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Nursery at Old Moat 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Stories, conversation and play give Old Moat’s nursery its character. Children revisit familiar books, join in with actions and refrains, and explore numbers through practical activities. Spoken language is a clear priority, with adults adding new vocabulary to children’s own ideas.
The nursery serves children aged three and four within the school’s Early Years classrooms in Withington, Manchester. There are 39 full-time places, operating during term time for 38 weeks each year. This is a full-time model: part-time nursery places are not offered.
Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding following its inspection on 16 and 17 July 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Play runs through learning indoors and outside, alongside activities initiated by adults. The Early Years Foundation Stage approach here connects conversation, stories, writing and practical number work. Open, bright classrooms provide the indoor setting; outdoor provision gives children another space to play and talk together.
Books shape each half term’s learning around a Big Question. The nursery’s Reading Spine brings children back to familiar stories across the year, giving them plots to retell and act out. Daily Little Wandle Foundations sessions sit alongside this storytelling. Children also take books home for adults to read with them, and teacher-led guided reading begins in the summer term. Home reading has a direct connection to the nursery day.
Word Aware approaches give children opportunities to practise vocabulary heard in stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction. Adults respond to children’s interests and expand what they say. In July 2024, early years children benefited from purposeful conversations with staff, with vocabulary development beginning in Nursery.
Number work follows principles from NCETM Mastering Number. Nursery children investigate numbers to five, including how each number is made up, and use objects to support counting and understanding. Writing happens daily in adult-led activities and is encouraged during play, including early shapes made before conventional writing. A nursery walk to the post box connects learning with a recognisable feature of the local area.
Settling starts before the first nursery day. Families attend an initial meeting, and staff make a home visit during the preceding term. Once a place is accepted, the EYFS team organises a transition programme. In July 2024, children in early years settled readily into learning routines.
Stay and Play offers another way to become familiar with the building. These free, drop-in sessions take place in the school hall on term-time Thursdays, from 9am to 10.30am. Children receive a snack and drink, followed by songs and rhymes; families can also speak with the Family Support Worker and Sure Start Outreach teams.
Communication development is checked using Wellcomm, with intervention for children who need it. Home and school plan additional support together when learning barriers arise. In July 2024, a small number of early years children with SEND benefited from intensive support in the Beehive. For 2025-2026, nursery staffing included a teacher and teaching assistants. Free Magic Breakfast bagels are available to all children from 8.40am.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Old Moat. Parents must make a separate application to Manchester local authority, including when their child already attends the nursery. Apply online, or request a paper form, by the nominated December date in the year before Reception starts. Keep this application separate from nursery enrolment.
Stay and Play can support familiarity with the school ahead of either Nursery or Reception. That practical preparation does not create an automatic Reception place.
The nursery day ends at 3.05pm. Full-time attendance during term time needs to fit the family’s weekly routine and holiday childcare arrangements.
Universal funding provides 15 hours a week for three- and four-year-olds; eligible families can receive a further 15 hours. Families using extended funding must renew their code and provide it to the school every three months. For non-Manchester residents offered a place subject to availability because a sibling attends the main school, additional hours are family-funded unless extended funding applies. Contact the school for current charges.
Enquiries can go through the school office on 0161 445 4208 or admin@oldmoat.manchester.sch.uk; staff can arrange a school tour. Uniform combines a white polo shirt and red top with grey or black trousers, skirt or pinafore. Branding is optional, allowing families to buy supermarket uniform.
The nursery is for children aged three and four. Children typically start in September after their third birthday, with a January entry point for children turning three between September and January.
No. Old Moat offers full-time nursery places for 38 term-time weeks each year.
No. Parents must apply separately to Manchester local authority, by the nominated December date in the year before their child starts Reception.
An initial parent meeting and home visit precede starting nursery. The EYFS team arranges a transition programme after a place is accepted, and Stay and Play can help children become familiar with the school.
Children have daily Little Wandle Foundations sessions, revisit stories from the nursery Reading Spine and take books home for adults to read to them. Guided reading with their teacher starts in the summer term.
