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Nursery at Blackhall 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Mud-kitchen maths and large-scale outdoor art give Blackhall’s youngest children practical ways to learn. The school’s preschool provision sits within Lower Foundation, alongside a separate Two Year Old room and main nursery room. Flexible funded provision for three-year-olds adds a useful practical dimension for families.
Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at its March 2023 inspection. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with activities adjusted to children’s abilities and pace. Here, that means developing independence and social skills alongside early learning. Children have short daily maths activities, then opportunities to explore the ideas through play. Counting has something tangible behind it: in March 2023, children were using objects to understand numbers.
The mud kitchen, spaces for construction, domestic role play and Forest School provide contexts for exploring measures, shapes and number. Creative areas extend indoors and outside. Children experiment with materials and colour, make work on different scales, and talk about what they have created. Making becomes a language activity too.
Design activities involve choosing tools, joining materials and testing ideas. Early years technology includes cameras, tablets and vehicles operated by remote control, used to support movement skills, number and conversation. These are practical encounters with how things work.
Beyond the classroom, early years trips take in local shops, the park and library. Books and role play help children explore differences between places, while time to ask questions connects those experiences to their own interests. A nursery go-kart project also involved parents and grandparents making vehicles with children before a race, bringing family skills into the learning.
In March 2023, early years children adjusted readily to school, enjoyed learning and built confidence in their relationships with adults. For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), nursery entry is planned with parents. Initial sessions can be shortened to help a child and family become comfortable. Where possible, smaller teaching groups are arranged.
Movement from the Two Year Old room into the main nursery room can include advance visits within the daily routine for children with SEND. Familiarity develops before the move. The school’s SEND approach also allows additional adult help, individual timetables and small-group interventions according to need.
Parents are asked to discuss identified needs before their child starts, allowing support to be planned. The school’s SEND arrangements include ongoing conversations with the class teacher or special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), plus termly support-plan reviews. The SENCO holds the National Award for SEN Coordination; staff training includes speech and language, sensory needs and Nurture principles.
Before entry, families provide dietary and allergy information, health requirements and emergency contacts. These details give staff essential information for a child’s care.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process. The route is Durham County Council School Admissions. For the September 2026 intake, the deadline was midnight on 15 January 2026; that application cycle is now past.
Classroom familiarity is a separate matter. The school’s Moving Up programme gives children time with their next teacher in their next classroom. For children needing additional transition support, arrangements can include earlier visits, photographs to discuss at home or a social story. Staff share information during the summer term, and individual arrangements are discussed with families.
Three-year-olds can access flexible funded provision of 15 hours; some children qualify for 30 hours. Paid places are also offered, with current session charges available through the school office. Discuss identified SEND needs before starting so arrangements can be planned.
For nursery enquiries and paid-place information, contact the office on 0191 5864049. Blackhall Primary School is on Middle Street in Blackhall Colliery, with postcode TS27 4NA.
No. A separate school-place application is required through Durham County Council School Admissions.
Flexible provision of 15 funded hours is available for all three-year-olds, with 30 hours for children who qualify.
Early years activities include maths in the mud kitchen, construction and Forest School, alongside creative work on different scales.
Nursery entry is planned with parents. Shorter initial sessions and smaller groups, where possible, can help children become familiar with the setting.
Contact the school office on 0191 5864049 for current session charges.
