Fens Primary School Nursery

Balance bikes, story-led themes and an outdoor area used through the seasons give Fens Primary School’s nursery its character. This is the school’s own provision on Mowbray Road in Hartlepool, within its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Children attend for fifteen hours a week through three-hour sessions, making the nursery a part-day option for families.

The emphasis extends beyond early reading and number work. Communication, physical development and managing feelings sit alongside creative activities, helping children practise expressing themselves and learning with others.

Stories give learning a starting point. Traditional tales and popular children’s books shape themes, while staff adapt plans around children’s interests and what they observe during activities. The EYFS is the framework for this learning: it brings together language, movement and social development with literacy, mathematics, creativity and exploring the world. Development Matters helps guide planning.

Play takes place inside and outside. The outdoor area remains in use throughout the year except in the most difficult weather, giving children opportunities to test their movement skills and take manageable risks. Specialist instructors introduce yoga and balance bikes. Planned enrichment includes a farm visit, an Easter egg hunt and a Mini-beast ball, adding different experiences to the themed learning.

Early literacy has named tools. Across the early years, daily phonics follows the Twinkl Systematic Synthetic Phonics Programme, with sessions adjusted for different abilities; Letter Join supports handwriting and letter formation. Counting, exploring shapes and using materials for art or role-play provide other ways to investigate and communicate ideas.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that early-years activities effectively developed language and early mathematical understanding. Daily storytelling, songs and rhymes also supported children’s interest in reading. These findings concern the school’s early years collectively, rather than a separate nursery judgement.

Starting Nursery meetings and initial information sharing give families opportunities to introduce their child to staff. Stay and Play/Learn/Sing with Me sessions bring parents into the learning, while workshops, eSchools and termly consultations provide continuing contact. The early-years team also operates an open-door approach, so communication extends beyond scheduled meetings.

Support is adjusted when learning proves difficult. Parents are told about concerns early, kept informed about interventions and helped to work on learning targets at home. The school’s SEND process includes individual education plans and termly reviews, with parents contributing to the outcomes being discussed. Specialist agencies can be involved where additional help is needed.

All EYFS staff receive continuing professional development, alongside current training in safeguarding, preparing food and paediatric first aid. That training addresses practical care responsibilities as well as teaching. Staff also help children communicate their wishes and feelings, recognising that children express themselves in different ways.

Separate application. Attending Fens nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Nursery entry is managed by the school; Hartlepool Local Authority handles Reception admissions. Families must apply again through the normal primary-school application process by the deadline for their child’s entry year.

The nursery and Reception use the same EYFS framework, with planning that builds learning from children’s starting points. This provides curriculum continuity, but it must be kept separate from the allocation of school places.

Morning sessions run from 8.50am to 11.50am; afternoon sessions run from 12.25pm to 3.25pm. Each lasts three hours within the fifteen-hour weekly attendance pattern. Those finish times matter when arranging work and collection.

For nursery enquiries, telephone the school office on 01429 870405. The nursery teacher and Foundation Stage leader are the relevant teaching-team contacts, giving families a direct route into the provision.