Selston Church of England Infant and Nursery School: Nursery Review

Books and learning through play give Selston’s nursery its character, with provision that includes two-year-olds within a Church of England infant school. This is an introduction to learning through stories, conversation and shared activity. For a young child, those are practical starting points: listening, joining in and learning alongside other children.

Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Good at its inspection on 14 and 15 January 2025. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating. The nursery-specific findings included children becoming comfortable quickly and benefiting from attentive care, useful reassurance for families considering an early start.

Stories give learning a clear thread. In January 2025, children encountered books from the beginning of early years, and stories helped make curriculum content understandable and enjoyable. Reading therefore serves a wider purpose than preparation for decoding words: it gives children a way into ideas and conversation. The emphasis is on making learning accessible through something young children can engage with.

Play also has a teaching purpose. Adults understand how to help early years children learn while playing and work together with others. In plain parent language, the early years foundation stage here involves learning through interaction and activity, with adult support to extend what children understand. Collaboration is part of that process, so playing together becomes an opportunity to practise working with someone else.

Challenge and next steps. In January 2025, some early years children were ready to tackle further learning but were not moved forward promptly enough. Matching learning more closely to each child’s development was an improvement priority. Families should weigh that concern alongside the positive findings about stories and play: engagement matters, but so does extending a child who is ready.

Settling was a strength in January 2025. Young children adjusted promptly, and the care provided by nursery staff helped them do well. That finding matters especially for families choosing provision for a two-year-old, when becoming comfortable with adults and the setting is a substantial part of the experience.

Staffing includes a nursery teacher and an early years lead. The acting headteacher also holds the special educational needs coordinator role, while a speech and language lead provides a specific point of responsibility for communication. These roles give families identifiable areas of responsibility when discussing their child’s learning or support needs.

Attending Selston’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal school admissions process; nursery attendance should not be treated as securing the next place.

The application route is Nottinghamshire County Council. For September 2026 entry, the application window ran from 3 November 2025 to 15 January 2026. That cycle has passed. Keep the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions, with the relevant admissions timetable governing the latter.

The nursery is at the school on Nottingham Road, Selston, NG16 6DH. Enquiries go through the school office on 01773 780131 or office@selston.snmat.org.uk. This gives prospective parents a direct contact for starting the nursery enquiry process.