Bramley Park Academy Nursery Review

Dough Disco, a daily book vote and a bug hotel give Bramley Park Academy’s nursery a distinctive mix of movement, stories and outdoor discovery. This is the school’s own nursery on Fairfield Hill in Bramley, Leeds. It has a nursery classroom within the early years setting, with an outdoor area shared with Reception and used throughout the year.

Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 1 and 2 March 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery. In March 2023, children were learning independently and with confidence, and the environment gave them opportunities to practise writing in different activities. Early years outcomes had also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with leaders working to reduce its impact.

A session begins with children choosing a story by voting, then recognising their names and registering themselves. Dough Disco follows: squeezing and rolling dough to music gives small fingers practice for holding a pencil. Children then gather in key worker groups for circle time linked to the week’s topic. Movement and mark-making come next, using chalk, paint or crayons to explore shapes and lines.

Play takes up the next part of the session. Indoors, children can investigate, invent roles, make art or explore sand and water. Outside, balancing beams offer physical challenges, while den building encourages children to work things out together. Waterproof clothing and wellies are provided for outdoor play in different weather. Each child has a weekly Forest School opportunity with a trained practitioner in the nursery’s natural play space. Trees, vegetables and flowers need tending; the bug hotel provides small creatures to observe.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, physical development and social development with early literacy, maths, creative work and discovering the world. Planning uses Development Matters and Birth to Five objectives, combining activities led by adults with play children choose themselves. Supersonic Phonic Friends begins with recognising sounds in rhymes, songs and the surrounding environment, before children practise joining and separating spoken sounds. Making Maths Magic uses number hunts, dances and songs to explore counting, patterns and shapes. A story and Tiny Tweets, with singing and signing, close the session. The afternoon follows the same sequence with changing activities, giving children attending different sessions comparable experiences.

A nursery teacher and nursery officer form the named nursery roles, while key worker groups give children a smaller circle for shared activities. Before children start, early years leaders visit them at home or in their existing setting. Parents can join stay and play activities and workshops, and share their child’s learning through learning journeys. These arrangements give families ways to build relationships with staff and understand the nursery routine.

For children with communication difficulties, early years staff have received training in visual support strategies. Nursery pupils with emerging or low-level special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can receive early intervention through SENDIF funding, subject to Leeds City Council’s criteria. Families can raise concerns with the class teacher or SENDCO; support may involve assessment, classroom adjustments or Speech and Language Therapy. The school also has wheelchair access, a care suite and a lift between floors.

Nursery attendance neither guarantees a Reception place nor gives admission priority. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. For the 2026 entry cycle, the closing date was 15 January 2026; families applying for a later intake should follow the deadline for that cycle. A sibling attending only the nursery does not count towards sibling priority.

The shared outdoor area provides continuity between nursery and Reception. For children with SEND moving from nursery to Reception, a meeting between the sending and receiving settings helps organise the support needed. Familiarity and preparation are useful, but the Reception application remains a separate step.

Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from noon to 3pm. Attendance options also include 2.5 days and 30 hours of full-time education. The morning and afternoon timetable repeats, so session choice need not mean missing an entire type of activity.

To request a nursery place, complete the Nursery Place Request Form; the office team then makes contact. Other early years enquiries go to eyfs@bramleyparkacademy.co.uk. Families considering a place can arrange a look around through the school office on 0113 256 4888.