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Nursery at Co-op Academy Smithies Moor
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Getting to know each child's interests shapes the early years approach at Smithies Moor. Staff observe how children learn and what catches their attention, then use that understanding to plan learning. The intention is personal: the school aims to develop children's curiosity alongside their social, physical and emotional development.
Nursery sits within the academy's Foundation Stage, alongside Reception. Entry starts from the term following a child's third birthday. The 2025-26 arrangements described provision for up to 26 children, with part-time sessions and a full-time option dependent on demand. That is a nursery figure, not the academy's overall capacity.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the curriculum framework. Here, the school's aims extend beyond learning facts: children should develop socially and emotionally as well as physically and intellectually. Observations of individual interests inform planning, giving staff a starting point for choosing experiences that engage each child.
Role play has a specific purpose in the early years careers activity, Job roles and gender. Children explore work through pretend play, with the aim of showing that any job can be open to anyone. It brings an everyday subject into learning and challenges assumptions early.
Teaching needs scrutiny, too. Ofsted judged early years provision Requires improvement at the inspection of 23 to 25 April 2024. At that point, classroom activities did not sufficiently connect new learning with children's existing knowledge; familiar stories, songs, rhymes and routines were used inconsistently, and staff did not routinely apply the trust's early years teaching approach. Inspectors also required activities to be adapted to children's different starting points. For parents, the useful question is how activities now match their child's needs and help them practise and remember earlier learning.
In April 2024, children in early years were happy and receiving good care. Support for communication needed attention: systems introduced in early years to address delays in speech and language help were only beginning to operate. Families whose children need that support should discuss how intervention will start and how progress will be reviewed.
Settling was gradual under the 2025-26 entry arrangements. Two nursery team members would visit the family at home, followed by an invitation to visit Foundation Stage with the child and a parents' meeting. A parent or familiar adult could stay while the child became comfortable, usually for a day or two, sometimes longer. Familiar company was part of the process.
Across the academy, SEND support involves parents in planning and reviewing targets. Pupil Passports record individual support, while termly meetings give families a chance to review it. The SEND co-ordinator works with teachers and outside agencies, providing a route for discussing needs beyond the nursery classroom.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. The 2025-26 arrangements explicitly gave nursery children no higher admission priority, and required a separate Reception application. Families apply through Kirklees Council by 15 January. Treat that application as a separate task, even when a child already attends nursery.
For children with additional needs, transition support can include extra visits, meetings with staff at the next setting and transfer of information. These arrangements support adjustment; they do not confer an admission advantage.
The academy provides 15 hours of free nursery education each week. Its 2025-26 offer included morning and afternoon sessions, plus a full-time, 30-hour weekly option dependent on demand. The distinction matters when comparing a shorter nursery session with the childcare a family needs.
Visits around the academy can be arranged on request. For enquiries, contact the office on 01924 326708 or email smit-office@coopacademies.co.uk. A visit provides an opportunity to discuss a child's start and meet the provision before deciding.
A nursery place can start from the term after your child's third birthday.
The academy provides 15 hours each week. The 2025-26 arrangements also included a 30-hour weekly option dependent on demand.
No. The 2025-26 arrangements gave nursery children neither a guaranteed place nor higher priority. A separate application through Kirklees Council is required by 15 January.
The 2025-26 arrangements included a home visit by two nursery team members, a child-and-parent visit and a parents' meeting. A familiar adult could stay while the child settled, usually for a day or two, or longer if needed.
Early years provision was judged Requires improvement at the inspection of 23 to 25 April 2024. This is an early years judgement within the school's inspection, not a separate nursery inspection.
