Dovecot Primary School Nursery

A third birthday changes the timetable at Dovecot, but keeps the room and staff familiar. Saplings, the two-year-old provision, runs in the afternoon; Acorns serves three- and four-year-olds in the morning. Children move between them on the next school day after turning three, having celebrated with their Saplings friends first.

These groups belong to Dovecot Primary School’s early years unit on Grant Road, Liverpool. Familiar surroundings give children some continuity when their session and classmates change. That practical strength sits alongside a clear educational concern: Ofsted graded early years provision Requires improvement at the inspection on 6 and 7 June 2024.

Messy play, outdoor activity and children’s questions shape the learning. In 2025–2026, Saplings explored a garden theme involving plants and minibeasts, with children’s enquiries helping determine where the topic went. Seasons, celebrations and traditional stories provide other starting points. Indoor and outdoor environments are used across the early years unit, and outdoor learning continues through wet, sunny and snowy weather. Clothes need to cope with that.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning to communicate, move and manage feelings with early reading, mathematics, creative expression and discovering the world. Dovecot also emphasises how children learn: exploring, persisting with something difficult and developing their own ideas. For parents, this means play has a learning purpose beyond keeping children occupied.

Language has concrete routines. Saplings has a weekly rhyme, alongside a skill and vocabulary focus shared through Class Dojo. Bedtime Stories books go home for adults and children to enjoy together. In June 2024, children in early years, including the pre-school group, enjoyed songs and rhymes. However, curriculum planning needed clearer decisions about essential knowledge and its teaching sequence, including in early years. Families should weigh the play opportunities alongside that concern about what learning builds towards.

Each child is allocated a key worker after an initial settling period, with parents informed by letter. This gives the relationship time to develop before the allocation is made. Tapestry carries learning observations, while Class Dojo and conversations with staff provide further contact. The nursery and two-year-old provision share a teacher who also leads EYFS; a teaching assistant works with nursery children in the morning and the younger group each afternoon.

Moving from afternoons to mornings can unsettle children, even those previously comfortable in Saplings. Dovecot encourages families to talk about the change beforehand. The shared room and staff provide continuity, but the new peer group and routine still deserve preparation.

For children taking thirty-hour nursery sessions, lunch can be brought from home or purchased from school. Parents should tell staff about allergies, medical needs or asthma. Toileting support continues into Acorns: nappies and wipes are kept at school, with pull-ups requested for standing changes to encourage independence. Families starting toilet training in the younger provision can discuss the steps with staff. Additional learning support is coordinated through the school’s SEND team, involving teachers, teaching assistants, external agencies and parents.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal admissions process; Reception applications are completed online through the local authority. Treat that application as a distinct task, even when your child already attends Dovecot’s nursery.

The Acorns morning session runs from 9:00 to 12:00. Doors open at 8:55 and close at 9:05, with families asked to arrive before 9:00 for registration. The two-year-old session begins at 12:30. Uniform stays the same when children move from Saplings to Acorns; label belongings and provide weather-appropriate footwear and coats.

Eligible working families can access thirty funded hours for three- and four-year-olds across term time from the term after both their child turns three and they have a current valid HMRC eligibility code. The eligibility code must be checked before the additional hours are taken up, and parents must reconfirm eligibility every three months. Two-year-old funding has routes for working families and families receiving qualifying benefits, providing 15–30 hours weekly depending on eligibility.

Funded entitlement does not cover meals, consumables or additional services; charges for these are voluntary and cannot be required to access a funded place. Contact the office for current charges and nursery enquiries on 0151 259 4065 or dovecot-ao@dovecot.liverpool.sch.uk.