Fountain Primary School Nursery

Droplets, Fountain Primary School’s nursery class, combines daily phonics with group reading and a rhyme that families can share at home. Those are concrete threads running through early learning here. The provision belongs to the school on Fountain Street in Morley, Leeds, and children can start in the first full term following their third birthday.

The nursery has a teacher and support staff, within a school structure that includes an EYFS phase leader. We hold no published inspection grade for it.

Reading has a defined place in the day. Nursery children have daily phonics using Bug Club, with teaching moving from revisiting earlier learning to introducing something new, practising it and putting it to use. Group reading adds time to explore books together. The school plans its reading texts from nursery onwards, drawing on traditional stories, literature from different cultures and books that explore wellbeing. This gives families a clearer picture of the nursery’s language work than a general promise about preparing children for school.

Development Matters guides early learning and assessment. In practical terms, staff use observations and children’s work to understand their development; evidence goes into Tapestry, while O-Track holds assessment data. Learning is therefore considered through what children do and produce.

Across the school, classroom support includes visual timetables and displays using subdued colours and reduced contrast. These provide visual cues for routines and a less visually demanding background. At home, Seesaw carries the nursery’s class rhyme each week, giving parents a specific connection with classroom learning.

Support extends beyond the nursery staff. Fountain’s pastoral team works with families across the school, offering help with social skills, difficulties at home, bereavement and Early Help. Parents can call or email the school to begin a conversation with that team. This creates a route for discussing concerns that affect a child’s day as well as their learning.

For speech and language concerns, parents are directed to the pastoral team. The school buys support from Chatterbug Speech and Language Therapy, with a therapist attending for one full day each fortnight. That is a school service, rather than a promise of individual therapy for every nursery child.

Additional learning support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle. Parents contribute to planning, and support plans are reviewed at least termly. For early-years children receiving high-needs funding, reviews involve parents, staff and relevant professionals each term. The practical benefit is a recurring opportunity to discuss what support should change.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Fountain. Families must make a separate application, and Leeds City Council handles admission to September Reception classes. Choosing Droplets therefore leaves a further application to complete; it is not an automatic continuation into the school.

For children whose special educational needs are identified before they enter school, the SENDCo works with parents, their previous setting and involved agencies on a transition plan. That planning concerns the child’s support, separately from allocating a place.

The booking choices are structured blocks. The 15-hour option combines Monday and Tuesday full days with Wednesday morning, from 8.50am to 11.30am. Alternatively, children attend Wednesday afternoon, from 12.30pm to 3.20pm, followed by Thursday and Friday full days. Eligible families can take the 30-hour option across Monday to Friday full days. The choice determines which half of Wednesday forms part of the child’s routine.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 0113 8878235 or email info@fountainprimary.org. The school aims to admit nursery children in January, April and September.