Lingfield Primary School Nursery Review

Shortbread, homemade stories and an obstacle course give Lingfield Nursery’s curriculum a concrete character. These are learning goals children work towards, alongside making models in the Workshop Area and creating a book about their family. Play has a purpose here.

For children aged 3 to 4, this is the nursery within Lingfield Primary School on Buxton Avenue in Marton, Middlesbrough. It belongs to the school’s Foundation Stage, with indoor and outdoor spaces supporting both activities guided by adults and play children choose themselves.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes the learning. Its starting points are conversation, movement, relationships and managing feelings; literacy, number work, exploring the world and creative expression build on those foundations. Lingfield’s own Early Years Curriculum uses Observation Checkpoints to spot where a child needs additional help. Adults observe children and use what they notice to plan experiences around their needs.

The goals make that framework easier to picture. Following a shortbread recipe brings instructions into a practical activity. Building an obstacle course puts movement alongside children’s own ideas. In the Workshop Area, model-making gives children a reason to explore materials and tools. Storytelling and inventing a dance give language and expression their own space. These are curriculum ambitions rather than a fixed daily timetable.

Learning spaces change with the stories being explored and with children’s developing interests and skills. Outdoors forms part of the learning environment, rather than being described solely as somewhere to play between activities. Nursery children have also visited Hall Hill Farm, where they handled and fed animals with parents and grandparents joining the trip. That is a tangible example of exploring living things beyond the classroom.

Early reading uses the Little Wandle Phonics Programme. Nursery learning also includes rhymes, noticing sounds within words, oral blending and making marks, while mathematics involves comparing amounts, exploring shapes and recognising patterns. The emphasis is on things children can say, handle and try.

Adults help children settle and support their learning and development. Milestones are recorded in Early Years Books, giving their progress a continuing record. Teachers also share curriculum updates each term, helping parents understand the learning ahead.

For children with SEND, the school uses Assess, Plan, Do, Review, with support reviewed at least three times a year. Parents receive copies of support plans and can contribute their views. Speech and Language therapy, Occupational therapy and STARS (Sensory Teaching Advisory Resource Service) are among the specialist services the school works with. This gives families a route from an initial concern to planned support and review.

Across the school, teachers have qualified teacher status and teaching assistants hold at least a Level 2 qualification. A therapy room provides space for quieter work or regulation breaks; access is identified by the SENDCO, so its use depends on the child’s needs.

A nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place at Lingfield. Parents must make a separate school application through Middlesbrough’s coordinated admissions process, following the normal application deadline. Treat choosing nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

For children with SEND, transition support can include extra classroom visits, meeting the teacher, visual timetables, social stories and transition booklets. These arrangements are tailored to individual needs and help children prepare for changing routines. They concern preparation, not allocation of a school place.

Morning nursery runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; the afternoon session is 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Lingfield also offers 30-hour places for children whose parents work 16 hours or more per week, subject to funding eligibility, for 38 weeks during term time. Eligibility must be reconfirmed every three months.

Extended hours. The nursery placement totals 32.5 hours a week, while funding covers up to 30 hours. The additional hours attract a charge, paid through Arbor. Ask the school for current charges before committing to this pattern.

Nursery enquiries go to the school office on 01642 319918. Parents and carers can arrange a school visit through the office, giving families a practical first step towards considering the provision.