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Nursery at Kestrel Mead Primary Academy
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Play that children can return to and reshape gives Kestrel Mead’s nursery its character. Familiar resources form the starting point, with teachers adding activities around children’s interests and development. The emphasis is on exploring, trying again and making choices.
This is the academy’s Foundation One provision for children aged three and four, based in the Infant Building on Maidenwell Avenue, Hamilton. Planned nursery capacity is 26 places, including designated places for children with special educational needs. Nursery shares the infant site with the younger school classes, rather than occupying the academy’s separate junior site.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects learning through language, movement, relationships, early reading and number, creativity and exploring the world. Here, continuous provision means children revisit familiar materials and find different uses for them. Teachers also plan additions indoors and outdoors each week, responding to what interests children and what they are ready to learn next. That gives exploration a deliberate teaching purpose.
Creative work includes clay and playdough, with workshop and painting areas giving children materials to shape and experiment with. JIGSAW sessions address personal and social development. Learning to take turns and manage feelings sits alongside developing knowledge, rather than being treated as a separate concern.
A nursery outdoor learning area links with The Nest, the school’s specialist provision. This connection allows children from The Nest to join mainstream nursery outdoor learning when they can access it; it does not make the specialist provision’s facilities a general nursery offer.
In April 2024, Ofsted found purposeful early-years learning, including making flower bouquets, and adults who adjusted their help to children’s needs. Children played and learned cooperatively while developing independence and emotional control. These findings concern early years across the school, rather than a separate nursery judgement.
September starters join in stages over the first two to three weeks of term. Staff may arrange a home visit towards the end of the summer term or at the start of autumn. This gives families a possible opportunity to discuss their child before nursery routines begin.
For children with SEND, entry planning involves the Early Years Support Team, with the nursery teacher and SENDCo attending a review before the child starts. Support therefore begins with a discussion of individual needs. The infant site is on one level, with broad corridors and accessible toilets, practical features for families considering physical access.
Class Dojo carries most school communication with parents and examples of children’s work. Food precautions include a school-wide ban on nuts, and children under five are entitled to daily free milk.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority under the admission criteria for entry from 2027. Families must make a separate online application through Leicester City Council by its annually specified deadline, usually mid-January for primary schools. Treat this as a fresh application.
Transition support is a separate matter. Nursery staff work with Reception colleagues at the child’s chosen or allocated school and pass on reports and agreed records where appropriate. For children with SEND, additional classroom visits, meetings or a booklet using photographs may be arranged according to individual need.
Children entering from 1 September in the academic year they turn four qualify for a funded place of 15 hours a week. An additional 15 hours of funding for children of working parents is subject to checking whether the school can offer that option. Contact the school about nursery session times, as the nursery arrangements require, and for current charges.
Accepting a nursery place carries an expectation of attendance for the remainder of that school year. For enquiries, use the school contact form or call 0116 246 1732.
Uniform applies throughout the school: a red sweatshirt, cardigan or fleece, a white polo shirt and grey trousers are among the options. A logo is optional. Pack a waterproof coat when the weather calls for one.
The usual September intake is for children who are already three before 1 September and turn four during that school year. Where spare places remain, children may also be admitted after their third birthday.
No. It neither guarantees a place nor gives priority under the admission criteria for entry from 2027. Apply separately online through Leicester City Council by its annual deadline, usually mid-January.
The September intake is staggered over the first two to three weeks of term. Staff may also arrange a home visit in late summer term or early autumn term.
The usual September cohort qualifies for 15 funded hours a week. Additional funding of 15 hours for children of working parents depends on whether the school can accommodate that option.
Before nursery entry, the nursery teacher and SENDCo attend a review involving the Early Years Support Team. Later transitions may include extra meetings, classroom visits or a photograph-based transition booklet, tailored to the child.
