St Peter's CofE Primary Academy Nursery

A teacher-led nursery with morning and afternoon sessions gives St Peter's youngest children a distinct starting point within this Church of England primary academy in Hednesford. There are 52 nursery places, split between 26 in the morning and 26 in the afternoon. The provision serves three- and four-year-olds, with funded hours and additional paid care offering different ways to organise the day.

Rising 3s has its own class in the Keystones building, an arrangement introduced from January 2025. Funded entry is possible in the term following a child's third birthday, subject to space; fully paid attendance can begin on the birthday itself. That distinction matters for families arranging care before funding begins.

Three-hour sessions form the basic nursery day: mornings run from 8.45am to 11.45am, and afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Keystones adds care around the funded provision. Its nursery wraparound uses the nursery's inside and outside spaces, with access to school facilities and fields, giving children room beyond the classroom during these sessions.

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised provides the named approach to phonics, beginning in Nursery. Children build their understanding of letters and the sounds they represent, the foundations for reading and spelling. Within the early years foundation stage, learning also includes health and hygiene, connecting education with everyday care habits.

Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Good at the inspection on 6 and 7 December 2022. Early reading and mathematics had clear planning, but the sequence of learning in other areas needed greater precision. Some children consequently reached Year 1 less prepared in certain subjects than they could have been. The improvement required was specific: clarify the knowledge, vocabulary and skills children should acquire. For parents, that makes the breadth of early learning as relevant as the phonics programme.

Preparation for starting nursery includes introductions to the adults through videos and a presentation for parents. These give families something concrete to share before the first sessions, helping children begin to recognise the people they will learn with. During attendance, Arbor carries emails and app messages, alongside payments and service bookings.

For additional needs, the class teacher starts the identification process and consults the SENCo and parents. Parents can also raise concerns themselves. Some school staff have specialist training covering speech and language, autism, dyslexia and Precision Teaching; classroom and welfare assistants provide support directed by teachers. Nursery wraparound is supervised by a qualified teacher and delivered by early years practitioners.

Nursery Lunch Club is a paid addition to funded hours. After Nursery Club also offers an optional light tea for an extra charge, with choices including vegetable sticks and cheese with crackers, or soup with toast. Free milk applies to under-fives, with Rising 3s excluded. Those distinctions help families separate funded education from food and additional care costs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Staffordshire County Council. For entry in September 2026, the deadline was 15 January 2026; that application cycle is now past.

Familiarity is a separate benefit from admission. A summer transition event has included new Nursery and Reception entrants, allowing children to meet staff and spend time in their next classroom. Its purpose is to introduce routines and ease worries about the change.

All three- and four-year-olds have a 15-hour funded entitlement; eligibility criteria apply to the additional hours needed for 30-hour funding. Nursery applications go directly to the school. Nursery Lunch Club and Keystones care are paid additions to funded attendance; contact the academy for current charges.

For nursery wraparound, families choose attendance days and maintain the same pattern each week, helping staff plan activities and staffing. Little Keys provides after-nursery options ending at 4.30pm or 6pm. Arrange enquiries or a visit through the academy office on 01543 227205 or contact@stpetersprimary.academy.