Much Marcle CofE Primary School Nursery

A shared early years classroom shapes nursery life at Much Marcle: children aged 3 to 5 learn alongside Reception children, with a qualified teacher and a nursery team. The nursery sits within the grounds of the rural primary school. This is a school-based start, with older early years children already part of the daily learning group.

Children can join once they turn 3. Staffing includes a Nursery Lead and Nursery Assistant, alongside the teacher responsible for the early years class. We hold no published inspection grade for it.

The whole-day session runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm. Free play and ongoing access to learning activities give staff opportunities to observe children as they explore. Learning takes place both indoors and outdoors, and the nursery plans activities using different senses to accommodate differences in how children learn. The classroom is only part of the learning space.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework. Its seven areas bring together movement, communication and emotional development with early reading and writing, number work, creativity and discovering the world. For parents, that means the nursery's learning remit extends beyond letters and numbers to how children talk, move and relate to others.

Daily phonics sessions across early years use Read, Write Inc. This gives learning about sounds and letters a named programme alongside the broader EYFS activities. Staff also take photographs and write observations during play, building a picture of each child's development rather than relying solely on a single starting assessment.

An All About Me form gives parents a way to contribute when their child joins. Staff use it alongside an initial assessment to understand the child's starting point. That brings knowledge from home into the nursery's assessment process from the beginning.

Tapestry holds the child's online learning journey, with photographs and observations uploaded regularly. Parents are encouraged to add their own observations too, making communication about development a two-way process.

For concerns about special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the school's first contact is the class teacher. A meeting with the SEND coordinator can follow if needed. The school also supports families through Early Help, including difficulties involving relationships, behaviour or emotional health. These routes give parents a practical starting point for raising concerns.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process; the school directs primary applications to Herefordshire Council. Sharing a classroom is a learning arrangement, not a promise of admission.

The transition work is concrete. During the final weeks of the summer term, staff assess children for the move to Reception. The resulting information helps the Reception teacher understand each child's developmental stage. Learning alongside Reception children also makes that classroom group familiar before the move.

Whole-day places are the session model. The nursery recommends at least two sessions each week to help children become familiar with routines and build relationships with staff and other children.

Government Nursery Education Funding is accepted. The nursery describes 30 funded hours from the term after a child's third birthday, subject to eligibility criteria. Fees are due half-termly in advance, including when children are absent through illness, holidays or other reasons; missed attendance does not have to be replaced. Contact the school for current charges.

Nursery enquiries go to admin@muchmarcle.hereford.sch.uk or 01531660607. Personalised school viewings can be arranged at a mutually suitable time.