Arkholme Church of England Primary School Nursery

Woodland sessions and a class shared with older early-years children give Arkholme’s nursery its character. Part of the Puffins Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) unit, it brings nursery and Reception children together rather than organising them into separate classes. A qualified teacher and nursery leader lead the sessions.

Children normally join in the term following their third birthday, with starts in January, April or September. This is the school’s own nursery in Arkholme, with a part-time pattern across three days. Ofsted graded the early-years provision Good at the inspection on 23 and 24 April 2024. That judgement covers the school’s early years, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play and practical experiences shape learning in Puffins, indoors as well as outside. The Early Years Foundation Stage is the early learning framework here; in everyday terms, children explore, try things and develop skills through activities. In April 2024, early-years children were gaining confidence and independence through purposeful play, and children in the mixed-age nursery class learned successfully together.

Forest School gives that practical approach a specific setting: nursery children walk to the woodland on the Village Hall field. Puffins has regular sessions, including learning to handle tools and behave safely near a campfire. The Forest School approach follows children’s interests, with adults observing them to plan activities around their needs. Possible activities include making art from woodland materials, constructing shelters and creating mud faces. Children choose activities after an opening discussion and finish by reflecting on their learning. There is room to make decisions as well as practise new skills.

Books also connect nursery and home. Children select a book to share with their parents each week. Towards the end of nursery, wordless books go home too, giving families pictures to explore together.

The April 2024 school-wide improvement priorities concerned inconsistent curriculum delivery in some subjects and insufficient staff training for helping children catch up in phonics. These were school-wide concerns, not findings confined to nursery. They matter alongside the positive early-years findings when considering the learning provision as a whole.

Settling into routines was a strength in the early years in April 2024: children adapted quickly. The shared class gives nursery children regular experience of learning alongside Reception children, making the next classroom stage familiar through ordinary nursery life.

For children needing additional support, the school describes its approach as Personalised Learning and aims to work closely with parents. Its EYFS leadership role also includes coordination of special educational needs. Parents with concerns about their child’s learning should approach the class teacher first, providing a direct starting point for discussion.

Lunch can be a meal prepared at school or a packed lunch from home. There are three hot-meal choices each day, so families have a choice between school cooking and food they provide themselves. A completed consent form is required for medication administered at school.

Sharing a class supports familiarity; it does not guarantee admission to Arkholme’s Reception. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Treat that application as a separate task when planning your child’s next year.

The transition practice is integrated into the nursery day: children already learn alongside the Reception group. That is a practical benefit for familiarity with classroom life, separate from the allocation of school places.

Nursery sessions run from 09:00 to 15:30 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. For families planning childcare, those three days are the starting point. The nursery offers places using the 15 or 30 hours entitlement; agree the funded arrangement and current charges with the school before committing.

Visits are welcomed. Contact the school office on 015242 21418 to make an enquiry or arrange a visit. For Forest School, the school asks families to send wellington boots and a warm jumper; the school supplies waterproof trousers and jackets. Parents must give consent for their child to participate, so outdoor learning comes with a practical preparation step.