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Nursery at Old Earth Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Books, purposeful play and a school-year rhythm shape Old Earth School Nursery. This is the provision for three-year-olds at Old Earth Primary School in Elland, distinct from Little Earth, the private day nursery on the same site. Children join in September and attend until July, with two class groups offering different patterns across the week.
The core offer is 15 funded hours each week. Families needing additional hours can combine School Nursery with Little Earth, using paid sessions or eligible extended funding. That distinction matters: choosing School Nursery means choosing a set weekly pattern, while Little Earth provides the option for greater flexibility.
Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with seven areas brought together through play, activities guided by adults and opportunities children choose themselves. Books provide starting points for topics that connect different kinds of learning. Staff also respond to children's interests where possible, giving curiosity a role in what happens next.
Exploring, solving problems and learning to get along with others are part of that play. Practical experiences matter too. In early years design and technology, children investigate, make choices and explain their decisions. Early history begins close to home: children discuss their own past and family experiences, then compare older images with the present. These are concrete ways to develop conversation and thinking together.
SCARF, the personal, social and health education programme, begins in School Nursery. Its themes include friendships, recognising difference and personal safety, with material adapted to children's ages. Music brings another named approach: specialist and class teaching uses Charanga across the school, including its nurseries.
Outdoors, the school has gardening plots for each class, with opportunities to plant vegetables, fruit and flowers and care for the growing space. This gives learning about the world a practical focus. In December 2022, Ofsted identified vocabulary as a focus beginning in Nursery and purposeful number activities that helped early years children develop confidence in mathematics.
The School Nursery team includes a teacher and a nursery nurse, with an assistant headteacher leading early years. For children needing additional help, the school's SENCo works with teaching staff, families and specialist services. Parents can contact the school to speak to the SENCo, providing a direct route into discussions about support.
The Old Earth Way behaviour curriculum adapts expectations to children's ages and individual SEND needs. Its approach recognises, for example, that eye contact can be uncomfortable for some autistic children. Expectations therefore allow for individual differences.
A hot lunch forms part of the nursery midday session. Breakfast and a snack tea are included in the corresponding wraparound provision, so families using those sessions have food built into the extended day. A weekly school newsletter is emailed to parents and carers, giving families a regular channel for school news.
Attending School Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Old Earth. Families must make a separate Reception application through the council process. Calderdale coordinates applications for its residents; families living elsewhere apply through their own local council. Treat the nursery booking and the school application as separate decisions.
For September 2026 entry, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is now past. The nursery's links with the main school introduce children to school life, but those links do not secure a place.
Class A attends Monday and Tuesday, 8:50am to 3:10pm, plus Wednesday morning, 8:50am to 11:50am. Class B takes Wednesday afternoon, 12:10pm to 3:10pm, followed by Thursday and Friday, 8:50am to 3:10pm. These grouped sessions give families a clear weekly timetable to plan around.
Universal funding provides 15 hours from the term after a child's third birthday; some families qualify for 30 hours. Funding covers 38 weeks and is used in nursery sessions, with no stretched arrangement. Breakfast, lunch and after-school sessions sit outside those funded sessions. Ask the school for current charges.
Nursery places are allocated directly by the school. Enquiries can go to the early years administrator through the school office on 01422 375316 or admin@oldearth.calderdale.sch.uk.
School Nursery is for three-year-olds. Little Earth is a separate nursery on the same site for children aged two to four.
Class A attends Monday and Tuesday all day plus Wednesday morning. Class B attends Wednesday afternoon plus Thursday and Friday all day.
Yes. Families can combine School Nursery and Little Earth sessions, using paid hours or 30-hour funding where eligible.
Funding applies to morning and afternoon nursery sessions. The midday session includes a hot lunch and sits outside those funded sessions.
No. Reception requires a separate council application. Calderdale residents apply through Calderdale; families elsewhere apply through their own local council.
