Savile Town Infant and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Books, paint and learning to manage a coat give Savile Town’s nursery its everyday character. Provision includes places for children aged two and three, within the school’s Foundation Stage Unit. The emphasis is on small steps towards independence alongside early learning, rather than treating practical care routines as separate from education.

A morning session runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, with outdoor physical play accessible during sessions. That gives movement a place within the morning’s learning. Inside, the Creative area features in nursery activity examples, including making handprints with paint. Stories and counting songs sit alongside these practical activities, giving children different ways to participate.

Nursery activity examples include a topic about children’s own world and friendships. Activities have involved joining in with stories and counting towards ten. The nursery blog also described plans to begin listening to sounds and telling them apart. These are concrete examples of early years learning: practising communication, exploring number and developing relationships through things young children can do and discuss. Jigsaw PSHE also provides material for weekly lessons, adding a named programme for personal, social and emotional learning.

In November 2022, Ofsted found that nursery children developed independence through established routines, including handling coats, handwashing, book sharing and writing activities. Everyday tasks therefore have a learning purpose as well as a practical one. The early years findings also described adults demonstrating language skills and matching activities to children’s needs, supporting participation at different starting points.

Settling was a strength in the November 2022 early years findings: children adjusted to the setting and developed positive approaches to learning. The nursery’s activity examples put making friends and caring for one another alongside learning to look after themselves. This links social development with the ordinary routines of a session.

A nursery nurse appears in the staff structure. For contact with families, parents can speak with staff before or after school, while Open Days and Open Evenings provide opportunities to meet a teacher or key worker. A summer Parents’ Evening includes discussion of the child’s annual report. These give families both informal contact and scheduled conversations about learning.

Stay and Play takes place on Monday afternoons, from 1pm to 2.30pm. A separate Wednesday drop-in runs at the same times for families whose children have additional needs. These are family sessions, distinct from the nursery morning, and provide another opportunity to spend time together at school.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process by the relevant deadline.

For September 2025 entry, the school directed nursery families to apply online through the Kirklees parent portal and offered office support with the application. That was a separate step even for children already attending nursery. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two decisions, with separate applications.

The part-time morning pattern is 8.45am to 11.45am. Its three-hour span is useful to consider against work and collection arrangements.

Nursery application forms can be collected from the school office, with families directed to bring their child’s birth certificate. General enquiries can also go to office.saviletown@kirkleeseducation.uk. This provides a direct contact route alongside the office application process.