All Souls Church of England Primary School Nursery Review

Forest School, French through songs and a first grounding in letter sounds give the youngest children at All Souls a distinctive start. This is the nursery class within All Souls Church of England Primary School on Rye Street in Heywood, with learning planned as part of the school's early years provision.

Ofsted judged early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 5 and 6 December 2023. That judgement covers the school's early years phase rather than a separately inspected nursery. The nursery's character comes through in its combination of purposeful play, planned teaching and attention to the habits children need for learning.

Play has a clear purpose here. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) approach gives children opportunities to investigate, persevere when something is difficult and work out their own solutions. For parents, that means learning involves trying things and developing ideas, alongside adult teaching. Staff connect new learning to what children already understand and use assessments to shape subsequent activities.

Reading begins with sounds and shared books. Read Write Inc. is the phonics programme, and the nursery's June expectation is knowledge of the first 16 single-letter sounds in Set 1. This is a curriculum milestone, rather than a promise about an individual child's progress. In December 2023, early years children also took favourite books home to share with their families, making reading something home and nursery could enjoy together.

French enters early years through role-play, rhymes and songs. Dinosaur School focuses on friendships, while Forest School develops cooperation, language and problem solving. An outdoor classroom hosts weekly Forest School sessions; nursery examples include Nursery Snake, Nursery Jungle and Coloured Leaves. Outdoor learning therefore has both a physical setting and a place in the learning programme.

Settling is supported by trained staff. In December 2023, children in early years settled promptly, with adults helping them practise concentration and cooperation. These are practical foundations for joining activities and learning alongside other children. Early years children also showed considerate behaviour towards one another at that inspection.

Friendships receive deliberate attention through Dinosaur School, rather than being left entirely to chance. The EYFS approach also places importance on secure relationships and developing independence, giving personal development a place alongside early reading and other learning.

For families seeking SEND information, the school provides routes to Rochdale SENDIASS, the Rochdale Local Offer and the Rochdale Inclusion Toolkit. These give parents named starting points for understanding local advice and support.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. All Souls directs primary applicants to Rochdale Council's RMBC School Admission service, while nursery applications go through a school form. Treat the two applications as separate decisions.

Preparation for starting school is also a home partnership. The Starting Reception resource groups suggested skills around communication and relationships, independence, healthy routines and physical development. It gives families practical areas to work on with their child; it does not confer an admissions advantage.

Nursery opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm. Use those times when planning the school run. Nursery applications are made using the downloadable form on the admissions page, with paper copies of website documents obtainable through the office.

Additional nursery hours carry an hourly charge from September 2026; contact the school for current charges. For enquiries, call 01706 360027 or email office@allsoulsce.rochdale.sch.uk. The school is on Rye Street, Heywood, OL10 4DF.