Southcoates Primary Academy Nursery

Caterpillars and Butterflies give Southcoates’ nursery its own identity: Caterpillars is for two-year-olds, while Butterflies takes children aged three and four. Both sit within Southcoates Primary Academy on Southcoates Lane, Hull. An Early Years phase lead forms part of the school’s leadership team, giving the provision a defined place in the academy’s organisation.

Language is a recurring thread in the children’s learning, from nursery rhymes to the first letter sounds. The nursery offers 15-hour and 30-hour places: both options for two-year-olds depend on eligibility, while eligibility applies to the 30-hour option for three- and four-year-olds.

Talking has a named place in the SPA Curriculum. Through Say it, children practise expressing ideas, asking questions and explaining their thinking. These strategies start in Early Years, so spoken language is part of learning across activities rather than confined to a single lesson.

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the progression of learning. In practical terms, skills are built step by step, with reading, writing and mathematics planned to connect new learning to what children already know. Early Years children also join the school’s shared themes, with teaching adapted to their age. Themes return on a two-year cycle, creating opportunities to revisit ideas.

Read Write Inc begins in Nursery with individual letter sounds. Songs, games and rhymes also develop children’s communication, while early-years challenges involve counting and reasoning. Ofsted’s March 2023 inspection identified these activities as supporting language development and the use of mathematical skills.

Power through it brings the Southcoates Values into nursery learning. A value is taught each week; on Fridays, a child from each class receives a certificate and a book from the book vending machine for demonstrating it. The child also takes the class mascot home for the weekend. This gives the values a concrete connection to children’s actions.

Support sits within an academy-wide structure. The school aims to include every pupil through a shared approach to special educational needs, with a SEND Coordinator/Inclusion Manager as a contact for families. Parents can direct special educational needs enquiries to the inclusion team through the school office.

My Child at School (MCAS) provides a messaging route between home and school, alongside updates and announcements. Login details come from the office. This gives families a practical way to keep in contact beyond a conversation at school.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Nursery attendance and Reception admission are separate decisions, so choosing a nursery place should not be treated as securing the next stage.

Morning nursery runs from 8.45am to 11.45am; the afternoon session is 12.30pm to 3.30pm. These are distinct session windows, useful for judging how nursery fits around the family’s day.

For nursery enquiries, call 01482 701407 or email admin@southcoates.hull.sch.uk. The office can send a Request a Nursery Place form; families can also complete that form and the Parent Declaration. Eligibility checks come before the nursery application.