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Nursery at Riverside Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Colour mixing, drawing faces and discovering how things work give Riverside’s nursery curriculum a practical character. This is the nursery provision within Riverside Primary School on Minton Lane, North Shields, with learning organised through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Creative activities connect with the half-term’s themes rather than standing apart from them.
Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 2 and 3 July 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery inspection. The useful detail for parents is the emphasis on learning in manageable steps, including early number understanding.
The EYFS gives creative work a learning purpose. Expressive Arts and Design includes experimenting with colour and developing drawings from simple enclosed shapes into more detailed representations. A face, for example, becomes an opportunity to add features and communicate an idea. Children also use pictures to express feelings or suggest movement and sound, giving them ways to communicate beyond spoken language.
Design and technology draws on Understanding the World as well as creative learning. Children investigate how things function, experiment with materials and work together on creations. Sharing resources and discussing ideas are part of that process. Returning to an earlier creation allows children to change their thinking and develop an idea further.
In July 2024, early years learning had a clear sequence of small steps. Children worked on counting and understanding numbers, with adults choosing mathematical language deliberately to help concepts make sense. For parents, the distinction is useful: number learning involves understanding what numbers mean as well as saying them aloud.
Support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) includes the early years. In July 2024, staff understood children’s individual needs and adjusted teaching so that children requiring support could participate in learning alongside their peers. The emphasis is on access to the learning, with the delivery adapted to the child.
Breakfast Club provides a concrete food option for nursery children. Supported by the Greggs foundation, it serves fruit, bagels, cereal and toast, with water, milk or juice. Children eat in the school hall, so this is a shared school provision rather than a nursery-only meal arrangement.
Attending Riverside’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Riverside’s admissions page directs families to North Tyneside Council’s online school application route. Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as two separate steps in your planning.
For children using their early years entitlement in nursery, there are no chargeable extras. This makes the condition important: the statement applies to that entitlement provision.
Breakfast Club is free for children attending Riverside, including nursery children. It begins at 8:20am; its doors shut at 8:40am. Joining requires an application form from the main school office. The earlier start may help families organise the morning.
Visits can be arranged through the school office. Contact office@riversideprimary.org.uk or call 0191 2963586 to arrange one or make an enquiry.
The EYFS curriculum includes drawing, colour mixing, exploring materials and investigating how things work. Early years mathematics includes counting and understanding numbers.
Early years provision was graded Good at the school inspection on 2 and 3 July 2024. This was a school inspection, not a separate nursery inspection.
Yes. Nursery children can attend the free Breakfast Club in the school hall. It starts at 8:20am, with doors closing at 8:40am. Apply using a form from the main school office.
There are no chargeable extras for children accessing their early years entitlement in nursery.
No. A separate Reception application is required through the normal admissions process. Riverside directs families to North Tyneside Council’s online school application route.
