Westwood Primary School Nursery

Squiggle Movements, Poetry Basket and Dough Disco give Acorn Nursery its own identity within Westwood Primary School. This is the school's nursery provision at Bodmin Garth in Leeds, with places allocated according to availability from the term following a child's third birthday. The starting point is early learning, with reading preparation and familiar routines forming part of the experience.

Acorn's curriculum brings together named activities including Poetry Basket, Dough Disco and Squiggle Movements, alongside class songs and learning organised across the terms. These give parents specific parts of nursery life to discuss with their child, rather than just a broad curriculum label.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum includes physical development alongside early mathematics, writing and reading. For parents, that means the learning focus extends beyond preparation for reading to movement and other early skills. In December 2023, Ofsted found that nursery children were gaining the foundations needed for learning to read, and that early-years routines became established quickly. Familiar routines help young children adjust to the setting.

Getting used to nursery life has a practical foundation: the December 2023 findings linked the prompt establishment of early-years routines with an easier transition for the youngest children. That matters for children learning how their new setting works.

Acorn's class pages include newsletters and parental involvement alongside class learning and songs. These provide parents with routes into the nursery's learning life and a starting point for conversations about what their child is doing.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal local-authority process and meet the deadline for their child's entry year. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for school as two separate decisions.

Leeds City Council is the school's admissions authority. Families apply through their home local authority; for Leeds residents, the route is www.leeds.gov.uk/apply. For the September 2026 intake, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is now past, so its dates should not be used to plan a later application.

The nursery application goes to the school, while the Reception application goes through the local authority. Being on the nursery waiting list therefore does not replace the later school application.

The timetable for September 2025 to July 2026 used two split-week patterns and a full-time option. In the first pattern, Monday and Tuesday ran from 9:00am to 3:10pm, followed by Wednesday from 9:00am to 11:45am. The second pattern began on Wednesday at 12:30pm and finished at 3:10pm, with Thursday and Friday running from 9:00am to 3:10pm. Full-time attendance covered Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 3:10pm. These are the arrangements for that past timetable period.

To enquire about a nursery place, use the school office. Nursery applications can be completed online or through a form at the office, after which the child joins the waiting list. Families who have recently moved into the area can contact the office about places. Allocation depends on availability, so an application is a request for a place rather than confirmation of one.