Brinsley Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Pretend vets, animal vocabulary and nursery rhymes give Brinsley’s nursery a clear emphasis: learning to communicate through play. Owls, the school’s Foundation Stage 1 class, takes children from the term following their third birthday. Families can choose shorter sessions or a full day with lunch, making the provision adaptable to different weekly routines.

Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 21 and 22 March 2023. The nursery example was specific: an adult extended children’s language while they played at treating animals. That puts conversation into an activity children already want to join.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning described here combines language, early number work, physical development and personal skills. Adult-planned activities sit alongside play initiated by children, indoors and outside. Songs, stories and imaginative play give children opportunities to practise speaking and listening rather than treating language as a separate exercise.

Twinkl provides the phonics approach. In Owls, Level one focuses on listening: sounds made by instruments, voices and the surroundings, alongside rhyme and body percussion. This gives children practice in hearing differences and patterns before moving towards blending and separating sounds. Nursery rhymes also link classroom learning with singing at home.

Number activities include recognising numerals, counting and exploring how numbers are made up. One topic example connects triangles with the number 3. SCARF sessions address personal, social and emotional development, with Keeping Safe among the themes. These are practical starting points for talking about everyday experiences.

Movement has named activities too: Dough Disco and Squiggle While you Wiggle accompany work on smaller hand movements and larger physical skills. Friday welly walks extend outdoor learning. Thursday library visits let children choose a book to share at home, giving families something concrete to read together. Beside the carpet area, a table and display show the current nursery rhyme, keeping familiar language visible within the classroom.

Class Dojo carries updates about nursery activities and forthcoming events. A WOW board in the cloakroom gives families another way to share achievements from home, so conversations about a child can include experiences beyond the classroom. Support information also covers potty training and moving away from bottles and dummies.

For children staying through lunch, nursery lunchtime runs from 11:30am to 12:20pm. Children can have a cooked meal or bring sandwiches; meals are eaten in the dining hall. Foundation children are included in the fruit and vegetable scheme. This makes food part of the practical decision about a full day.

Parents or staff can raise concerns about special educational needs. The school uses a graduated approach to support, and families can contact the SENCo at senco@brinsley.notts.sch.uk to arrange an appointment. This provides a direct route for discussing individual needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Nottinghamshire County Council school admissions route and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year. Treat choosing nursery sessions and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

Full days run from 8:30am to 3:20pm. Half-day choices are 8:30am to 11:30am or 12:20pm to 3:20pm, with flexibility over attendance days. Both 15 and 30 funded hours are accepted. Nursery children can also use breakfast and after-school care, extending the options around the nursery session.

Contact office19@brinsley.notts.sch.uk to arrange a visit and meet the team. Ask the school for current session, meal and wraparound charges when planning the overall booking.