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Nursery at The Belvedere Preparatory School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Child-initiated play and specialist music and PE teaching give Belvedere Prep’s nursery its character: an early start to school life with room for children’s own interests. Boys and girls join from age three, within the school’s First School department. The admissions policy gives a usual maximum of 26 nursery places, with some held back until the spring term begins.
At 23 Belvidere Road in Liverpool’s Princes Park area, the nursery belongs to an independent school housed in a Victorian mansion surrounded by outdoor play spaces. It is part of the school, with a classroom-based day and optional care extending beyond teaching hours.
Learning combines children’s choices with planned teaching. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) approach connects learning and development, recognises different rates of progress and uses educational play initiated by children. In parent terms, children have opportunities to pursue interests while adults help them build skills and independence. The nursery curriculum includes science and cultural studies alongside English, maths, music and PE, with a fully qualified teacher.
The ISI inspection of 8 to 10 May 2024 found that early-years assessment informed carefully planned next steps and supported good progress. Letter-sound games built reading skills, while children practised simple subtraction. These are early-years findings covering more than the nursery alone, rather than a nursery-specific grade.
Physical learning has its own place in the timetable. Specialist PE teaching and organised play indoors and outdoors develop coordination and both small and large movements; specialist music teaching also contributes to early-years development. This gives children learning experiences beyond early reading and number work.
A morning break lasts 30 minutes and includes a healthy snack. Children staying for lunch eat in the school hall between 12.45pm and 1.15pm, followed by supervised educational play and activities until 1.50pm. The teaching day ends at 3.10pm. Morning-only attendance therefore has a different rhythm from staying through lunch and the afternoon.
Before joining, nursery children spend a session in the setting. Families also have an opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and discuss the move into school after accepting a place. That provides a practical first introduction to the classroom and the adult teaching their child.
Supervision has direct inspection backing: in May 2024, early-years staffing met the required ratios throughout. For children needing additional learning support, the SEN policy uses nursery baseline assessments to identify individual needs. Support is reviewed at least termly, with parents involved alongside the class teacher and special educational needs coordinator.
SEND and accessibility. The school describes limited SEND facilities and warns that the buildings’ layout can constrain movement for people with mobility difficulties. Support achievable through reasonable adjustments carries no additional charge; intervention from an outside resource is paid for by parents. Families should disclose known needs before accepting a place so that the school can assess suitable adjustments.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Ask the school to confirm the arrangements for continuing into Reception, including whether a fresh application is required.
The admissions policy gives preference for nursery places to families intending to continue into the Prep School. That is a rule about nursery entry, not a promise of a Reception place. Direct Reception applications are considered in application order, while siblings have priority for school entry. Keeping those rules distinct avoids mistaking an intention to stay for an assured next place.
Classroom drop-off is between 8.30am and 8.50am. Part-time nursery children leave before the 12.15pm lunch threshold; afternoon collection uses the First School Entrance. Before-school care begins at 7.30am, with charges applying before 8.30am, and after-school care runs until 5.45pm.
The nursery accepts the 30-hour Early Years grant for three- and four-year-olds. Wraparound care is charged separately. The dated 2025–26 care schedule distinguishes occasional bookings from full-time annual packages, with the latter paid by monthly direct debit over ten months. Ask the school for current charges.
Use the online Enquiry Form to request a prospectus or arrange a tour. Nursery uniform lists are provided, and uniform and PE kit can be ordered through Kitted Out.
The main nursery intake is at age three. The nursery’s usual maximum is 26 places.
Yes. Part-time nursery children must be collected before 12.15pm, rather than staying for lunch and the afternoon.
A healthy snack accompanies the morning break. Children attending through lunch eat their school meal in the hall between 12.45pm and 1.15pm.
The nursery accepts the 30-hour Early Years grant for three- and four-year-olds. Before-school care starts at 7.30am and after-school care ends at 5.45pm; charges apply to wraparound provision.
No. Nursery entry preference for families intending to continue into the Prep School is not a Reception guarantee. Reception entry remains an admissions decision through the school.
