Cockshutt CofE Primary School and Nursery: nursery review

Little Chestnut gives Cockshutt’s youngest children a named place within a village primary school whose curriculum starts with its rural surroundings. The nursery has 15 places, with provision for two-year-olds alongside children aged three and four. This is the nursery at Cockshutt CofE Primary School and Nursery in Cockshutt, Ellesmere.

The school aims to build independence, confidence and respect for others. Its emphasis on local knowledge gives that ambition a concrete starting point: children begin with the places and community around them.

Familiar routes and the natural world provide specific starting points for early learning. Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) geography curriculum, children work with simple maps, describe routes they know and practise language for where things are. Talking about something being ahead of or behind something else connects new vocabulary to everyday surroundings.

Observation sits alongside books and conversation. Early years learning includes exploring nature and describing the immediate environment, drawing on stories, factual texts and maps. Children also consider differences between countryside and city environments, and between life here and in other countries. Familiar places become a starting point for thinking further afield.

Across the school, the curriculum emphasises outdoor learning and local heritage. The school encourages questioning, exchanging opinions and listening to others: an approach that gives conversation a place alongside exploration.

For children with disabilities, the school aims to remove obstacles to participation and involves parents in planning support. Its approach includes personal care plans and reviews with families to agree learning targets. The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) has a role in monitoring needs and discussing support, giving families a route for contributing their knowledge of their child.

Early years induction forms are used to identify information and accessibility needs. The school also plans early discussions with families joining EYFS to explore individual requirements and seek advice from inclusion services. These are opportunities to bring practical needs into planning before attendance begins.

Physical access. Split levels separate the main school from the hall, with steps between them. The school considers this barrier when assessing applications. Families whose child needs help with movement should factor the building layout into their choice.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. A separate application is required, so choosing Little Chestnut and applying for school are distinct decisions.

For the 2025/26 entry cycle, nursery attendance conferred no priority under the admission criteria. Shropshire Council handled Reception applications through its Synergy online portal, with a deadline of 15 January in the academic year before entry. Families planning a later start should follow the arrangements for their child’s entry year.

Visits can be arranged by contacting the school. This gives prospective nursery families a direct enquiry route and a chance to consider the setting before choosing it. For enquiries about provision for two-year-olds, contact the school directly.