Nursery at Scartho Infants' School and Nursery
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Stories, shared books and a daily focus on letter sounds give Scartho's nursery a clear starting point: helping young children listen, talk and enjoy language. Foundation Stage 1 occupies a purpose-built unit within Scartho Infants' School and Nursery on Edge Avenue in Grimsby. It takes children aged 3 and 4, with entry possible from the term following their third birthday.
Families can choose morning or afternoon sessions, or combine them into full days, subject to space. That choice comes with an important practical distinction: staying through lunchtime is a separate arrangement from booking both teaching sessions.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning about language, relationships and movement with early reading, maths, creativity and exploration of the world. In parent terms, the nursery's curriculum covers how children communicate and get along with others as well as what they begin to know. The school aims to help children make decisions and tackle problems independently.
Book sharing is a concrete part of nursery learning. Children handle books, hear stories and discuss them together, alongside activities exploring an initial letter sound each day. This gives families a useful picture of the reading preparation: listening and conversation accompany the introduction to sounds.
Jigsaw provides the personal, social and health education programme from nursery onwards. Maths teaching across the school uses White Rose Maths, with objects and pictures used alongside numbers and symbols to make mathematical ideas concrete. These approaches connect feelings and relationships with early number learning.
There is a historical caution about curriculum planning. The current school has no Ofsted graded rating yet. At the predecessor school's March 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged early years provision Requires improvement, while recognising children's developing vocabulary, confidence and social skills. At that time, adults understood individual interests, but planning concentrated too heavily on activities rather than identifying the knowledge and skills children should acquire. For parents, the distinction matters: an enjoyable activity needs a clear learning purpose.
Before a child starts, the family attends a pre-admission meeting in the nursery unit. Parents and children can meet the team and discuss worries together, making this a practical first step towards settling. Nursery staffing includes an early years practitioner and a Level 3 teaching assistant.
Class Dojo connects parents with the class teacher and shares information about learning. Children also receive an initial assessment during their first few weeks in nursery, giving staff a starting point for understanding their development.
For additional needs, parents' first contact is the class teacher. The school's SENCo and Emotional Literacy Support Assistant offer a termly drop-in without an appointment. Where a My Plan is needed, families help shape it and review progress termly. Physical access includes a medical room with a toilet and wide doorway, plus graduated slopes to the playground.
Children staying for lunch must bring a packed lunch. This applies whether lunchtime bridges two sessions or is added to a morning or afternoon booking.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no admissions priority. Families must make a separate application through North East Lincolnshire's normal primary admissions process by the normal closing date. The local authority processes applications and allocates places, so a nursery booking must remain separate from plans for a school place.
For children starting school in September, the school runs a planned summer introduction programme and a parent meeting to help families prepare for school routines. That preparation supports transition; it does not alter the admissions decision.
Morning nursery runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Booking both sessions without lunchtime care means collecting at the morning finish and returning for the afternoon. A lunchtime add-on before an afternoon session requires arrival by 11:30am; after a morning session, collection must be by 12:30pm.
The school offers the universal 15 funded hours and 30 hours for families qualifying for extended funding. Top-up sessions and lunchtime care carry additional charges, with places subject to availability. Ask the School Office for current charges.
To enquire or arrange a visit, contact the office on 01472 483283 or office@scarthoinfants.co.uk. Nursery applications can be returned to the school, which contacts families in the term before their child is due to start.
Places are for children aged 3 and 4. The earliest start is the term after their third birthday.
Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am, and afternoon sessions from 12:30pm to 3:30pm.
Yes, subject to availability and an additional charge. Children staying at lunchtime must bring a packed lunch.
Class Dojo provides information about learning and direct contact with the class teacher. For concerns about additional needs, begin with the class teacher.
No. It gives no admissions priority and does not guarantee a place. Parents must apply separately through the local authority's normal primary admissions process.
