Siddal Primary School Nursery Review

Woodland, a tyre park and learning shaped around children’s interests give Siddal’s nursery its character. This is the nursery provision within Siddal Primary School on Backhold Lane in Halifax, with outdoor exploration built into its early years approach.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 20 and 21 September 2023. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play and enquiry drive the learning. Across early years, activities combine children’s own choices with work guided by adults, while staff use individual interests and assessed needs to decide what comes next. Open-ended materials encourage children to explore rather than follow a single prescribed outcome. The early years foundation stage curriculum covers seven learning areas, giving play a planned educational purpose.

The learning begins with familiar subjects: children themselves, their families and the places they live. Communication receives clear attention. In September 2023, the early years curriculum gave language development a central role, with repeated stories and nursery rhymes helping children build vocabulary and recognise patterns in language. New staff also had structured support to learn the curriculum and understand young children’s learning.

Classrooms connect to outdoor learning through free-flow access. Early years children use the woodland and tyre park in afternoon sessions, giving exploration a physical dimension. Indoors, they visit the ICT suite with their teacher to begin using technology. Two PE sessions each week include large apparatus in the hall; some taught sessions involve a qualified sports coach.

Curriculum precision. In September 2023, some foundation subjects across the school needed clearer definitions of intended knowledge and vocabulary. The curriculum extended from Nursery onwards, making the distinction between an enjoyable activity and its learning purpose relevant here too.

Class Dojo is the main route for updates about early years children’s learning and progress. Activities involving parents and carers also bring families into school life, creating opportunities to take part rather than simply receive updates.

SEND support combines assessment, planning, action and review. At school level, teachers and the SENCO consider parents’ views alongside children’s development when deciding on support. Families of children on the SEND register are invited to termly provision reviews. Visual timetables, extra processing time and vocabulary introduced ahead of teaching are among the school’s adaptations, helping children access learning in different ways.

The Rainbow Room provides a dedicated school space for pastoral work and nurture sessions. Physical access includes a lift between floors and ramps to the main outdoor areas. These are school facilities, rather than nursery-only provision.

Safeguarding oversight. In September 2023, safeguarding was effective across the school, but recording the response to incidents and analysing recurring patterns needed greater consistency. This concern matters alongside the positive finding because oversight helps staff identify where procedures or training need attention.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Reception process, using Calderdale Council’s online application route and meeting the normal deadline. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions.

For children with SEND moving between education phases, the school agrees with families which information to share and adjusts transition support to individual needs. That support is separate from the allocation of places.

Early years enquiries can be sent through the school’s message form. School visits can also be booked through the office, with tours offered throughout the year. Contact admin@siddal.polarismat.org.uk or telephone 01422 354976.

Collection has a clear authorisation process. Foundation Stage children must leave with an adult known to the school, and families should notify staff when someone different will collect. Parents complete an authorised-collector form each year; if another adult asks to take a child, staff contact parents before release. Keep emergency contact details up to date so staff can reach the family if a child becomes unwell.