Blackshaw Moor CofE First School Nursery

Learning to hear the beats in a word gives Blackshaw Moor’s nursery a concrete starting point: children have practised counting syllables by noticing the movement of their chin as they speak. It is a small, physical activity with a clear purpose, helping children pay attention to the sounds within spoken language.

This is the nursery provision belonging to Blackshaw Moor CofE First School on Buxton Road in Blackshaw Moor, Leek. The school’s intake begins at age three, and its religious character is Church of England. It belongs to The Talentum Learning Trust, placing the nursery within a school and a wider group of academies.

Early reading begins with listening to words. In December 2023, nursery children were learning to identify sounds, with some using the chin-movement activity to explore syllables. The example gives parents a useful picture of learning at this age: saying a word, noticing what happens and connecting speech with sound. The task makes an abstract idea something children can feel.

That distinction matters. Recognising sounds is a starting point for reading, rather than a demand that a child already reads books independently. Here, the evidenced nursery activity centres on spoken words and children’s attention to their component sounds.

Staff development sits within the trust’s approach to supporting its schools. Talentum encourages staff, whatever their experience, to undertake training and exchange expertise both within their school and with colleagues elsewhere. The trust aims for this professional development to strengthen teaching and provision. For families, this places staff learning alongside children’s learning as part of the organisation’s stated approach.

Inclusion also forms part of the trust’s stated objectives. These cover tackling unlawful discrimination and improving equality of opportunity between people with different protected characteristics. They establish the institutional aims surrounding the nursery, rather than a description of an individual child’s support arrangements.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the relevant deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for school entry as two distinct decisions.

Reception admission. A child’s nursery place is not a secured Reception place. Keep the separate application in your family’s plans, even when your child already attends Blackshaw Moor.

The school’s address is Buxton Road, Blackshaw Moor, Leek, ST13 8TW, and its telephone number is 01538300337. This gives families a direct school contact for nursery enquiries.

For autumn planning, the trust calendar places the October half-term break between 26 and 30 October 2026. A staff-only training day follows on 2 November, with children’s term restarting on 3 November. The distinction between the end of the holiday and the children’s return matters when arranging family childcare.