Kirk Sandall Infant School Nursery

Communication and language received close attention in Kirk Sandall’s early years provision at the June 2024 inspection. Purposeful play is part of the school’s intended approach. This is provision for three and four year olds within Kirk Sandall Infant School on Queen Mary Crescent in Doncaster, with a nursery teacher and nursery nurse forming part of the Foundation Stage team. Families can choose morning or afternoon sessions, blocked days, and extended hours.

At the inspection on 4 and 5 June 2024, Ofsted rated the school’s early years provision Good. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes the learning. In everyday language, that means developing movement, relationships and communication alongside early reading and writing, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. These areas sit together, giving children more to work on than preparation for formal lessons.

Adult teaching and purposeful play are both part of the school’s intended approach. The school aims to give children opportunities to investigate unfamiliar things, try ideas and make choices, while adults assess their needs and help them progress. Independence is an explicit aim. Children are encouraged to keep trying when something proves difficult and to find ways of tackling a challenge, rather than simply completing a task chosen for them.

In June 2024, early years staff understood individual children’s next learning steps and used that knowledge to plan activities that helped their development. Communication and language received close attention. For parents, the useful distinction is that activities respond to children’s development: the approach combines room for exploration with adult direction based on what a child needs next.

A nursery teacher and nursery nurse sit within a Foundation Stage staffing structure that also includes teaching assistants and a specialist teaching assistant. This places the nursery within the school’s early years team, rather than leaving it as an isolated class.

For children with additional needs, the school has a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). Families can contact this role through the school office on 01302 882221. The SENCO provides advice and works with families, staff and other agencies, giving parents a defined route for discussing support.

Communication about welfare has practical expectations. Parents should tell staff about medical conditions or accidents and report absence on the first day. The school says it will discuss concerns with families and contact them when a child is absent without an explanation. These arrangements make sharing changes in a child’s circumstances part of the care relationship.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate application through the normal admissions route, using Doncaster Council’s admissions service and the deadline for their child’s intake.

For the September 2026 intake, the first closing date was 15 January 2026. That cycle is now past. Choosing this nursery should therefore be a decision about the early years experience itself, with the later school application treated as a separate step.

Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and blocked days give families several attendance patterns to consider. The nursery offers 15 or 30 hours as well as extended hours. Contact the school for the full details of these options before choosing a pattern that fits work and family routines.

For enquiries, telephone 01302 882221 or email admin@kirksandall-inf.doncaster.sch.uk. The nursery’s flexibility is useful, but the practical decision is which offered pattern suits your child and your household. Agree that arrangement with the school rather than assuming that an entitlement determines a particular session.