Nursery at Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School

Story time, open-ended art and outdoor play give Kingmoor’s nursery its character. CUSP provides the curriculum framework, bringing planned knowledge together with exploration and guided activities. For parents, that means play has a learning purpose while leaving room for children’s own ideas.

This is the nursery within Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School on Hether Drive, Lowry Hill, Carlisle. The nursery teaching role includes responsibility for EYFS and senior mental health leadership, connecting early learning with children’s emotional needs.

Morning and afternoon sessions each last three hours. Within that pattern, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings learning and development together: children explore concepts through play, take part in activities with adult guidance and encounter new vocabulary through books. CUSP’s Structured Story Time gives selected texts a specific role in introducing language and ideas.

Creative work leaves space for choice. Nursery children select materials and use resources in open-ended ways, including making marks that represent something they have noticed or experienced. Adults build on children’s interests rather than prescribing every finished piece. This gives children opportunities to make decisions and express their own thinking.

Outdoor learning includes active play and problems to solve. In March 2023, Ofsted found that the early years outdoor space supported movement and interaction, with a book area where children read alongside adults and friends. Books therefore belong outdoors as well as indoors.

Learning Powers draw on Building Learning Power and connect with early years learning behaviours. The focus changes each half term, giving attitudes towards learning a place alongside curriculum content. Oral health also features in the EYFS: children learn about toothbrushing and food choices, and practise the physical skills involved in brushing.

Starting nursery can mean a child’s first separation from family or first experience of a larger group. Kingmoor’s Starting Nursery page addresses that transition and includes a nursery video tour, helping families introduce the setting before their child starts.

Quiet space is part of the school’s classroom provision. Children can use a classroom quiet area, while the Snug provides another place for a break or work with an adult. These are concrete options for children who need time away from activity.

Support for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) includes visual timetables, visual prompts, modelling and advance introduction of vocabulary. Working with parents forms part of this approach, so knowledge of an individual child can inform adaptations. Families can contact the SENCO through the main office.

For children attending nursery for a full day, hot school meals are available and charged separately. The school also provides opportunities for families to meet staff and see their child’s learning, keeping communication connected to what children actually do.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat choosing nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions; participation in the nursery curriculum is not an admissions entitlement.

The morning session runs from 9am to noon; the afternoon runs from noon to 3pm. Wraparound care extends from 7.45am to 6pm daily, giving families an additional option around nursery sessions.

Visits and nursery enquiries go through the school office. Contact admin@kingmoor-inf.cumbria.sch.uk or telephone 01228 558892 to arrange a visit or discuss a nursery place. The contact page also has an enquiry form.

Meal charges. Hot lunches carry an additional charge for full-day nursery children. Refer to the school for current charges when planning the overall cost of attendance.