Pelton Community Primary School Nursery Review

Mud, woodland walks and a sensory Snug give Pelton Community Primary School’s youngest children plenty to explore. Caterpillar Class serves two-year-olds, while Butterfly Class takes children aged three and four. Both sit within the school’s early years provision, with play and children’s interests shaping learning.

Caterpillar has its own room with furniture designed for two-year-olds, alongside access to a shared nursery garden. Its staffing ratio is 1:5. The early years team includes a Nursery Manager, nursery teachers and teaching assistants, giving the provision a distinct team structure within the school.

Choice drives much of the day. In Butterfly, children select where to play, adults develop activities around their interests, and short planned sessions introduce further learning. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: learning happens through play as well as adult guidance. A weekly book becomes a starting point for exploration, sometimes with children acting out scenes before hearing the story.

Speaking and listening come before formal reading. Butterfly uses Phase 1 Phonics to develop listening, rhyme and oral blending during autumn and spring. In summer, children begin Read Write Inc Set 1 picture cards once their listening skills are secure. White Rose Maths guides practical activities outdoors and inside, adapted to the group. Wednesday movement sessions take place in ordinary nursery uniform, keeping physical activity part of the familiar routine.

For Caterpillar, the strongest emphasis falls on communication, physical development and learning to manage feelings and relationships. Children move freely between outdoor and indoor play. Cookery, messy play and singing sit alongside forest walks and soft play; the woodland area, nursery garden and sensory Snug provide different spaces for movement and exploration. Butterfly children also choose a story book to take home each week, with a Reading Journal connecting reading at home and nursery.

Settling begins with connections between adults. The EYFS Lead and nursery staff visit children’s previous settings, working with families, health visitors and Early Years Practitioners. For two-year-olds, a developmental check takes place between the second and third birthdays with parents, the key person and often a health visitor. Families receive a written account of learning and development.

Caterpillar parents receive a weekly Class Dojo round-up, alongside updates and opportunities to talk with staff. Stay-and-play sessions let families join nursery activities and take play ideas home. Children staying for lunch can bring food from home or have a school meal, so families have a practical choice around the longer day.

Additional needs have a specific early years pathway. Cocoon supports children with SEND who need a smaller, structured setting, with children identified through collaboration between nursery staff, parents and external professionals. An EHCP or Early Years Funding is not required for entry. Children can move between Cocoon and mainstream EYFS sessions according to their needs. Sensory rooms, soft play and a regulation station provide spaces for support; family-style breakfast and lunch routines are part of Cocoon’s day.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Treat choosing nursery and securing a school place as separate decisions.

Preparation is a different matter. Reception starters have summer-term classroom visits, a parent information event and an invitation for children and parents to share a school lunch. Additional visits or multi-agency meetings can be arranged where needed, allowing transition support to respond to the child rather than follow one fixed pattern.

Families can choose five mornings, five afternoons or one of two patterns covering two and a half days. Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am; afternoons run from noon to 3pm. The longer-day patterns combine Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday morning, or Wednesday afternoon with Thursday and Friday.

Thirty-hour funded places are offered. Extra sessions can be purchased subject to availability, and onsite wraparound childcare for nursery-aged children runs from 7.30am to 6pm. The school office handles session enquiries and current meal charges. Contact 0191 3700260 or peltonenquiries@bpfed.org.uk. Caterpillar children need spare clothes for messy outdoor play.