Pinxton Nursery School: Maintained Nursery Review

Chickens in the garden, Dough Disco indoors and a choice of where to play give Pinxton’s maintained nursery its character. This is the provision for three- and four-year-olds at Pinxton Nursery School on Kirkstead Road, distinct from its CIC childcare for younger children. Children can join from the term following their third birthday.

The maintained team includes a nursery teacher, nursery nurses, a specialist SEN nursery nurse and a Forest School lead. That structure brings teaching, additional support and outdoor learning into the same provision.

Choice shapes much of the session. Children post their name card, select an activity and later move between the room and garden. Resources remain accessible while staff add activities around children’s interests. Indoors, construction, pretend play and a reading space sit alongside opportunities to make marks and work with numbers. Outside, children can care for chickens, experiment in the mud kitchen, ride bikes or climb.

Dough Disco uses movements with playdough and music to prepare hands for writing. Later, Squiggle Time moves from larger movements to drawing shapes with crayons. These are practical ways of building the physical control behind early writing. Story sessions combine a book, an activity and a song; the weekly teaching pattern includes phonics, mathematics and Tales Toolkit. Singing closes the session, with children helping choose songs.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers learning, development, care and safety. Birth to Five Matters guides staff in identifying children’s next steps, recognising that development proceeds at different rates. Forest Schools takes learning into the outdoor area behind the nursery. Thursday story sessions also include choosing a library book to take home, with another opportunity for children who do not attend that day. Books therefore connect nursery activity with reading at home.

Each child has a key worker who works with their family. Home visits and parent meetings help staff understand children’s circumstances and adapt provision. A fortnightly topic newsletter supplies song words and ideas for continuing learning at home.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children settled readily, formed close relationships with their key persons and played cooperatively; safeguarding was effective. The same inspection identified uneven adult interaction and a need for further training, including support for children learning English as an additional language, because a small minority were accessing learning less successfully. Consistency of support is a practical point for families to discuss.

For children with SEND, key workers provide individual or small-group support, with review meetings at least once a term. Speech therapists’ assessments and programmes inform support, and parents can have consultations. During free play, children choose a snack and drink; staff follow up with those who have not helped themselves. Meals are cooked at nursery, making food part of the day rather than an entirely separate arrangement.

Attending Pinxton’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions route. The nursery directs parents to Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire’s application services, according to the relevant authority.

Transition activities serve a different purpose: familiarity. Staff from John King Infant Academy and Longwood Infant Academy visit nursery and teach songs children will encounter at school. These contacts help children recognise something of their next setting; they do not secure admission.

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am, and afternoon sessions from 12.45pm to 3.45pm. Each has a half-hour window for both drop-off and collection. Lunch occupies 11.45am to 12.45pm. Breakfast provision from 7.30am and teatime care until 5.45pm take place in the CIC nursery.

The universal funded offer is 15 hours a week from the term after a child turns three, over 38 term-time weeks. Eligible children can receive 30 funded hours after eligibility-code validation, beginning the term after the code’s start date. Families should check the nursery’s code deadlines for their intended starting term. A stretched option provides 22 funded hours weekly across 50 weeks, with some care delivered by the CIC outside school sessions and terms. Additional sessions can be added; current charges should be obtained from the nursery.

To enquire or arrange a visit, telephone 01773 863105. Parents requesting a place give their preferred sessions alongside contact details and information about health, allergies or additional needs.