Hurdsfield Community Primary School and Nursery Review

Outdoor exploration and language play give Hurdsfield’s nursery its character. HOWL, the school’s outdoor learning programme, brings early years children into an outdoor learning area within the school grounds, while rhymes and role play introduce the sounds of language. These are practical ways for young children to learn through doing.

This school-based nursery welcomes children aged 2 to 4 on Hulley Road in Macclesfield. Provision for two-year-olds opened in 2025 alongside the preschool provision for three- and four-year-olds. Places are limited in both, with waiting lists for specific sessions, so availability matters when choosing an attendance pattern. We hold no published inspection grade for it.

Play and exploration shape the curriculum. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together physical development, communication and children’s emotional and social development. In parent language, that means learning to move, talk, become more independent and build relationships, alongside early learning about numbers, reading, the world and creative expression.

Language learning starts with sounds and conversation. The youngest children use rhyming and role play to tune into spoken language; Word Aware teaches the meanings of words through talk. This gives vocabulary a place alongside early reading preparation, rather than treating learning to read as an isolated activity.

HOWL stands for Hurdsfield Outdoor and Wilderness Learning. Early years children explore Forest School principles in the school grounds. The school also has its own woodland, giving outdoor learning a concrete setting beyond the classroom. A Christmas Singalong involves early years children performing for their families, adding a shared occasion to the learning programme.

Stay and Play sessions are offered to new early years starters to help them feel settled. The school aims for children to feel settled through these sessions, giving families a first point of contact with nursery life.

Support for additional needs sits within the school’s wider SEND arrangements. An Assistant Headteacher oversees vulnerable learners, including those with SEND. The school uses a First Concerns register and the Cheshire East SEN toolkit to identify needs; support can involve school-based plans or an Education Health Care Plan. Parents contribute to targets and decisions about provision through meetings with staff.

Emotional support also has an early years focus. Specialist training for an EYFS Emotional Literacy Support Assistant lead forms part of the school’s approach to early intervention, connecting nursery-age children with its wider pastoral structure.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through Cheshire East Council, which handles entry to school. Treat choosing nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions, and follow the council’s timetable for the relevant entry year.

Apply to the nursery directly through the school office on 01625 912 415 or email admin@hurdsfield.cheshire.sch.uk. Families can arrange a visit through the same route. With waiting lists affecting specific sessions, the attendance pattern is an important part of the initial enquiry.