Stanton Primary School Nursery Review

A Reading Den, Growing Patch and Mud Kitchen give Acorn Nursery Class a day built around exploration. This is Stanton Primary School’s own nursery on the school site, distinct from the village pre-school. Children can join from the term after their third birthday.

The nursery has a purpose-built learning space and draws on the main school’s facilities and staff expertise. For families choosing a school setting, that connection is part of its practical appeal.

Free-flow play shapes the session. Children move between indoor and outdoor learning areas, while adults respond to their interests and record the learning that happens. Planning takes account of how involved children are and what catches their attention. There is room to follow an idea.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum brings together early reading and mathematics with communication, movement, emotional development, creativity and understanding the world. Its learning habits are equally concrete: exploring something unfamiliar, persisting when it proves difficult, and finding a new way to solve a problem.

Indoors, the Construction area links building with mathematical thinking and design. The Water Tray gives children opportunities to practise mathematical language and communication; the Creative workshop brings ideas into making. A changing role-play area might become a hairdresser’s or a shop, giving children familiar situations to explore through play. The Story Corner supports literacy, while the Small World area encourages storytelling.

Outside, grass and hard surfaces provide different places to play, with a hill adding a physical challenge alongside the slide and swing. A canopy and outdoor tap support activities beyond the classroom. Children can use the Balance course for movement, the Reading Den for literacy and the Growing Patch to explore the world around them. The Mud Kitchen and Playhouse add imaginative play. Outdoor learning runs through the session rather than being confined to a single break.

Staffing combines two qualified teachers with two Early Years Practitioners. That gives the nursery a teaching team alongside practitioners working with its youngest children.

Class Dojo connects home and nursery: parents can message the teacher, receive photographs and news, and add observations about learning at home. Communication works in both directions.

Children can stay for a lunch period between the morning and afternoon sessions; this carries an additional charge. The school also has a SEND coordinator, with contact through the office for families wishing to discuss special educational needs or disabilities.

Attending Acorn Nursery Class does not guarantee a Reception place at Stanton Primary School. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process.

School admissions are handled by Suffolk County Council’s admissions team, with online applications or paper forms obtainable through the council or school. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions. Nursery children do not all continue their schooling at Stanton.

Morning sessions run from 8.40am to 11.40am; afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Lunch attendance bridges the gap from 11.40am to 12.30pm. Wraparound care extends from 7.50am to 6pm, making a longer childcare day possible alongside the nursery sessions.

Visits can be arranged through the school office on 01359 250225. General enquiries can also go to stanton-office@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk. The nursery is on Upthorpe Road, Stanton, IP31 2AW.

Nursery uniform includes a navy polo shirt. Parents are expected to collect promptly and let the school know about delays or a different person collecting their child, keeping changes to the usual arrangement clear.