Forest Town Primary School Nursery Review

Stories told with props, seeds planted and percussion instruments explored: Acorn, Forest Town Primary School’s nursery, gives its youngest children a practical introduction to learning. Known as Foundation One (F1), it serves three and four year olds before full-time school. Children can join after their third birthday, with entry grouped by birthday and school term.

The nursery sits within the school’s early years provision. Its curriculum combines activities led by adults with play children choose themselves, giving both a place in the session rather than treating play as a break from learning.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, physical development, relationships, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. Here, the school aims to make learning Language Rich and Experiential: books and conversation sit alongside practical exploration. Topics change with each cohort’s interests, so the content can respond to what engages the children.

For nursery children, language work includes using props to tell stories, taking turns in conversation and singing songs and rhymes. Early literacy involves noticing rhyming words, clapping syllables and attempting name writing. These activities introduce children to sounds and print.

Mathematics is similarly tangible. Children practise matching quantities to numerals up to five, compare amounts and explore shapes through construction. Planting seeds and investigating floating and sinking connect new vocabulary with things children can observe. Creative work includes experimenting with dough and clay, while claves, a cabasa and finger cymbals introduce different ways of making sound.

A large Foundation Unit outdoor area gives outdoor learning its own space. Nursery physical activities include balancing, riding bikes and playing with balls, alongside using scissors and practising pencil control. The combination gives children opportunities to work with both large movements and small, precise actions.

Independence is part of the nursery curriculum. Children learn about hand washing and toileting, practise buttons and zips, and discuss fruit and vegetables. Sharing food fairly at snack time also connects everyday routines with early mathematics.

Emotional learning is explicit too: children practise describing feelings, sharing and taking turns, and talking through problems in play. The school aims for children to recognise differences between families and begin to understand other people’s feelings. These goals put relationships alongside practical self-care.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority using the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year.

For the 2027/28 intake, attending Acorn gives no Reception admissions priority. Allocation depends on the school’s admission criteria, rather than time spent in nursery. Families should therefore plan the Reception application separately from their nursery arrangements.

Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoon sessions run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Each lasts three hours, with the standard provision linked to 15 funded hours per week for three year olds. The choice matters for families fitting nursery around other commitments.

Extended F1 provision above that entitlement depends on places being available. Families can use supplementary paid sessions or apply for 30 hours funding; those who are not eligible for that funding must pay in advance. Contact the school for current charges. Enquiries can go to the school office on 01623 477211 or office@foresttownprimaryschool.co.uk.