Wansbeck Primary School Nursery

Play dough, construction and a book corner give Wansbeck’s nursery day its character: children have things to make, stories to explore and opportunities to choose their own activity. The nursery belongs to Wansbeck Primary School on Wenning Grove, in Hull’s Longhill Estate, and forms part of its Foundation Stage provision.

The school aims to develop emotional and social skills alongside academic learning through play. That gives families a useful picture of the approach: learning involves relationships and practical exploration as well as direct teaching.

Adult-guided activities sit alongside play that children initiate themselves. The Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS, brings together language, physical development and managing feelings with early literacy, maths, creative work and understanding the world. In parent terms, talking, making and playing are part of the learning.

Across Foundation Stage, children separate into two classes for direct teaching, then come together for activities in the shared provision. Teaching includes maths and literacy, with phonics using Little Wandle. Music, physical education, religious education and topic work also feature. The shared activity time lets children practise skills more independently.

The book corner includes poetry, factual books and books made by the class, alongside fiction. Counting books also appear in the maths area, connecting reading with practical number work. Writing materials are accessible across the activity areas, so children can make marks as part of their play rather than only during a writing task.

Construction and small-world resources give children reasons to talk, invent and solve problems together. Water, sand and play dough support hands-on investigation; topic-related role play introduces familiar situations. Outside, the learning area extends the classroom, with access throughout provision time. Children can choose to continue their exploration outdoors.

In January 2025, Ofsted found that children in the early years were learning to cooperate in play. Early writing. The same inspection identified a school-wide need to give letter formation and transcription greater attention before more demanding writing. For families, the relevant concern is how basic writing skills are established alongside creative mark-making.

Foundation Stage has teaching and support staff. Learning is shared with families through Seesaw, and parents can contribute activities from home too. This creates a practical link between what a child does in the setting and what interests them beyond it.

Staff use observations, conversations and children’s work to plan subsequent learning, drawing on Development Matters. Parents are involved in discussing those next steps, so communication concerns development as well as the day’s activities.

For concerns about additional needs, the class teacher is the first contact, with the SEND coordinator involved where appropriate. School support includes language enrichment, speech and language programmes, and work on movement skills. These are school support options tailored to individual needs. They are not a fixed package for every nursery child.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process, administered by Hull City Council. Treat that application as a distinct step when planning the move into school.

For children who need extra help with a change of class or setting, transition arrangements can include photographs in a transition book, brief classroom visits and meeting new staff in familiar surroundings. These preparations help make the change more understandable; they are separate from the allocation of a school place.

Foundation 1 sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am in the morning and from 12:15pm to 3:15pm in the afternoon. These are three-hour sessions, so collection needs to fit the chosen part of the day. Foundation 1 collection is at the Foundation side gate, and children must be collected by a parent or carer.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 01482 814171. The office also arranges appointments with staff, giving families a direct route to discuss joining the provision.