Hillside Primary and Nursery School Nursery Review

Fred the RWI frog, number rhymes and colour mixing give Hillside’s nursery a practical, playful character. Children choose activities that interest them, while adults introduce ideas and guide learning. This is nursery provision within Hillside Primary and Nursery School in Hucknall, where the school’s age range starts at three.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 17 and 18 May 2022. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Play and planned teaching work together here. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum combines activities children start themselves with experiences introduced or led by adults. For parents, that means learning includes conversation, movement, relationships and independence alongside early reading, writing and maths. Exploring people and nature, making art and joining musical activities also have a place.

Reading begins with listening and talking. Nursery children hear stories, develop vocabulary through play and practise putting spoken sounds together through Fred games with the RWI frog. They also meet RWI pictures and connect them with letters and sounds. These activities give early reading a concrete starting point: hearing how a word works before trying to read it. In May 2022, nursery phonics formed part of teaching that was organised into clear steps.

Maths is similarly hands-on. Number rhymes use puppets and props; children work towards recognising small quantities immediately, rather than counting each object. Matching objects to numerals and comparing amounts make number ideas tangible. Shape, capacity and words describing position are explored through play, so mathematical language has uses beyond a taught activity.

Creative work includes making marks, drawing people, experimenting with mixed colours and choosing materials to express ideas. Scissors and rolling pins feature in the nursery learning goals, linking making things with control of small tools. Physical learning includes balancing, ball skills and movement sequences. Musical statues gives holding a pose a playful purpose; games also introduce following an instruction and sharing resources with adult help.

Relationships and growing independence are part of the curriculum. Children work on understanding their feelings and relating positively to others, while supported games give them opportunities to practise taking turns. This connects social learning with things children actually do together.

For families discussing special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the school’s SENCO can be contacted at senco@hillsideprimary.com. That provides a direct route for a conversation about a child’s needs.

Attending Hillside’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority in the normal admissions round, by the national primary deadline of 15 January. Nursery attendance and a Reception offer are separate decisions.

For Nottinghamshire families, the application route is Nottinghamshire County Council’s admissions service. Applications can be submitted online, by post or by telephone. Keep the Reception application deadline in your calendar even while your child attends nursery.

The nursery is at Hillside Primary and Nursery School, Roberts Lane, Hucknall, NG15 6LW. General enquiries go to the office team at office@hillsideprimary.com or 0115 8401477; the team can answer questions or connect families with the appropriate colleague. Families can also book a school visit.