Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy Nursery

Woodland exploration and curiosity give the nursery at Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy its character. Forest Friends uses woodland and wild space for children’s own investigations, while aspects of a curiosity approach encourage them to explore questions and develop ideas. There is room to follow an interest.

The school’s nursery is called Foundation 1, or F1, and serves children aged three and four. Children can join in the term following their third birthday. Staffing supports 26 children in F1, with separate afternoon and morning sessions each day. The school also offers pre-school provision for two-year-olds, giving families an earlier starting point within its early years unit.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, developing movement and building relationships. Alongside those foundations, children explore numbers, literacy, creative expression and the world around them. Playing, persevering and working out their own ideas are part of how they learn, rather than separate activities added to the curriculum.

Flying High Partnership Key Knowledge Progression Documents help organise the sequence of learning. The curiosity approach adds an emphasis on investigation: children explore something that interests them, consider possibilities and work towards their own explanations. Forest Friends takes that exploration outdoors into the woodland and wild space, using the senses to investigate nature. For parents, the distinction is practical: outdoor learning involves children pursuing discoveries themselves.

In July 2024, Ofsted found a very strong beginning to children’s early years education. Adults introduced vocabulary and prompted children to use complete sentences, extending language through play. Staff joined children’s explorations sensitively, keeping learning moving while allowing the play to continue. Outdoor equipment supported the development of larger movements, and the planned environment gave children opportunities to revisit skills.

In July 2024, relationships in the early years combined warmth with high expectations. That combination matters for young children: adult interaction supports both their confidence and their learning.

Additional needs are supported through the school’s SEND arrangements. Learning tasks are adapted to the learner, and parents of children on the SEND register are invited to review support and targets with the class teacher three times a year. This gives families regular opportunities to discuss the help their child receives.

For school lunches, children can choose a packed lunch or a hot meal, changing their choice each day. Nottinghamshire County Council supplies the school meal service.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. The school manages nursery applications, but families must make a separate application for primary school through their home local authority. The normal primary application deadline is 15 January. Treat that application as a separate task, even when your child already attends F1.

Transition support and admission are different matters. A school transition coordinator organises visits and information sharing when children join or leave, with additional visits for those who need them. These arrangements support familiarity; they do not secure a place.

The 15-hour F1 pattern runs across Monday to Friday in term time, with children allocated either 8.45am to 11.45am or 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Families therefore use a daily session pattern.

Eligible children can attend both sessions using 30 funded hours. Lunchtime sits outside those funded sessions, and a daily Lunch Club charge covers supervision. Families must have their code validated by the office before starting and reconfirm eligibility through their Government Childcare account. Additional paid sessions are possible for children entitled to 15 hours, subject to space. Contact the school for current charges.

To enquire about F1 or arrange a visit, telephone 01623 870772. Report nursery absence to the office before 9am by phone, rather than through Class Dojo or Facebook.