Charnwood Primary Academy Nursery Review

Woodland Days give Charnwood’s nursery a learning space beyond the classroom. Regular, timetabled visits take children into the woodland for planned challenges, while the nursery’s everyday approach combines adult teaching with play chosen by children. Conversation runs through both.

This is the school’s own nursery on Purcell Avenue in Lichfield. Children can attend from the term after their third birthday. A nursery lead with higher-level teaching assistant responsibilities works within a wider team that includes an early years lead and an inclusion lead. For families, that places the nursery within the school’s teaching and support structure from the start.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently, alongside early reading, mathematics, creative work and discovering how the world works. Charnwood uses Development Matters to guide progression. Adult teaching and children’s own play share the day, giving children opportunities to pursue an interest as well as practise something deliberately introduced by staff.

ShREC is the named approach to adult interaction. Staff comment on children’s activities and repeat their ideas with extra vocabulary, turning a conversation about play into an opportunity to learn new words. Daily observations help shape activities and identify where extra support is needed. The practical implication is that planning responds to what a child can already do.

Woodland Days extend this learning outdoors through purposeful activities. The wider school grounds also include a field and sensory garden, adding different physical spaces to the campus. In September 2022, early years children practised letter formation with a rhyme and explored making a group of four using objects. Those examples show how language and number can become practical activities rather than abstract instructions.

Relationships and routines matter here. At the September 2022 inspection, nursery and Reception children were happy and became comfortable with routines quickly; adults built relationships and exchanged information with families from the beginning. That gives parents a dated indication of how the youngest children experienced their start.

Key workers plan a child’s next learning steps using their knowledge of that individual. Class Dojo records achievements and lets parents contribute successes from home, creating a connection between the two parts of a child’s day. Children joining early years are invited to summer play sessions with staff, giving them a chance to begin getting familiar with the team.

For additional needs, parents can begin with the class teacher and involve the special educational needs coordinator. Individual Support Plans are reviewed at least termly, so support can change as needs develop. Medical needs require a care plan shared with staff; personal care support is planned through discussion with parents and an individual risk assessment.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the normal coordinated admissions process by the deadline for their entry year. For September 2026 entry, applications could be made online or on paper and closed on 15 January 2026. That cycle is now past.

For 2025–2026 entry, nursery attendance conferred no Reception priority: allocation criteria covered care status, exceptional circumstances, siblings, catchment and distance. Familiarity with school is a separate matter. Summer transition meetings and information exchanges between teachers support children changing phase, with additional conversations involving the special educational needs coordinator where needed.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. These are charged by session. Tea Time Tigers also has nursery after-school arrangements, with collection options extending to 4.30pm or 5.30pm. Contact the school for current charges.

The 2025–2026 nursery arrangements provided for paid attendance from a child’s third birthday until a funded place of 15 hours per week began in the following term. Charnwood also works with Catkins Nursery onsite for eligible families using 30 hours: children spend the morning in the school nursery and are collected at lunchtime for an afternoon at Catkins. This involves two settings within the day.

For enquiries, email office@charnwood.staffs.sch.uk or telephone 01543 227560. School tours can be booked with the leadership team, giving families a practical starting point for considering the nursery.