Leicester Grammar School Nursery Review

Creative play outdoors and learning to share give Kinders its character. This is the nursery provision within Leicester Grammar Junior School, part of Leicester Grammar School Trust in Great Glen, Leicestershire. Kinders caters for children aged three to four, placing the youngest children within the junior school rather than in a separate standalone nursery.

The junior school occupies a modern building on a green campus shared with Leicester Grammar School. For nursery families, the more relevant physical detail is closer to the classroom: early years learning spaces have access to outdoor activities. That makes outdoor learning part of children's experience, rather than simply a backdrop to it.

The early years curriculum combines communication, physical development, social interaction and learning about the surrounding world. In parent terms, the focus includes how children express themselves, use their bodies and work alongside others. These strands give the day a broader purpose than preparing children for formal lessons.

In January 2024, ISI found that early years children regularly used outdoor learning opportunities, including creative play. Classroom activities and the outdoor play area also supported physical development. Children therefore have opportunities to develop both smaller movements and whole-body skills through their learning, with activity taking place indoors as well as outside.

Independent activities sit alongside those directed by teachers. Collaboration receives deliberate attention: in January 2024, children played happily together and were comfortable sharing equipment. This gives social learning a practical form. Sharing resources and taking part with other children are part of the learning itself, rather than incidental benefits of being in a group.

Supervision is a concrete strength in the early years findings. In January 2024, leaders maintained appropriate adult-to-child supervision ratios. For parents of very young children, this matters alongside the curriculum: the organisation of adult support is part of how the provision manages children's care while they learn and play.

Social development also receives attention from staff through a mixture of child-directed and adult-led activity. The January 2024 findings describe children interacting positively and readily sharing resources. The useful distinction here is between simply placing children together and actively helping them collaborate; the early years provision does the latter.

Attending Kinders does not guarantee a Reception place. Nursery attendance and Reception admission are separate matters: families should make a separate Reception application through the normal route by the applicable deadline. Keep that application distinct from choosing the nursery, even when the intention is to remain at the same school.

Kinders enquiries go to Leicester Grammar Junior School admissions on 0116 259 1950. Families can also use the enquiry form and select Kinders as their year group of interest. This directs the enquiry to the junior provision.

Private visits can be booked for the junior school, giving families an opportunity to meet staff and consider the setting. The address is London Road, Great Glen, Leicestershire, LE8 9FL. A public bus between Leicester and Market Harborough stops at the bottom of the school drive, a useful detail when considering the journey.