Lidget Green Academy Nursery Review

Rhyme time, familiar routines and learning to manage big feelings give Lidget Green Academy’s nursery its character. This is the school’s own nursery at Birks Fold in Bradford, with a nursery teacher and early years practitioners forming the classroom team.

In June 2026, Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Strong standard. That judgement covers early years across the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Morning and afternoon sessions give the day two distinct starting points. Within them, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning and care. In plain parent language, this means developing communication, movement and relationships alongside early reading, number, creativity and understanding the world. Play, adults demonstrating activities and guided learning are all part of that framework.

Rhyme time features in the nursery reading programme, alongside helping children become familiar with routines. The June 2026 early years findings describe children responding positively to those routines and taking an active interest in learning. Vocabulary develops quickly, with personal and emotional development given equal weight. Learning to interact with others matters alongside learning new words.

The nursery geography programme starts close to home: children discuss their home and school surroundings, explore through their senses and learn words for features of their community. Informal Spanish introduces another language through greetings, songs, classroom instructions and stories. These are concrete ways to connect language with everyday experience.

Stories also give feelings a shape. The Story Project uses Barbara Throws a Wobbler to explore the distinction between feelings and behaviour, while The New Small Person helps children identify adults they can turn to. On the wider school site, a Forest School is a named outdoor feature.

Relationships are a strength of the early years provision. In June 2026, staff and children had friendly, caring relationships, and children treated adults and one another respectfully. Adults’ interactions supported learning, while attention to emotional development helped children build confidence and resilience.

Assessment shapes support from the start. Staff establish what children already understand and respond promptly where learning needs attention. The early years findings describe positive achievement for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), as well as disadvantaged children. That gives families a concrete indication of how support works within early learning.

Across the school, the Graduated Approach uses Assess-Plan-Do-Review to organise additional support. Parents can raise concerns with the class teacher and arrange a SENCO appointment through the office. Regular SEND coffee mornings provide another opportunity for conversation. A hygiene suite with changing facilities is part of the school’s physical provision.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Reception process by its normal deadline. For Lidget Green, the route is an online application through Bradford Council; the school handles nursery applications itself.

Support for changing phases is a separate matter. Teacher handovers and SENCO involvement, where appropriate, help transfer information about children’s needs. These arrangements support continuity of care and learning rather than establishing an admissions advantage.

Nursery sessions run from 8:30 to 11:30am and from 12:15 to 3:15pm. Those distinct session boundaries matter when planning work and collection arrangements.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school on 01274 579576 or email office@lgps.paymat.org. Families can also arrange a school visit by telephone, giving them an opportunity to discuss joining directly with the school.