Morland Church of England Primary School Nursery

Goldfinch gives Morland’s nursery its own identity within a Church of England primary school on Morland Road in Ipswich. Morning and afternoon sessions shape the provision, making the half-day pattern a practical starting point for families considering how nursery will fit their week.

At the inspection on 14 and 15 September 2022, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good. The nursery then had around 50 children: a historical attendance figure, rather than a measure of current places.

Early language has a concrete starting point here: children learn to distinguish sounds. In September 2022, this was a specific feature of nursery learning, giving children practice in listening before the later demands of reading. Goldfinch’s learning strands include Phonics, Talk For Writing, Book Of The Week and Rhyme Of The Week. Stories, sounds and rhymes give families recognisable ways to connect with nursery learning.

Religious education begins in nursery through the Emmanuel Project. Christianity is its main focus, alongside exploration of other faiths and Humanism. This makes the school’s Church of England character part of learning, while also introducing children to beliefs beyond Christianity.

Across Morland, planning takes children’s interests into account. The school also uses Thrive principles to help children understand feelings and develop compassion. For nursery families, these are useful points of connection between early learning and the wider school’s approach to relationships.

A nursery class teacher and nursery teaching assistants form the teaching team. Within the wider school, specialist roles include a Speech and Language Leader, a SENCO and a Pupil and Pastoral Lead. Families can contact the SENCO through the school office to discuss additional needs.

For children with SEND, teaching is adapted to individual needs. Support can include work with an adult individually or in a small group. A One Page Profile brings together the child’s needs and ways to help, with contributions from parents, children and staff. Some children also have a Support Plan containing short-term targets. Termly parent meetings discuss these documents, giving families a regular opportunity to review support.

Speech and language training is provided for a number of staff across the school. Medical training is arranged when staff need it to support a child’s care plan, and external agencies train teachers and teaching assistants according to individual children’s needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process; Suffolk’s online admissions route is the route to use. Treat choosing Goldfinch and applying for Reception as separate decisions, so nursery attendance does not become an assumption about a later place.

Morning Nursery runs from 08:45 to 11:45, Monday to Friday. Afternoon Nursery runs from 12:25 to 15:25 on the same days. These distinct session times matter when arranging work and collection around a half-day place.

For a discussion about additional needs, contact the SENCO through the school office.