Crab Lane Primary School Nursery

Forest Schools sessions and talking floor books give Crab Lane’s early years provision its character: outdoor exploration sits alongside a curriculum shaped by children’s questions and interests. The nursery belongs to the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in Higher Blackley, Manchester. Its curriculum also makes the city and its communities part of children’s learning, connecting their education with the place they call home.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 29 and 30 October 2024. This is an early years judgement within the school inspection, rather than a separate nursery rating.

Children’s interests help shape the learning. Enquiry questions and memorable experiences provide starting points, while talking and electronic floor books bring children’s contributions into curriculum planning. Longer-term plans and curricular goals sit alongside those interests, so the approach combines children’s curiosity with a planned direction for learning.

The EYFS brings together seven connected areas. Language and communication, emotional and social development, and physical development form the foundations. These connect with mathematics, literacy, creative expression and learning about the world. For parents, that means the curriculum reaches beyond early letters and numbers to include movement, relationships and expressing ideas.

Forest Schools sessions form part of the EYFS curriculum, giving outdoor exploration a named place in the provision. The early years curriculum also aims to help children recognise their strengths and build relationships with others.

Vocabulary teaching. In October 2024, staff were not consistently clear about which words children should learn or the sequence for introducing them. Some children consequently encountered less language than they could have. More deliberate teaching and revisiting of new words was the early years improvement required, an important consideration for families focused on language development.

Sharing and turn-taking begin in the early years. In October 2024, children adjusted quickly to school life, giving a positive picture of how they settled into the group.

Parents are included as partners in the EYFS curriculum. For concerns about special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the school’s SENCO can be contacted through the office or at senco@crablane.manchester.sch.uk. This gives families a direct route to discuss their child’s educational needs.

Attending Crab Lane Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at Crab Lane Primary School. Families must make a separate application to Manchester City Council through its online admissions process. The school describes the deadline as usually falling in January after the child starts nursery; families must apply by the council’s deadline.

Transition follows allocation. Once a Reception place has been offered, the school arranges sessions for the child and parent to meet staff and other children. These visits support familiarity with the next stage; they are separate from the decision about who receives a place.

Full-time education is offered to children invited to attend the nursery. Parents are asked to check whether they qualify for 30-hour childcare funding. Those who qualify must apply, supply their eligibility code in the requested format and renew it when notified by HMRC and the school. Being ineligible does not affect the child’s nursery place.

For a September nursery place, contact the school office on 0161 740 2851. General enquiries can also go to admin@crablane.manchester.sch.uk. The office is the starting point for requesting a place and handling the nursery application.