Foxfield Primary School Nursery Review

A large sandpit, a potion station and forest school give Foxfield’s early years learning a practical, exploratory character. This is the nursery within Foxfield Primary School on Sandbach Place, taking children after their third birthday. Its admission limit is 100 places, divided into 50 morning and 50 afternoon places. Some full-time places are also offered, subject to eligibility and a 30-hour code.

Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Outstanding following its inspection on 18 and 19 July 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Adult teaching and hands-on exploration work together here. In early years, direct teaching provides the main starting point, with creative activity indoors and outside extending the learning. Children can search the sandpit for treasure, experiment at the potion station and investigate nature through forest school. These give young children concrete things to explore together, rather than keeping learning entirely at a table.

Language has a daily place in the nursery routine. Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised provides the Foundations for Phonics programme: children practise oral blending and develop language through stories and rhymes. The emphasis is on listening and spoken language, giving children a starting point for later reading.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides assessment. Staff watch children’s ordinary activities and experiences to assess their development across its learning areas. This makes daily activity part of understanding each child’s progress. In July 2023, the early years curriculum developed physical skills, independence, language and understanding of number, with classroom experiences bringing that learning into practice.

Books have a physical place, too. Foxfield provides classroom book corners containing fiction and non-fiction, alongside daily reading aloud and opportunities to talk about books. For nursery children, that sits naturally alongside the stories and rhymes used in their language work.

Family support extends beyond the classroom. Foxfield’s inclusion team works with parents and teachers on individual needs, including medical concerns, emotional development and SEND. Personalised interventions and links with other agencies form part of that work. Coffee mornings, workshops and drop-in meetings give families several ways to make contact and discuss concerns.

Across the school, menus are developed by nutritionists to provide balanced choices that meet or exceed government food standards. This is the school’s approach to meals, rather than a promise of free nursery lunches.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the normal Reception admissions process and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year. Treat the two applications as separate decisions.

For September 2026 entry, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. In the September 2025 arrangements, applications went to the local authority where the child lived, with allocation handled through coordinated admissions. These are dated admission cycles, not upcoming deadlines.

Morning nursery runs from 8.30am to 11.30am; afternoon nursery runs from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Part-time places provide 15 hours each week in either session. Some full-time places depend on eligibility and a 30-hour code, so that condition matters when choosing a pattern that fits family life.

Nursery applications go directly to Foxfield. Send the completed application form with a birth certificate and proof of home address to admin@inspirefoxfield.co.uk. The school office also handles enquiries on 020 3260 7500. For September 2026, nursery families received individual letters giving their children’s start dates, keeping the nursery start separate from the return date for older pupils.