Sandilands Primary School Nursery Review

Independent choices give Sandilands’ nursery its character: learning areas are refreshed with new materials and prompts so children have reasons to investigate, create and communicate. This is the school’s own nursery on Wendover Road in Wythenshawe, with entry from age three. It has a nursery building within the school setting, rather than a separate provider identity.

A 9am start and 3pm finish frame the nursery day, with lunch timetabled from 11.20am to 12.20pm. Within that structure, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning about numbers and literacy with movement, conversation, relationships, creativity and understanding the world. Play has a clear purpose. Children explore ideas, persist with challenges and decide how to approach activities.

Practical maths uses equipment, play and adult-led activities to develop number understanding. The early-years maths curriculum draws on the 2021 Development Matters document, with number language introduced from the beginning. Adults observe children during play as well as focused tasks, then use what they learn to plan subsequent teaching. That connects the next activity to the child’s current understanding.

Creative work combines activities children choose with those adults direct. Children investigate materials, experiment with colour and explain how they made something. Computing adds programmable toys such as Beebots, giving children a practical introduction to sequencing and solving problems. The PE Hub planning is adapted for early years, with dance, coordination and balance among its movement priorities.

Photograph displays give another concrete starting point: children talk about their own lives, families and experiences during carpet sessions. These are familiar subjects on which to build language. In March 2023, Ofsted found that the early-years curriculum addressed children’s interests and needs, including SEND.

Support sits within the school’s inclusion structure, which includes a full-time SENDCo. Its approach involves parents and external professionals, with early identification and adjustments to learning spaces among the stated practices. For a child needing additional help, that gives the family a route into discussions about individual support.

Preparation for starting school includes resources on toilet training, dressing and developing hand skills, alongside a welcome video and Transition eBook. These give parents concrete activities to work on before their child starts. Weekly school newsletters come through Class Dojo, while nursery topic mats set out vocabulary and questions for learning at home.

Lunch provision uses the school kitchen, where meals are cooked each day. Live Kitchen (School Grid) handles advance choices: hot meals, vegetarian dishes and sandwiches sit alongside fruit, salad and dessert options. Most special dietary requests can be accommodated through the school office. Advance ordering lets families discuss the choices with their child before lunchtime.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Reception admissions process and meet its deadline. Manchester’s local authority admissions team handles these applications, with an online route at www.manchester.gov.uk/admissions. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.

The school office arranges visits by telephone on 0161 973 6887. General enquiries can also go to admin@sandilands.manchester.sch.uk.

School uniform can be plain rather than logoed, provided its design and colours match the school requirements. The office also supports families seeking second-hand items through the clothes bank. For nursery families, this offers a practical way to prepare clothing before the first day.