Humberstone Infant Academy Nursery

Stories, songs and living things give Humberstone’s nursery its character. Rhyme Time lessons develop listening and language, while a summer study links The Very Hungry Caterpillar with observing a butterfly’s life cycle. Children have something concrete to talk about, as well as words to practise.

Known as F1, this is Humberstone Infant Academy’s own nursery in Humberstone, Leicester. Children join in the autumn following their third birthday, subject to an application and an available place. That annual starting point matters when planning the move into nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines activities children choose with learning led by adults. In everyday terms, play sits alongside teaching about language, number and the world around them. Indoor and outdoor provision supports both approaches, giving children opportunities to explore ideas through activity.

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised provides the nursery’s Foundations for Phonics approach. Children practise joining spoken sounds into words each day, alongside stories and rhymes that develop language. The emphasis is on listening and speech. Rhyme Time adds familiar nursery rhymes and new songs, giving children repeated opportunities to hear and use sounds.

Summer learning makes those connections tangible. The Very Hungry Caterpillar prompts discussion of illustrations and predictions about the story; observing butterflies connects the book with changes in living things. Maths lessons and play introduce weight and capacity, with children learning to distinguish light from heavy and empty from full. These are ideas they can test through practical activity.

Movement has specific equipment behind it: trikes and scooters support balancing, while balls and beanbags introduce catching and throwing. Scissor work and drawing develop control of smaller movements. Creative activity includes exploring instruments and their sounds, plus making art with pebbles, flowers, sand, rocks and leaves. Children can experiment with what materials do as well as how they look.

Circle time and play give children practice in recognising emotions. Summer learning introduces words for feeling worried, angry, sad or happy and considers how actions affect somebody else. Healthy eating and toothbrushing also form part of this learning, connecting personal care with everyday choices.

Tapestry lets parents follow their child’s learning journey, with staff helping families who have trouble accessing their account. For additional needs, the school considers each child individually when selecting support. Parents can contact the SEND coordinator at send@humberstoneacademy.co.uk to discuss that support.

A separate application matters. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place or confer priority under the school’s oversubscription criteria. Families must apply again through Leicester City Council and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year.

For the autumn 2026 entry cycle, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That date is past. Nursery attendance should therefore be treated as a choice about the nursery experience, with the later school application handled separately.

Nursery applications go through the school office. Applicants join a waiting list, and families receive the outcome in the summer before the intended start. An offered place must be accepted directly with the school by the date in the offer letter.

The office can be reached on 0116 276 7648 or at office@humberstoneinfantacademy.co.uk. The nursery is part of the academy on Main Street, Humberstone, LE5 1AE.