The Flying High Academy Nursery Review

Chalk outdoors, stories told from pictures and games with sounds give Foundation 1 its character. This is The Flying High Academy's nursery for children aged 3–4, at Somersall Street in Mansfield. There is a morning class and an afternoon class, alongside all-day places for children taking 30 hours.

Language and physical activity connect much of the learning. Children practise the movements needed for writing through play, while books and conversation give them ideas to express. For parents, that means early literacy includes talking, listening and movement as well as making marks.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) work brings physical development and language together. Threading and playdough exercise fingers; balancing, climbing and dancing involve bigger movements. Children experiment with marks using sand, outdoor chalk and large paintbrushes. These are practical preparations for handling a pencil, with several ways to participate before writing words.

Books, signs, labels and props for storytelling form part of the learning environment. Wordless books are used individually and with small groups: children examine illustrations, invent a story and describe what is happening. Adults introduce vocabulary and demonstrate how to use it. Daily poems, action songs and nursery rhymes add repeated practice in listening and remembering.

Super Sounds is the nursery's pre-phonics programme. Games, stories and songs draw attention to everyday noises, rhyme and rhythm, preparing children to distinguish sounds in language. Maths also happens through play and small groups. The Partnership-designed nursery curriculum covers patterns, counting, comparisons and spatial understanding, so number work sits alongside shape and mathematical language.

Seasonal enquiry gives these activities a wider context. Autumn's What is my story? explores birthdays, family occasions and celebrations including Diwali and Eid. Spring's Where will our travels take us? uses photographs and stories to compare England with Brazil, starting from children's understanding of Mansfield. Familiar experiences become starting points for discussing time, place and different traditions.

In January 2022, Ofsted found that mathematics was taught well across the early years, with learning broken into planned steps. This is an early-years finding rather than a separate nursery grade.

Families can contact the school's SEND team through Dojo, the office email or by telephone. That gives parents a direct route for discussing additional needs. The school aims to support children as individuals and give those with special educational needs and disabilities the same opportunities as their peers.

For children attending the 30-hour nursery provision, school meals carry a charge. Families can alternate packed lunches with school dinners. Meal choices include jacket potatoes, and the catering arrangements accommodate vegan, vegetarian and allergy-specific diets. Fruit can replace pudding. These options give families some flexibility around food preferences and dietary needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate application through Nottinghamshire County Council's normal admissions route, even when their child already attends Foundation 1.

For the 2027–2028 admissions cycle, the application deadline is 15 January 2027 and offer day is 16 April 2027. Treat that application as a separate task in the family calendar: choosing the nursery does not complete it.

Morning sessions run from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoons run from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. The all-day pattern for 30-hour places is 8:45am to 3:15pm. Funding covers 15 hours for all children aged 3–4, with 30 funded hours for eligible working families.

For morning drop-off, gates open at 8:35am and close at 8:45am, when the session starts. Foundation 1 children wear PE kit on Fridays.

Nursery applications can be made online, or families can request a paper form from the office. Visits can also be arranged through the office: call 01623 415790 or email office@ladybrookfha.org. Contact the school for current meal charges.