Marlbrook Primary School Nursery Review

Teacher-led learning and play shaped around children's interests give Marlbrook's nursery its character. This is nursery provision within Marlbrook Primary School in Redhill, Hereford, for children aged 3 or 4. It belongs to Fern Academy Trust. For 2025/26, the nursery's maximum intake was 52 children: a nursery figure, distinct from the capacity of the wider school.

An early years lead oversees the phase, with nursery teachers and nursery assistants forming the teaching team. The practical attraction is a school nursery whose learning begins with what children do and notice in play.

Play provides the starting point for planning. Staff observe children, then choose their next learning steps around individual needs and interests. That gives children's choices a role in what follows, rather than treating play as a break from learning.

The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the framework for children's early learning and development. Marlbrook describes this phase as the foundation for later learning. Work on phonics begins in nursery, bringing early attention to sounds alongside the play-based approach.

Music and drama take practical forms in the early years: repeating nursery rhymes, using instruments and playing in role-play areas. Children also explore sound effects with toys and listen to music. These are concrete ways to experiment with sound and expression before more formal subject teaching.

Reading corners are a feature of the classrooms, with books changed to reflect children's interests. Across the wider school grounds there is a bike track, a large field and a Forest School area. These describe the school setting around the nursery; they should not be read as a promise of a particular nursery outdoor timetable.

Settling begins before the first session. Prospective nursery children receive home visits, and parents can arrange to meet staff and view the school. This creates an opportunity to discuss the child before nursery starts. Nursery staff have paediatric first aid training.

Registration gathers allergies, dietary needs, emergency contacts and parental permissions. Those details give staff practical information for caring for each child. The wider school has its own kitchen, with Dolce preparing meals; this is separate from any entitlement to a nursery meal.

For additional needs, families can speak with the SENCo through the school office. Support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle, with parents involved in decisions. The school also has an in-house speech and language team. Individual education plans record targets and interventions, giving families specific points to discuss as support develops.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and it confers no nursery attendance priority under the Trust's admission criteria. Families must make a separate application through Herefordshire's coordinated online process. For entry in September 2027, the deadline is 15 January 2027.

Transition support is a separate matter. Children starting Reception are offered summer taster sessions and a home visit involving the class teacher and student support team. Familiarisation helps prepare children for the change; it does not affect allocation of places.

Contact the school office on 01432 266643 or email admin@marlbrook.hereford.sch.uk for nursery enquiries. Parents complete a registration form before their child attends.

Wraparound care. Nursery children cannot use Marlbrook's Extended School provision because of insurance restrictions. Families needing care beyond their nursery sessions must factor that exclusion into their childcare plans.

Place allocation. Availability depends on the child's age, staffing ratios and the nursery's ability to meet welfare needs. A request for a full-time place may receive preference over a part-time request, so the attendance pattern can matter when places are allocated.