Matthew Arnold Primary School Nursery

A Borrow Box for books to take home, daily rhymes and time for children to choose their own play give Matthew Arnold’s nursery its character. This is provision within the primary school on Dingle Lane, Liverpool, with MAPS (Matthew Arnold Pre School) welcoming children from their second birthday and a separate Nursery stage for three-year-olds.

The two stages have distinct teams. Nursery has a class teacher and a Learning Support Officer; MAPS sits alongside it within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). For families, that distinction matters: the activities and collection arrangements described for MAPS belong to the younger children’s provision.

Books frame the Nursery session. Children begin with ten minutes of independent reading, can choose stories during their play and finish with an adult-led story. The Borrow Box extends this routine into home reading. Circle Time brings together counting, rhymes and the week’s story, giving children repeated opportunities to listen and join in.

Birth to Five Matters guides the EYFS approach. In everyday language, the balance is between activities adults introduce and play children choose themselves. Staff use children’s interests to plan the resources and activities they can return to, and observe their play to decide what to introduce next. Nursery also uses Welcomm for communication and language, alongside phonics activities focused on early listening.

Indoor activities sit alongside outdoor play. In MAPS, children use the school nursery’s outdoor play area and spend substantial time outside. Activities include movement with music, instruments, role-play and tasks involving coordination and handling objects. Small groups with a key worker concentrate on listening, language and interaction with other children. This gives the younger children both opportunities to explore independently and focused time with an adult.

Each EYFS child has a key person, with group time built into the approach. Regular Stay and Plays give parents opportunities to participate in the setting’s activities and build relationships with the team. Before starting MAPS, children attend a brief introductory session with their parent to meet the team. They begin the next day.

For MAPS children, snack is a social occasion: an adult joins a small group for a healthy snack and milk, encouraging table manners and independent eating. Water is offered during the session. A voluntary contribution towards snack is requested each half term through ParentPay.

Support extends beyond classroom activities. The school’s SEND arrangements include a teacher with responsibility for coordinating support with staff and families, with adapted tasks and small-group assistance among the approaches described. The purpose-built school building was designed for accessibility. Early Help can connect families with the on-site Children’s Centre and refer them to services including speech and language therapy, a sleep clinic or continence support.

Attending Matthew Arnold’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat this as a fresh application when planning the next stage.

The earlier move from MAPS to the three-year-old Nursery is a different process. Families must apply through the school administration office; places are allocated by application date. An offer to an eligible MAPS child depends on a Nursery place being available. That conditional move must not be confused with admission to Reception.

The standard Nursery pattern is a fixed morning or afternoon session, Monday to Friday: 8.40am to 11.40am, or 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Children attend one of these sessions. Nursery welcomes applications from children eligible for 15 hours of funding, with forms collected and returned through the main office throughout the year.

For both two- and three-year-olds, the school announced a limited number of 30-hour sessions starting in January 2026, with additional hours chargeable where applicable. The office handles enquiries about these sessions. MAPS also offers paid places and funded places subject to eligibility; ask the school for current charges.

MAPS has a designated entrance, a foyer and children’s cloakroom facilities. At collection, families wait outside while a team member brings their child out. Collectors must be authorised on the collection form and aged at least 16. Nursery enquiries can be made on 0151 539 0300 or by emailing admin@matthewarnold.co.uk.