Hollingworth Primary School Nursery Review

A garden for Early Years play and topics that move from family life to jungle animals give Hollingworth’s nursery its character. Children aged 3-4 attend nursery within Hollingworth Primary School on Market Street, in Hollingworth, Hyde. The school has seven classes alongside its nursery, placing this early stage within a primary school setting.

The practical choice is between mornings and a longer nursery week. A 15-hour morning pattern sits alongside 30-hour provision, with a shorter Friday and a paid option to extend that afternoon. That Friday finish matters when arranging collection around work.

Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), supported by Development Matters. Here, that means adults use guidance about children’s development to shape their learning, with practical, structured activities forming the foundation-stage approach. The emphasis is on doing and exploring.

Marvellous me centres on emotions, friends and families. Down in the jungle introduces animals through books including Dear zoo and Walking through the jungle, while Travel and transport brings traffic and road safety into learning. These topics connect familiar experiences with new ideas and give families specific subjects to talk about at home.

Creative materials include resources for printing and painting, alongside drawing and craft. Early Years children can choose materials, experiment and develop their own ideas with adult support. Outdoors, a garden serves as the Early Years play area. Daily physical activity takes place within the teaching unit and outdoor provision, giving movement a place alongside quieter creative work.

The Early Years team includes a nursery teacher, teaching assistants and a midday supervisor. For children staying into the afternoon, lunch can be a meal provided by school or a packed lunch from home. A daily snack charge applies to nursery children attending more than 15 hours a week who also stay for afternoon sessions. Families should contact the school for current charges. Fruit is provided for EYFS children, and packed lunches should exclude sweets and use food and drink containers children can open independently.

Concerns about development or additional needs go first to the class teacher, with the special educational needs co-ordinator also available by appointment through the office. The school’s support arrangements include adapting learning to individual needs and, where necessary, seeking advice from Speech and Language Therapy or an Educational Psychologist with parental support and consent. Where a medical care plan is needed, staff work with the family to devise it.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year. Applications go online to Tameside Council.

For the 2026 Reception admissions cycle, applications opened on 1st November 2025 and closed on 15th January 2026. Those dates are past. The nursery decision and the Reception application therefore need to be treated as separate steps.

Morning sessions run from 8:50am to 11:50am. The longer pattern runs from 8:50am to 3:20pm Monday to Thursday, with Friday ending at 1:10pm. A paid Friday extension takes the finish to 3:20pm.

Nursery application forms can be obtained from the school office or downloaded. Enquiries go to the office on 01457 761588 or to hollingworth@prestoleetrust.org. The school uniform combines a red polo shirt with a royal blue cardigan or sweatshirt and grey trousers or a skirt; footwear is comfortable, flat and black. Collection requires a designated adult, with the class teacher informed, so families should arrange that responsibility clearly.