The Nettleham Infant and Nursery School

An infant and nursery school can feel like a small institution, but the decisions here still shape daily life for years. With nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 on one site, this school is built around early reading, routines, and a steady start, rather than Key Stage 2 results or exam culture.

The most recent full inspection (6 and 7 December 2023) judged the school Good across all areas, including early years provision. The report describes a calm, orderly feel and highlights phonics as a particular strength, alongside the way pupils talk about emotions using the Colour Monsters approach.

Parents will also notice a practical advantage that is not universal at infant schools, The Treehouse wraparound club runs on site, with a before school start at 7.45am and after school provision until 5.45pm Monday to Thursday, and 5pm on Friday. For working families, that changes the whole feasibility equation.

The school sets out its identity through a values-first approach, with Friendship, Honesty, Respect, Happiness, Kindness and Community presented as core reference points for children’s choices. That values language is reinforced by a wellbeing vocabulary that even very young pupils can use, with Colour Monsters cited in the inspection as a tool pupils use to describe feelings.

Relationships appear to be a key organising principle. The inspection describes warm, positive relationships between pupils and staff, and a kind, respectful ethos. Behaviour is described as calm and orderly, with high expectations that pupils meet. In a setting where children are three to seven, that matters as much as any headline outcome, it is hard to learn phonics, write, or even play well if routines are inconsistent.

Leadership is a point to read carefully because the school appears to have had change since the last inspection. The inspection report names the headteacher at that time as Catherine Jollands. The current website lists Mr David Gibbons as Acting Head Teacher. A leadership transition is not automatically a negative, but it does mean families should use tours and open events to understand what has stayed consistent and what is being refreshed.

This is an infant school, so you should not expect Key Stage 2 SATs tables or the usual primary league table narrative. The useful question is whether children leave Year 2 reading confidently, writing with control, and ready for the step up to a junior curriculum.

The inspection describes pupils achieving well, particularly in phonics, and links that to committed staff and an ambitious approach for all pupils. That is the closest equivalent to a results headline at this age. It also notes that the Key Stage 1 curriculum prepares pupils well for transition to junior school.

If you are comparing early years options, pay attention to the Nursery and Reception detail. The inspection praises a well considered curriculum foundation in Nursery year, but also flags that the nursery environment was not yet as rich as it could be to support the newer early years curriculum as it embedded. That is a concrete area to ask about on a tour, what has been improved since early 2024, and what children now experience daily in the nursery space.

Curriculum sequencing is a recurring theme in the inspection, with the curriculum described as well sequenced across subjects and carefully planned for the knowledge and skills pupils need over time. In practical terms, at an infant school that usually shows up as consistency, reading books that align with phonics, writing that is practised explicitly rather than assumed, and mathematics that revisits concepts until secure.

The school also leans into language and reading culture explicitly. Its We Love Reading page sets out a strong reading-for-pleasure message, including planned story time every day as part of routine. For many children, the difference between decoding and loving books is the difference between a functional start and a confident one, so it is useful that the school frames reading as a daily habit, not an occasional event.

SEND identification and response is another important part of teaching quality at this phase. The inspection describes staff identifying needs early and putting precise plans in place, including acting on specialist advice. For families already aware of speech, language, or attention needs, this is a line worth exploring in a meeting with the SENCO, to understand what support looks like in practice and how communication with parents runs.

Because the school ends at Year 2, the major transition is into Year 3 at a junior or primary school. The inspection states that Key Stage 1 prepares pupils well for the move to junior school.

For many families in Nettleham, the natural next step is a local junior provision. One obvious nearby option is The Nettleham Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School (ages 7 to 11). However, families should treat Year 3 as a separate admissions process rather than assuming automatic progression, and plan early for the paperwork and deadlines set by the local authority.

A good way to sanity-check your plan is to use FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature to track both the infant school and the likely junior destination, then keep an eye on Year 3 application timings as they open.

Demand is clear in the local data available for entry. For the relevant intake route, the school recorded 99 applications for 55 offers, with an oversubscription status of Oversubscribed and 1.8 applications per place applications per place.

For Reception entry in September 2027 in Lincolnshire, applications close on 15 January 2027, with offers issued on 16 April 2027. Lincolnshire also sets a later final date for late applications and changes, but families usually benefit from treating the national closing date as the real deadline.

The school’s own admissions page points parents to its admissions policy documents for 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027 and links back to the local authority route. Practically, that means you should read the oversubscription criteria carefully, then use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand what your address implies for priority, rather than relying on general impressions of living nearby.

At infant age, pastoral care is mostly about routines, emotional language, and the ability to spot problems early. The inspection gives a useful window into this, describing pupils as feeling safe, knowing trusted adults they can talk to, and using Colour Monsters to articulate emotions.

The school also gives children structured voice through its Little Leaders, mentioned in the inspection as engaging with pupils’ views including how safe they feel. That is an age appropriate version of pupil voice, and it tends to work best when staff genuinely listen and follow through.

Wraparound can also be part of wellbeing for families. The inspection notes pupils enjoying The Treehouse, and the school positions it as a cosy, home from home zone. For some children, staying on site with familiar adults after school is smoother than a separate childminder handover.

The school offers named, concrete clubs rather than only generic “after school activities”. Staff run options such as gardening club and ukulele club, and external specialists provide Rock Steady Music, Aikido, and Street Dance. The inspection also highlights Aikido and street dance as examples of extracurricular opportunities pupils enjoy.

That mix is especially relevant at this age because it supports two different needs. Some children need confidence-building activities that involve performance and rhythm, such as street dance or band sessions. Others benefit from slower, hands-on activities like gardening, where turn taking and patience are practised without the pressure of a scoreboard.

If you are considering wraparound, it is worth asking how club timetables interact with The Treehouse. Some schools integrate clubs into after school care smoothly, others require a separate pickup and return pattern that can make logistics harder for working parents.

The main school day begins at 9.00am, with gates open from 8.45am to 9.00am, and the school day ending at 3.15pm. Nursery sessions are listed as 8.45am to 11.45am for mornings and 12.15pm to 3.15pm for afternoons, with a lunch session in between.

Wraparound is available on site through The Treehouse, with morning provision from 7.45am and after school provision until 5.45pm Monday to Thursday and 5pm on Friday.

For transport, this is a village setting on the edge of Lincoln, so many families will think for walking routes, short drives, or local buses. Because parking and drop-off pressure can vary by year and by sibling patterns, it is sensible to ask on a tour how the school manages arrival, departure, and safe handover arrangements.

• Infant-only structure. The school finishes at Year 2, so families must plan and apply again for Year 3 at a junior or primary school rather than assuming a seamless continuation.

• Demand for places. Local application figures show more applicants than offers for the main intake route, so families should approach admissions as competitive and read the published criteria carefully.

• Nursery environment improvements. The inspection praised curriculum foundations in Nursery but noted the nursery environment was not yet as rich as it could be while the newer early years curriculum embedded. Ask what has changed since early 2024, and what daily provision now looks like in that space.

• Academy trust financial governance. A Department for Education notice to improve was published on 11 October 2024 relating to financial governance and financial management. This does not speak directly to classroom quality, but it is a fair question for governance minded parents to raise.

For families who want a focused early years and Key Stage 1 experience, with a strong reading culture and practical wraparound provision, this school makes a persuasive case. The most recent inspection describes calm routines, positive relationships, and strong phonics outcomes, which are exactly the fundamentals that matter most from ages three to seven.

Who it suits: families prioritising a structured early start, on-site wraparound care, and a values-led approach to behaviour and wellbeing. The key challenge is planning transitions and admissions carefully, both for Reception entry and for the move on to Year 3.