Swinton Queen Primary School Nursery

Familiar stories and learning to put feelings into words give Swinton Queen’s early years provision its clearest character. The nursery belongs to Swinton Queen Primary School on Queen Street in Swinton, Mexborough, where the school’s age range begins at three. It is a school-based start to education, with nursery sessions identified as Foundation Stage 1.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 18 and 19 October 2022. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery. For parents, the useful detail is the emphasis on language, books and emotional understanding.

Two three-hour sessions shape Foundation Stage 1: mornings run from 8:45am to 11:45am, and afternoons from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. These give families distinct morning and afternoon patterns around which to organise the day.

Learning sits within the Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS. Here, the October 2022 findings describe a curriculum planned around the knowledge and vocabulary children need for their next steps. In parent terms, the emphasis is on building understanding and giving children words to express it.

Books provide a concrete example. In October 2022, adults regularly revisited familiar stories with early years children, encouraging their interest in reading. Returning to a tale gives children another opportunity to engage with its language. Across the school, Little Wandle is the phonics scheme, with a teaching sequence covering sounds and their written forms within EYFS.

Stories also have a role in emotional learning. In October 2022, early years adults used them to teach children how to identify feelings and give those feelings names. This connects books with everyday communication: finding a word for an emotion is a useful step towards explaining it to someone else.

For additional needs, families can contact the school’s special educational needs coordinator by telephone on 01709 570438 or by email at SENCO@sqp.wwpat.org. The school aims to support each child’s individual needs, including children with SEND. Parent communication uses Arbor, through either its browser-based Parent Portal or its app, giving families a direct channel for school messages.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Children do not move across automatically, and parents must make a separate application through the normal admissions process. Familiarity with the school and entitlement to a place are separate matters.

For the normal admissions round, families use their home local authority’s application form. Rotherham Council’s Education Admissions Office handles applications for a full-time school place, and Rotherham Local Authority sends the offer. Keep the Reception application separate from nursery arrangements.

For nursery enquiries, contact the administrative team at enquiries@sqp.wwpat.org or call 01709 570438. The school address is Queen Street, Swinton, Mexborough, S64 8NE. Use the Foundation Stage 1 session times when planning collection: the morning finishes at 11:45am and the afternoon at 3:15pm.