Brocklewood Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Play, conversation and early number work shape Brocklewood’s nursery provision, with three-hour sessions offering a shorter day and funded full-day places offering another pattern. Children can join from age 3. This is the nursery within Brocklewood Primary and Nursery School, on Fircroft Avenue in Bilborough, Nottingham.

The balance is between children learning through play and adults guiding early literacy and numeracy activities. That gives families a school nursery where play remains part of the learning, alongside an introduction to more directed tasks.

Language has a clear place in the day. In March 2023, Ofsted found that nursery activities used imagination to build children’s spoken language and vocabulary. The early years curriculum also supported children to stay absorbed in purposeful tasks. These findings give substance to the combination of play and adult guidance.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning described here includes phonics and practical mathematical language. A bear hunt, for example, helped children understand positional words such as inside and under. Numbers and language become things to explore through an activity, rather than simply repeat.

Literary Tree’s The Literary Curriculum provides the writing approach across EYFS and the school. Books are the starting point for teaching. In the Foundation Stage, children practise expressing themselves in sentences and giving meaning to the marks they make, connecting spoken ideas with the beginnings of writing.

Outdoor opportunities sit within the wider school grounds. Forest School is offered to all pupils, with a trained practitioner, while the wildflower area, Boats Quad and Community Garden provide other green spaces. The school describes Forest School as a way to develop independence and confidence through practical experiences outdoors. These are opportunities for learning beyond indoor activities.

Settling begins with introductory sessions. Introductory sessions help children become familiar with the nursery surroundings and staff, giving the start a practical focus on familiarity. In March 2023, relationships in early years were characterised by warmth and positive adult interactions.

For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Brocklewood welcomes nursery pupils and says it adapts provision to individual needs. Families can contact the school’s special educational needs coordinator through the office, providing a direct route for discussing support.

Class Dojo supports communication between teachers and parents across the school, including activity updates and messages. A conversation with the teacher remains the recommended route: messages sent through the app may receive no reply. During school hours, safeguarding concerns can be raised through the office with the designated safeguarding team.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Nottingham City Council; joining the nursery is a different decision from securing a school place.

For entry in September 2027, the application deadline is 15 January 2027. Online applications are encouraged, with a paper School Common Application Form route also offered to Nottingham City residents. Keep that application separate from nursery paperwork so that familiarity with Brocklewood does not become an assumption about admission.

Morning nursery runs from 8.30am to 11.30am, and the afternoon session from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. Each lasts three hours. Full-day places are for families who qualify for 30 funded hours, so that eligibility condition matters when choosing a pattern.

To enquire, contact the school office on 0115 915 3272. Nursery application forms come from the office, which can also arrange a visit. At collection, parents wait by the main reception entrance until nursery staff come to meet them, helping keep the reception area quieter and less congested.