Lower Wortley Primary School Nursery

A talking table indoors and a mud kitchen outside give Lower Wortley’s nursery its character: conversation, practical exploration and room for children to make choices. This is the school’s own term-time provision for three- and four-year-olds on Lower Wortley Road in Leeds. Children can choose their play area and how long they spend there, alongside activities guided by adults.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at its inspection on 24 and 25 September 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play has a clear learning purpose here. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) gives initial emphasis to talking and listening, physical development, and children’s social and emotional skills. Reading, early maths, creativity and understanding the world develop alongside these foundations. Adults adapt activities to children’s needs and interests.

The classroom includes construction, water and sand provision, with a talking table and spaces for making marks and creating things. Labels combine pictures with words, helping children select resources independently. Outdoor access is daily: children join activities supported by staff or explore equipment themselves. The mud kitchen adds another setting for imaginative play.

Adult-guided topic activities run in both session patterns. Nursery planning alternates between Cycle A and Cycle B, giving children who stay beyond one academic year different experiences. Talk for Writing brings spoken language into early writing, while Floppy’s Phonics supports phonics learning. In September 2024, the early years curriculum had a clear structure, with tasks developing language and wider knowledge; children also practised sounds beyond formal phonics teaching.

The Summer 2026 plan illustrates how this works. Children discussed a daily question over snacks, shared news and used puppets and pretend telephone conversations. A movement room supported physical activity, while Funky Fingers focused on hand control. Outdoor work included balancing with beams and stilts. These activities connect language, coordination and play rather than treating them as separate parts of the day.

Starting nursery includes a home visit arranged with the family before the child begins. This creates an opportunity for contact with staff before nursery attendance starts. The team includes a teacher, nursery nurses and learning support, with four staff members working at different points in the day rather than necessarily all together. Lunchtime supervision is also part of the staffing arrangements.

Parents can raise worries directly with nursery staff. SCHOOP carries communications and topic information; the Summer 2026 plan also included a weekly talk ticket, giving families a question to discuss at home and children something to share back in nursery. Milk and snack monitor roles gave children small responsibilities within familiar routines.

For children with substantial SEND, the early years curriculum can be adapted around individual developmental needs and next steps. The school’s SENDCo works alongside teaching and support staff, and families can request additional meetings. This provides a route for discussing support as needs emerge.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. Leeds residents use the council’s application route at www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. For the September 2026 intake, the deadline was 15 January 2026; that application cycle is past.

Learning coordination is a separate matter from admission. The Lower School Strategic Leader supports nursery staff and coordinates learning with Reception colleagues, providing continuity in planning. Families should still treat the Reception application as a distinct process.

Morning sessions run from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoons run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. The 15-hour pattern can also be taken over two and a half days. Families may express a preference for mornings, afternoons or either end of the week, but their preferred pattern is not guaranteed. Children are expected to attend every session allocated to them.

A limited number of funded 30-hour places are offered. When enquiring, parents seeking these places must provide their National Insurance Number and Eligibility Voucher Code. For children on 30-hour places with no charge, the afternoon finishes at 2:45pm; the final nursery finish is 3:30pm. These different collection times matter when planning the working day.

Nursery enquiries go directly to the school on 0113 3230152. The provision operates during term time, so families need to plan holiday care separately.