Mayflower Primary School Nursery Review

A class base of its own, with classrooms and a garden to explore: The Orchard combines a nursery identity with shared early years learning at Mayflower Primary School in Leicester. Children have adults attached to their base, while their play takes them into the wider learning spaces. The arrangement gives the session both a familiar starting point and room for choice.

In June 2025, Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Good. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Choice shapes the day. The Orchard follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and continuous provision lets children choose learning areas indoors and in the garden. In plain parent language, children can pursue an activity through play, with adults helping them take it further. The garden is part of that learning space, rather than simply somewhere to spend a break.

Teachers and teaching assistants watch how children use the spaces and join their activities. They help children develop skills and bring taught learning into their play. This gives adult teaching a practical purpose: children have opportunities to use what they have learned in activities they choose themselves. Each child starts and finishes at their own class base, so the freedom to explore sits within a consistent daily arrangement.

The June 2025 early years findings give a concrete example of this learning. Children experimented with objects in water to explore which would float or sink. Adults demonstrated language effectively and used questions to develop children's thinking as they worked through problems. The emphasis is on doing, talking and working things out. Water play becomes an opportunity to investigate, rather than an activity with no learning purpose.

Tapestry gives parents an online journal of their child's activities. It provides a way to see what has occupied them during the session and a starting point for talking about nursery at home. Families provide their details so an account can be created.

For children needing additional learning support, the school's SEND arrangements include monitoring progress, considering the support required and maintaining contact with parents. Support can be needed briefly or over a longer period. This is a school-wide arrangement, allowing families to remain involved as their child's needs are reviewed.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process, using Leicester City Council's admissions route and meeting the applicable deadline. Choosing The Orchard and applying for Reception are separate decisions.

Shared early years learning areas and the garden give nursery children familiarity with spaces used within the school's EYFS provision. That everyday familiarity is distinct from admission: it does not secure the next place.

Three attendance patterns give families a choice of session length. Nursery AM runs from 08:45 to 11:45, while Nursery PM runs from 12:15 to 15:15, with doors opening at 15:05. Each half-day pattern totals 15 hours in a typical week. Nursery full time runs from 08:45 to 15:15 and totals 30 hours in a typical week.

Nursery enquiries go through the main office, and families can arrange a visit to see the setting. Telephone 0116 2737504 to begin that conversation. Children are dropped off and collected at their own class base, giving families a consistent place for the beginning and end of the session.