Sunny Brow Nursery School: woodland learning and the nursery day

The Listening Tree and The Stop Tree give Sunny Brow’s woodland learning a distinctive shape: children pause to listen, then learn where exploration must stop. Outdoor play has a clear place in the day. This maintained nursery school occupies a historic house in Archer Park, Middleton, and provides morning or full-day places for children aged three and four.

Sunny Brow is a nursery school in its own right. Children generally attend for three terms before moving to primary school, although some places extend to four or five terms. Alongside the headteacher, a teacher works full time with the class; another provides part-time cover for planning and SEND coordinator duties.

At 9am, the session opens with activities that can include numeracy, phonics, yoga, peer massage and French. From 9.15am, children either join a teacher-directed activity or choose their own play, indoors or outside. Almost two hours are set aside before the next whole-class lesson at 11.10am. That gives children time to stay with an activity rather than repeatedly switch tasks. Afternoon learning follows children’s choices and develops the morning’s work.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently, alongside early reading, number work and creative activities. Learning takes place outside as well as inside each day. Forest School sessions run on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year. The woodland supports den building, climbing and searches beneath logs; The Listening Tree encourages attention to sounds, while The Stop Tree establishes boundaries.

The November 2024 inspection described successful language learning, frequent storytelling and carefully introduced outdoor risks. Children extended their vocabulary through words connected with woodland learning; supervised knife use depended on readiness in the summer term, and campfire activities included explicit safety teaching. Curriculum planning. Some essential knowledge needed clearer planning, and improvement priorities needed sharper definition. Those were the two areas requiring further work, tempering the positive picture of children’s learning.

Teachers hold qualified teacher status and postgraduate teaching qualifications; support staff have qualifications at a minimum of Level 3. Staff learn about children’s interests and development, using checks on learning to recognise SEND and provide support. In November 2024, this identification and support were effective, children felt safe, and safeguarding arrangements were effective.

During the session, children can have crackers, fruit or cheese, with milk or water. Regular newsletters reach parents by email and are also placed on the website; printed copies can be requested. This gives families a continuing account of nursery activities. Teaching and support staff have first-aid training, and the first half-term includes teaching children to recognise outdoor risks.

Attendance at Sunny Brow does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal primary admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and choosing a primary school as separate decisions.

The nursery curriculum prepares children through practice in communication, managing feelings, physical coordination and early literacy. These skills provide foundations for learning at primary school.

Morning places run from 9am to noon; full-day places run from 9am to 3pm for children eligible for the extended funded offer. Provision is term time. Universal funding begins in the term after a child’s third birthday and provides 15 hours weekly; eligible children can receive another 15 hours through Working Families funding.

A self-funded early start begins at 8am, and an after-school session runs from 3pm to 4pm. Government-funded hours cannot cover these sessions. Limited additional time may be available to purchase for families using only universal hours; check availability with the office. Ask the office for current charges for these extras. Enquiries go to office@sunnybrow.rochdale.sch.uk or 0161 643 3306. Nursery applications can be emailed or delivered on paper. Morning collection is at noon, and access during teaching hours uses the office intercom. Bring wellies for Forest School; waterproofs are provided when needed.