Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Story Dough, language development and wellies for outdoor learning give this nursery its character. The provision belongs to Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School in Burton upon Trent, within John Taylor MAT. It caters for children over three; at full capacity, the school will have 52 nursery places. That is a planned capacity, rather than a count of children attending now.

The school opened to pupils in September 2024. Its building includes a library, a hall and a practical room, placing the nursery within a wider primary school setting. There is no Ofsted graded rating yet.

Language takes a leading role. Story Dough is used for nursery writing, with vocabulary and spoken language the focus at this stage. For parents, that means early writing preparation centres on developing what children can say and understand. Mathematics has a named programme too: Master the Curriculum supports White Rose, with the aim of building foundations for reasoning, problem solving and number fluency.

Alongside these nursery programmes, the school uses STRIPE across its provision. It aims to develop independence, cooperation, creativity, participation, questioning and resilience. These are learning habits as well as subject skills: expressing an idea and working with someone else matter alongside learning new information.

Outdoor learning takes place weekly. Children explore nature, learn about risk and develop scientific understanding, with activities connected to their other learning. The Forest Area gives that work a physical setting. Wellies stay at school, and the school supplies puddle suits, making outdoor clothing part of the routine rather than something to remember afresh for each session.

Nursery staffing includes a teacher and a teaching assistant. For family communication, brief conversations with the teacher can happen at collection or drop-off; longer discussions are arranged through the office. Class Dojo provides another contact route between 7.30am and 5pm, with a response within 48 hours. It suits messages that can wait rather than matters needing an immediate answer.

SEND support is organised through the class teacher and the special educational needs coordinator. Classroom work can be adapted, and additional equipment may include chew toys, wobble boards or fidget toys. Parents of children with SEND have regular meetings, providing a continuing route to discuss support.

Fruit and milk are provided at snack time without charge. Children bring a named water bottle containing plain water, and nuts or products containing them must stay out of school because of severe allergies. A purchased lunch is an option for nursery children attending Session 1, with meals pre-ordered. This is an optional extra for that session.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Branston Locks. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the normal deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.

The morning session runs from 09:00 to 12:00, with doors opening at 08:45. The afternoon session runs from 12:00 to 15:00. Nursery collection is at 15:00 from the same classroom door; parents should contact the office promptly if delayed. A delay exceeding ten minutes leads to wraparound placement and a charge for that session.

Uniform includes a purple logo cardigan or sweatshirt, a white polo shirt and grey bottoms, with black school shoes. Belongings should be labelled. For enquiries, call 01283 242875; office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. Refer to the school for current charges.