William Hulme's Grammar School Nursery

Welly Walks, Tasty Tuesday and a garden for growing give this nursery a character beyond its classroom. Play and conversation shape the learning, with daily outdoor opportunities extending it into the school grounds. This is the nursery within William Hulme's Grammar School's Primary Phase, on Spring Bridge Road in Manchester.

For September 2027, the nursery has 52 places for children born between 01 September 2023 and 31 August 2024. The school aims to develop independence and confidence through play. Children become familiar with school routines here, but choosing the nursery and securing a Reception place are separate decisions.

Children have daily opportunities both to choose their own play and to join activities directed by adults. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), alongside United Learning's early years curriculum, connects communication, physical development and relationships with early literacy, maths, creative work and understanding the world. In parent language, learning to explain an idea or manage a disagreement matters alongside learning about numbers.

Adults demonstrate new skills while playing with children, breaking learning into manageable steps through Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction. Visual prompts around the play areas help children attempt things independently. Daily Have a Go sessions encourage them to practise skills across the provision, rather than keeping to familiar activities. Nursery reading preparation includes listening for differences between everyday sounds and hearing texts that extend vocabulary.

Outdoors has a daily place in EYFS learning. Welly Walks link exploration of the grounds to the week's learning, while planting and harvesting in the garden give children practical experiences of living things. The school field also has a shelter called The lion's den, providing a base in wet weather. Planned early years experiences include observing a butterfly's life cycle and visiting a farm: concrete ways to connect conversation and play with the wider world.

Home visits for new nursery children help staff establish relationships with families and understand each child's experiences before planning their learning. That connection continues through daily conversations and photographs shared through Evidence Me. Parents can see what their child has been doing, giving them something specific to talk about together at home.

Little Lions gives nursery parents another way to participate. It runs one afternoon each week over six weeks, exploring imagination, communication, social awareness and fine motor development. Half-termly workshops also help families understand classroom learning and support it at home.

Staff talk children through emotions as situations arise, naming feelings and demonstrating ways to respond. Learning opportunities are adapted to children's needs and interests. Two SENDCOs work within the Primary Phase, and families can contact the SEND team at SEND@whgs-academy.org. Tasty Tuesday brings food into learning through preparing and tasting healthy foods.

A separate application matters. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, and there is no automatic transfer. Families seeking September 2027 Reception entry must apply through their home local authority using the Common Application Form by Friday 15 January 2027. Nursery families must complete that application too.

Familiarity with the school environment, expectations and routines is the nursery's stated preparation for the next stage. That practical familiarity should be understood separately from admission. The school aims to ease the move into primary education; families still need to secure a place through the Reception application process.

Nursery places for 2027/28 cover 25 hours each week, free of charge to parents. The nursery timetable gives an 8.40am start and a 3.10pm finish, with lunch between 11.00am and 12.00pm. These are distinct details to keep in view when planning family arrangements: the weekly place allocation and the school-day timetable.

Open sessions can be booked by emailing ppreception@whgs-academy.org. For general enquiries, contact enquiries@whgs-academy.org or telephone 0161 226 2054; admissions enquiries go to admissions@whgs-academy.org. Nursery applications can be completed online, with paper forms obtainable from the school office.