider-school finding was not attributed specifically to nursery. Parents are consulted before outside services become involved, giving them a role in decisions about additional help.

The classroom checklists include visual timetables, labelled equipment and practical objects to support communication. These are policy tools for making instructions and routines easier to follow. Speech and language therapists and Woodbridge Outreach Service are among the specialist routes listed for additional support.

Food preparation needs to respect the school's nut-free policy. Healthy snacks from home are permitted under its guidance, while the meals page provides a Nut Allergy Leaflet and a Therapeutic Diet Request Form. Families managing dietary needs have specific documents to use.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal local-authority route and meet its deadline. Bolton residents use the School Admission Portal; families living elsewhere apply through their home authority. Applications open in September each year.

Transition support is a separate matter. The SEND policy calls for changes in routines and classrooms to be planned around children's needs where required. Familiarity with nursery should therefore be considered alongside transition support, rather than treated as an admission entitlement.

Email info@mytham.bolton.sch.uk to enquire about a place, join the waiting list or arrange a nursery visit. An enquiry form is also provided on the nursery page. For funded childcare eligibility for children aged two, three or four, the nursery directs families to Childcare Choices.

Availability. The nursery is operating a waiting list. Make an enquiry before building childcare plans around a place.