Gledhow Primary School Nursery Review

A pre-school within the school grounds, with Gledowls extending care beyond nursery hours: Gledhow’s provision brings early learning and practical childcare together. It caters for children aged three and over, with capacity for 39 full-time places. Families can take a 15-hour or 30-hour place, giving them two different amounts of nursery time to consider.

The setting is part of Gledhow Primary School on Lidgett Lane in Leeds. Its position within the grounds puts the nursery on the school site, while the separate nursery enquiry process gives families a direct route to discuss a pre-school place.

Conversation gives the early-years day its character. At the December 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that exchanges between staff and children during play supported learning, with adults using discussion and questions to assess understanding. For a parent, the useful distinction is that play includes active teaching: adults engage with what children are doing and explore what they understand.

Learning takes place both outdoors and inside, with activities centred on speech and language development. That gives communication a role across different learning spaces, rather than restricting it to a seated teaching activity. The school grounds also provide the physical setting for the pre-school.

Across the school’s early years, structured teaching is followed by opportunities to use the learning in activities. Children practise forming letters, writing words and recording numbers. These are concrete examples of how play and more directed learning connect: children have opportunities to try the skills they have been taught.

Adult attention during play is the clearest evidenced feature of early-years support. Staff check understanding through conversation, which allows them to respond to children’s thinking as an activity unfolds. This makes interaction part of the learning itself.

For families considering the nursery, a visit offers a chance to discuss the provision with the school and view its facilities. Visits can be arranged through the pre-school contact route.

A separate application matters. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply again through their home local authority’s normal admissions process and meet its deadline; Leeds residents use www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. Choosing a nursery place and applying for Reception are separate decisions.

Leeds City Council is the school’s admission authority and sets its admission policy each year. Families considering the September 2027 intake should follow the council’s admissions timetable for that cycle. Nursery hours and Gledowls care should therefore be assessed on their usefulness now, independently of the later Reception application.

The nursery offers places of 15 or 30 hours, alongside breakfast and after-school care through Gledowls. For families needing care around the nursery day, that additional provision is a practical part of the choice.

Start with the nursery enquiry form. The admissions team then contacts families, adds them to the waiting list and explains the nursery policy and formal application process. An enquiry starts that sequence; it is not an offer of a place.

To arrange a nursery visit or discuss a place, call 0113 293 0392 or email Preschool@gledhowschool.org. The nursery is on the Gledhow Primary School site at Lidgett Lane, Leeds, LS8 1PL.