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Nursery at Charlestown Community Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Wellington boots belong on the kit list at Charlestown: learning moves outdoors as well as indoors, with play and conversation shaping the nursery curriculum. This is provision for three and four-year-olds within Charlestown Community Primary School in Blackley, Manchester. Early years has a separate building, including accessible facilities for children and adults.
The emphasis is on learning how to listen, communicate and play considerately. For a child beginning school life, those are practical foundations: expressing a need, joining another child's play and becoming familiar with shared routines.
The Charlestown Curriculum uses play to connect learning with children's interests. It follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the framework organising early learning, through seven areas of development. Exploring ideas, staying involved in an activity and thinking through a problem are explicit priorities. The nursery curriculum runs on a two-year cycle.
Language has a central role. Adults build relationships as children settle, while the curriculum develops conversation, listening and respectful play. Over the year, children begin to connect what they learn with their own exploration. Indoor and outdoor learning both contribute, so wellington boots have a purpose beyond the journey to school.
Ofsted's inspection on 17 and 18 January 2023 found that nursery learning gave communication and language a positive beginning. Its early-years findings also described children managing routines, paying attention and waiting for turns. These are useful skills for taking part in a group, alongside the learning developed through play.
Starting gradually is part of the full-time model. Children eligible for the extended funded place complete a part-time settling period before moving to full-time attendance. Relationships with adults are also part of the nursery's approach to settling, giving children time to become familiar with the provision.
For additional needs, the school's SEND arrangements involve families in identifying difficulties and planning support. Individual Education Plans are shared with home through EDUKEY, with three plans each year. Cherry Garden Assessments are used for EYFS children and children with significant needs, allowing staff to track development at an appropriate level.
The ARC contains two SEN classroom spaces. Children on the SEND register can use it alongside their main classroom according to their needs; nursery-age children follow the EYFS framework there. Its purpose is to support participation with peers, rather than provide a permanent placement.
Food support includes a free school-day breakfast. The school planned to continue this with fruit and toast through its own funding after July 2026. Nursery lunchtime is scheduled for 11.30am to 12.30pm. For individual concerns, parents contact the class teacher first, followed by the phase leader.
Attending Charlestown's nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Manchester City Council's admissions route, meeting the deadline for their child's entry year. The council allocates places, including those sought by children already attending the nursery.
For the September 2026 intake, the on-time deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is past. The nursery application and the Reception application remain separate decisions, so families should keep the council application in their plans from the outset.
Morning places run from 8.40am to 11.40am throughout the school week. Afternoon attendance begins at 12.05pm, ending at 3.20pm Monday to Thursday and 2.10pm on Friday. Full-time attendance starts at 8.40am and finishes at those same afternoon closing times. Friday needs its own collection arrangement.
Part-time places use the 15-hour funded entitlement; full-time places are restricted to children with 30-hour eligibility codes. Eligible families register through Childcare Choices and renew at the beginning of each term, supplying the school with the 11-digit code.
Nursery enquiries go directly to the school office on 0161 740 3529, and the nursery application page has a waiting-list form. Uniform choices include a pale blue or white polo shirt, navy knitwear and grey or black bottoms. Logos are optional on the polo shirt and knitwear, and families can use the free uniform swap shop.
Charlestown offers nursery places for three and four-year-olds.
Yes. The morning place uses the 15-hour funded entitlement and runs from 8.40am to 11.40am Monday to Friday.
Full-time places require a 30-hour eligibility code. Children complete a part-time settling period before moving to full-time attendance.
No. A separate application is required through Manchester City Council, which allocates Reception places, including applications for current nursery children.
Call the school office on 0161 740 3529. The nursery application page also provides a waiting-list form.
