Farsley Westroyd Primary School and Nursery: Nursery Review

A purpose-built Early Years site, separate from the main school, gives Westroyd’s nursery a distinct physical setting. Teaching is led by a class teacher, with learning support assistants forming part of the Early Years team. This is school nursery provision with its own space for the youngest children.

Children can join in the term following their third birthday, with entry points in April, September and January. Both 15-hour and 30-hour places are offered. For families, the practical distinction is between the nursery’s core day and the additional wraparound care that can extend it.

Music and language are concrete threads in the nursery’s work. The Early Years Play Leader leads nursery music and has experience supporting additional needs and speech development. Another learning support assistant has undertaken training focused on speech and language. These roles give parents specific aspects of the team’s work to discuss on a tour.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is explained in the parent guide linked from the nursery welcome page. It brings together children’s movement, communication and emotional development with early maths, literacy, creative expression and understanding their surroundings. Learning is broader than preparing to write letters or recognise numbers.

For art, Westroyd uses Kapow Art and Design, with Early Years learning linked to Development Matters and its Expressive Arts and Design statements. That places creative learning within the early childhood framework rather than treating it simply as a finished picture to take home.

Make a Mark, Make a Start, another resource shared with nursery parents, gives practical ideas for learning at home: water painting with brushes, drawing through mud with sticks and experimenting with dough. These are home suggestions, not a nursery timetable. They show families how early writing can begin with exploration and movement.

Preparation starts with an All About Me activity, which parents are asked to complete with their child before nursery begins. It covers favourite toys, food preferences, important people, dislikes and who will bring the child to school. That gives families a concrete way to introduce their child’s familiar world before the first session.

Speech and language experience sits alongside experience of working with children who have additional needs in the nursery support team. Parents can also contact the school’s SENCo through senco@westroyd.org, providing a direct route for discussing support.

In April 2025, Ofsted found that emotional understanding was supported effectively from the early years, alongside established routines that helped children follow instructions. For a child beginning group learning, those are useful foundations: recognising feelings and understanding what happens next.

Reception requires a separate application. Attending Westroyd’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply again through their home local authority’s normal admissions process and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year.

Leeds City Council is the school’s admission authority. The instructions for the September 2026 Reception cycle directed Leeds residents to www.leeds.gov.uk/apply; families living elsewhere were directed to their own council. Treat choosing nursery and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.

Nursery runs from 9am to 3pm. On school days, the school’s own wraparound provision extends the care window to 7.30am to 6pm, making the distinction between learning hours and additional childcare important when planning work and collection.

For nursery applications in the 2026–2027 academic year, the application form goes to nursery@westroyd.org. Tours can be booked through the office. General enquiries go to office@westroyd.org, and the Early Years telephone number is 0113 2574178.

Parking needs planning. Nearby spaces are mainly reserved for residents or permit holders, and parents must leave staff car parks and yellow zigzag markings clear. Allow time to park considerately and walk.