Blackwell First School Nursery Review

Daily Forest School gives Blackwell's nursery its defining character. Outdoor learning sits alongside indoor play, with a Forest School leader guiding the daily sessions. This is the nursery attached to Blackwell First School in Blackwell, Worcestershire, rather than a separate childcare setting.

The emphasis is practical: children make, move, talk and play. The nursery aims to support children's happiness, health and development, bringing social skills and independence into the same picture as early learning.

Crates and sheets become vehicles, houses and dens; the mud kitchen invites children to mix pretend cakes and potions. Sand and water provide opportunities to dig and experiment with floating. These are concrete ways to explore materials and ideas through play.

In the Early Years Forest School, children climb, practise balancing, build shelters and turn natural materials into artwork or toys. Cooking over fires is also among the activities. Daily outdoor learning gives physical movement a clear place in the nursery experience.

Indoors, role play draws on familiar situations, while painting and junk modelling offer different ways to create. Stories, poems and rhymes sit alongside maths, phonics and listening activities. WriteDance and Dough Disco bring movement into work on the small muscles children use for drawing and writing. Music includes singing and exploring rhythm.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the framework for this learning. Here, the emphasis falls on communication, physical development and children's emotional and social development: learning to express themselves, use their bodies and manage relationships. Outdoor Continuous Provision is part of the approach, keeping play central to learning.

A nursery teacher works alongside teaching assistants, with a higher level teaching assistant role spanning Nursery and Forest School. The school also has a SEND coordinator and offers support for children with disabilities. Families can raise individual support needs through the school office.

Settling support has included making the day visible. In September 2020, children took home a picture timetable matching the one in the nursery cabin, helping families talk through the day's sequence. This gave children a concrete way to understand how long they would stay.

Home-cooked food comes from The Blackwell Kitchen, and lunch is served within the nursery. Breakfast and afternoon tea can be included through the club booking arrangements. ParentApp carries information home, giving families a shared communication channel with the school.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application online to Worcestershire County Council, before January of the year their child is due to start school. Treat this as a separate decision and application, even if your child already attends the nursery.

Preparation for that next step includes a July story club where prospective Reception children can meet teachers and other children. A summer induction evening and meet-the-teacher videos also form part of the programme. These opportunities introduce people and routines; they do not secure admission.

Session 1 runs from 8.30am to 11.30am, and Session 2 from noon to 3pm. Both are funded-hours sessions. The lunch period, from 11.30am to noon, is chargeable.

Before Nursery club operates from 7.15am to 8.20am, with children taken to nursery for 8.30am. After Nursery club runs from 3pm to 6pm. Both are chargeable and supported by nursery staff. Use the booking form to include breakfast or afternoon tea, and contact the school office for current charges.

Nursery applications should be made in January before the academic year of attendance, using forms requested from the office. School visits require an appointment; email office@blackwell.worcs.sch.uk to arrange one. The office can also be reached on 0121 445 1622.