Drapers Mills Primary Academy Nursery Review

Mark making and Mighty Muscles give the early years provision at Drapers Mills Primary Academy a practical starting point: children have opportunities to make marks while exercises develop the hand and arm strength used for writing. The emphasis begins with the physical foundations.

The nursery belongs to the primary academy on St Peter's Footpath in Margate. For families considering it, the useful distinction is between joining this early provision and applying later for a school place. Those are separate decisions.

Early writing starts with opportunities for mark making. Mighty Muscles adds hand strengthening exercises in Early Years, connecting the movements children practise with the physical skills involved in handwriting. This gives parents a concrete picture of one part of early learning: making marks and developing control, rather than judging progress only by finished writing.

Across the school, Talk for Writing uses spoken rehearsal before children put their ideas into writing. Activities work with stories, characters and situations, with children moving from imitation towards creating their own versions. This is the school's wider writing approach; the early years detail is the combination of mark making and physical preparation. The school also encourages children to express their own voice as authors.

For additional needs, the school's support includes speech and language work, coordination activities and social skills interventions. Support can be organised for an individual or a group according to their needs. Parents can request a discussion with the Inclusion Manager through the office, giving families a clear route for raising concerns about their child.

A sensory room provides a concrete physical resource on the school site. Main Sands is an additional classroom for pupils with emotional, social and developmental difficulties. These are school facilities, rather than promises about an individual nursery child's timetable or placement. The school works with outside agencies and seeks specialist advice for children with complex needs.

Safeguarding concerns can be sent directly to dsl@dmpa-tkat.org. Families are asked to tell the team about circumstances outside school that could affect their child during the day. That makes the contact useful for sharing concerns as well as reporting an incident.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Kent County Council's online primary school application route, within the relevant application period.

Application dates change each year, so check the current Kent County Council timetable before applying. Treat the Reception application as a separate task in your family calendar, even if your child already attends the nursery. If a school named in your application cannot offer a place, you can appeal; accepting the place offered does not affect that appeal.

The office can be contacted on 01843 223989 or at office@dmpa-tkat.org. A school tour can be booked using a booking form, providing a direct way to arrange a look at the setting before making a decision.

For conversations about additional needs, request an Inclusion Manager appointment through the same office. Safeguarding has its own email route, so families can direct a concern to the relevant team. Keeping these contacts distinct makes it easier to reach the right people: the office for enquiries and appointments, and the safeguarding team for worries about a child's safety or welfare.