Little Explorers Nursery at Eccleston St Mary's

Storybook boats, homemade binoculars and library outings give Little Explorers its character. This is the nursery for three and four year olds at Eccleston St Mary's Church of England Primary School, with a refurbished classroom and a redeveloped outdoor area. Learning moves between the two.

The nursery opened on 5 January 2022. Its team includes an Early Years practitioner, a qualified teacher and a teaching assistant, giving the provision a distinct place within the primary school rather than simply extending the older children's day.

The Early Years curriculum takes practical form through stories, making and investigation. In a Gingerbread Man project, children selected materials for model boats, then put their creations into water to discover whether they sank or floated. They also baked gingerbread figures and decorated them with raisins. A familiar story becomes a reason to design, test and cook.

Forest School supplies another setting for these activities. Children made binoculars before looking for birds, then gathered leaves and sticks to construct owl nests. A Goldilocks and the Three Bears activity took them outdoors on a teddy bear colour hunt. These are concrete examples of stories extending beyond the classroom into observation and making.

Books also take children beyond the school grounds. During one library outing, they heard stories about the sea, made a jellyfish craft and selected books to take back. Shark in the Park prompted telescope making, work on rhyme and a park visit. The connection is straightforward: children hear a story, make something connected to it and explore its ideas through play.

Small-group challenges have included a different problem each day during a focused week. Shared activities bring contact with older children too: Year 5 pupils read favourite stories to nursery children in small groups for World Book Day, using the outdoor space.

Families have joined nursery children for SODA, the Start Of the Day Activity. That gives adults a direct opportunity to share an activity with their child. Emotional expression also has a practical form: during Prayer Day, Little Explorers discussed worries and used bubbles to represent blowing them away.

Food can be part of the learning. Windfall apples from the nursery garden became apple crumble, which children ate as an afternoon snack. After the bird activity in Forest School, they returned indoors for hot chocolate. These examples connect preparing or sharing food with what children have been doing.

For additional-needs discussions, the school's support structure includes a SENCO and an Interventions Manager. All school staff receive regular safeguarding training, while designated safeguarding leads undertake specialist training for their responsibilities.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Lancashire's online admissions service at www.lancashire.gov.uk/schools, by the middle of January in the year their child starts school.

Once a Reception place has been allocated, induction includes a meeting for parents, a home visit from Reception staff and several summer-term visits for the child. These introduce the classroom and staff before September. Shared nursery and Reception activities, including a Smithills Farm trip, are a separate part of school life, not an admissions advantage.

The morning nursery session begins at 8.45am; the afternoon session ends at 3.15pm. Keep those nursery times in mind when planning the family day.

To enquire or arrange a nursery visit, telephone 01257 451317. Visits can be booked directly with the school, giving families an opportunity to see the classroom and outdoor facilities. Contact the school for current charges.