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Nursery at Poplar Street 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Paint, percussion and small-world play give Poplar Street’s nursery its character. Children make pictures, invent sounds and explore familiar places through activities that link practical skills with language. This is nursery provision within Poplar Street Primary School in Audenshaw, with 78 places. Children can join from the term after their third birthday.
Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the September 2022 inspection. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings learning through making, talking, movement and exploration together. Development Matters informs the nursery’s art curriculum: children choose materials for their ideas, investigate textures and begin representing objects through drawing. A picture is also an opportunity to decide, explain and experiment.
Seasonal themes give those skills a context. Winter activities include penguin painting; minibeast work includes printed butterflies and spiders made from pipe cleaners. Children also mould dough into shapes. These tasks give small hands practice with materials while allowing children to make choices about what they create.
Music adds another form of expression. Children copy clapped rhythms, experiment with instrumental sounds and make sound makers. Listening walks draw attention to sounds nearby and farther away. The aim includes learning ten nursery rhymes by heart, giving children familiar words and tunes to return to.
Exploration extends to the nursery grounds, where children learn to recognise features and name places. Weather observation and simple maps linked to Bear Hunt connect stories with the world around them. Jungle dance brings movement into the curriculum too, with children experimenting with actions and changes of speed.
Curriculum sequence. In September 2022, some learning steps in one or two subjects were insufficiently ordered across the journey from early years onwards. Children did not always revisit earlier knowledge enough to secure new learning. This matters alongside the practical activities: experiences need to build on what children already understand.
In September 2022, early years children felt safe and happy, and were learning to share and take turns. Teachers checked children’s understanding to recognise who needed additional guidance. That connects social development with attention to each child’s learning.
The school’s pastoral structure includes teaching assistants working with class teachers on confidence, emotional wellbeing and learning behaviours. Parents can begin a concern with their child’s teacher, while the office can arrange a longer discussion or direct SEND concerns to the SENDCO. There is a clear route for raising worries.
Cool Milk provides registered children with a daily 189 ml carton of chilled semi-skimmed milk in their classroom. It is free for under-fives, continuing until the Friday before their fifth birthday. Registration by Tuesday allows milk to begin the following week.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Tameside Council’s coordinated admissions process. Applications can be made from November each year. Choosing this nursery therefore leaves a further application to complete for Reception.
Families can choose a 30-hour nursery place or a 15-hour morning or afternoon place. The school operates during term time. Families who do not qualify for a 30-hour funding code can pay to add the extra 15 hours; contact the school office for current charges.
Pitstop provides a free breakfast session from 8.15am to 8.45am each school day, including for nursery-age children. No booking is needed: families use the school office on the days they attend. This gives an additional morning option alongside the nursery place.
Nursery applications use an online form. Visits to the school can be arranged through the office on 0161 336 4134 or via admin@poplarstreet.victoriousmat.org. Changes to collection arrangements for nursery children use the Home time arrangement form N-4.
Children are eligible from the term after they turn three. The nursery has 78 places.
There are 30-hour places and 15-hour morning or afternoon places. The school operates during term time.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Tameside Council’s coordinated process. Applications can be made from November each year.
Yes. Pitstop is free for children from nursery age upwards and runs from 8.15am to 8.45am each school day. No booking is required; go to the school office.
Use the online nursery application form. To arrange a school visit, contact the office on 0161 336 4134 or email admin@poplarstreet.victoriousmat.org.
