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Nursery at Westwood Academy
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Ten eggs hatching, playdough chicks and a Counting Club give Westwood Academy’s nursery a character built around stories, making and discovery. This is the academy’s own nursery in Oldham, within The Harmony Trust, with funded provision for three and four year olds. Its Middleton Road setting puts nursery learning within a primary school.
Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 14 and 15 May 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery. Communication was a clear strength: staff used everyday opportunities to develop children’s language, while nursery children practised recognising rhyme.
Stories lead into practical exploration. In May 2026, The Teeny Weeny Tadpole prompted nursery children to investigate how frogs develop, pretend to pond dip and mix paint colours to produce green. They assembled tadpoles from materials and folded paper frogs. A single story became a starting point for talking, exploring colour and working with their hands.
Earlier that month, a delivery of 10 eggs allowed children to watch chicks hatch. They made a chick display, modelled chicks in playdough and used 2D shapes to create more, naming shapes during play. These examples make the early years foundation stage (EYFS) experience concrete for parents: learning about living things sits alongside creative work and mathematical language.
In May 2026, nursery children were taking part in Counting Club each week. They practised counting collections of objects, saying numbers in sequence and recording them on a 5 frame. The emphasis is on handling quantities as well as reciting numbers.
Early phonics combines songs, music, shared books, group activities and making marks. Phase 1 begins in September of the nursery year; Phase 2 letter sounds follow when appropriate. EYFS children also have three daily read-alouds, drawing on poems, stories, factual texts and nursery rhymes. Books go home for families to share from September, extending that reading routine beyond the session.
A daily snack is included in each session. Where applicable, families may contribute voluntarily towards it. This gives snack provision a clear place in the nursery routine.
Parents receive weekly nursery updates through the Spider App, with pictures, videos and dates for school events. These offer useful prompts for conversations about what children have been doing, from counting collections to making frogs.
For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the class teacher and SEND coordinator provide routes for discussing progress and concerns. Individual plan targets are reviewed with parents each term, helping families connect support at school with strategies at home. Across the academy, staff training includes the speech and language interventions Wellcomm, Blast! and Elklan.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Westwood Academy. Families should treat Reception as a separate application, using the normal admissions route and meeting its deadline. A nursery place should therefore be chosen for the experience it offers now, rather than as assurance of a later place.
For pupils with SEND, transition planning involves communication between teachers, parents and the SEND coordinator. This supports continuity of care and learning; it is separate from the allocation of a Reception place.
Morning sessions run from 08:30 to 11:30; afternoon sessions run from 12:15 to 15:15. These are distinct three-hour sessions, so the morning finish and afternoon start matter when planning family arrangements.
The universal entitlement is 15 funded hours each week, during term time, starting in the term after a child turns three. For a 30-hour funded place, parents must register through GOV.UK and supply a valid eligibility code, reconfirming it regularly. The academy cannot retain the place if eligibility remains unconfirmed.
Nursery enquiries and applications go directly to the academy office, which can be contacted at info@westwood.theharmonytrust.org. Children wear academy uniform, and clothing should be labelled. The uniform combines a green sweatshirt with a white top and grey or black bottoms, making those colours useful starting points when preparing for nursery.
The morning session is 08:30 to 11:30, and the afternoon session is 12:15 to 15:15.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Westwood Academy. Families should make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process.
The 15-hour universal entitlement begins in the term after a child’s third birthday and applies during term time. A 30-hour funded place requires a valid eligibility code that parents regularly reconfirm.
Activities include early phonics through songs and shared reading, alongside creative exploration. In May 2026, children took part in Counting Club each week, watched chicks hatch and used The Teeny Weeny Tadpole to explore frogs and their life cycle.
Weekly nursery updates appear through the Spider App, including pictures, videos and school event dates. Parents can also discuss SEND concerns and progress with the class teacher or SEND coordinator.
