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Nursery at Catfield CofE Primary Academy
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A shared early years class and regular Forest School sessions give Catfield’s nursery its character: younger children belong within the school, while outdoor learning forms part of the curriculum. Preschool provision starts from age three, with nursery and Reception children together in Cubs and Tigers. This is a mixed early years class rather than a separate nursery setting.
Catfield belongs to the Swallowtail Federation. The school has spacious classrooms and large outdoor grounds, giving the provision a school setting with room for learning beyond the classroom.
Families can choose a morning, an afternoon or combine both into a full day. That makes the nursery usable for a shorter introduction to school as well as a longer session. Within the shared class, past activities show learning through stories, imaginative play, food preparation and exploration.
Bus role play in the Ticket to Ride topic involved discussing journeys, tickets, repairs and safe seating. Another topic took children into imaginary castles, where they played knights and dragons and invented stories. These examples turn conversation into something children can act out, with a purpose for their ideas and words.
Practical learning has also connected play with real tasks. After making pretend biscuits with dough, children created a shopping list and baked biscuits with ingredients. Pumpkin exploration involved removing seeds, thinking about planting them and preparing soup. Peeling, chopping and blending brought food preparation into the learning, while picking out seeds exercised small hand movements.
Celebrations supplied further starting points. Past Diwali activities included rangoli designs, lamp making and acting out a traditional story. Chinese New Year activities involved dragon crafts, cards, lion dances and painted blossom. These are examples of children exploring celebrations through making and performance, rather than simply hearing about them.
Forest School provides the outdoor strand. Regular sessions take place across the federation’s rural sites, with an emphasis on how children learn. A past visit to Hall Farm, supported by The Country Trust, extended learning to animal care, crops, chicken feed and soil, alongside honey tasting and a tractor trailer ride.
The early years team includes a class teacher and a preschool manager, with a federation SENCO providing a contact for special educational needs. These roles give families distinct routes for classroom questions and additional support.
For everyday communication, parents receive fortnightly school updates and text reminders. Staff direct routine conversations with the class teacher to after school; urgent concerns go through the office so a staff member can respond. Parents therefore have a route for both ordinary questions and time-sensitive worries.
Food choices include a hot lunch, a jacket potato or a school packed lunch. Paid meals must be prepaid through Pupil Asset. Children have also prepared and eaten pumpkin soup with bread as part of past class learning, connecting food with practical exploration.
Attending Catfield’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline.
Sharing Cubs and Tigers with Reception children means nursery children already experience a mixed early years class. That classroom continuity is separate from the decision about a Reception place and should not be treated as an admissions advantage.
Monday to Friday sessions run from 9am to noon or noon to 3pm; combining them gives a 9am to 3pm day. Breakfast club accepts preschool children from 8am, and its place can be funded through their entitlement or paid for. A short extension to 3.20pm works on the same funding-or-payment basis. Longer wraparound options end at 4.30pm or 6pm and run during term time at Hickling Infant Academy. Catfield pupils travel there by minibus, and parents collect from Hickling. Contact the school for current charges.
A waiting list operates, with families contacted in the half-term before their child is due to start about the availability offered. Enquiries go to the Catfield office on 01692 580568. If a different adult will collect your child, tell the office or class teacher beforehand so staff can check the arrangement.
Preschool provision accepts children from age three. They join Cubs and Tigers, the shared preschool and Reception class.
Monday to Friday, the options are 9am to noon, noon to 3pm, or a combined full day from 9am to 3pm.
Yes. Preschool children can attend from 8am, using their funding entitlement or paying for the place.
No. Families need to make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline.
Contact the Catfield school office on 01692 580568. A waiting list operates, and families are contacted in the half-term before their intended start about availability.
