Kirkby Thore School Nursery Review

Acorns brings nursery children together with Reception and Year 1, giving Kirkby Thore School’s youngest children a mixed-age class rather than a separate nursery group. Children can start in the term following their third birthday, with entry points in January, April and September. The shared class is the defining feature here: nursery life takes place alongside children already attending school.

The current school, URN 150507, has no Ofsted graded rating yet. The March 2023 judgement discussed below concerns Kirkby Thore School under URN 112181, whose early-years provision was graded Inadequate. That distinction matters when weighing the nursery’s inspection history.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning. For children, this includes building vocabulary and communication through purposeful conversation, while early phonics develops their understanding of letters and sounds for reading. Little Learners, a stay-and-play group involving the nursery and Reception class, includes stories, craft activities and messy play. The school aims to respond to children’s developing interests through these activities. For families getting to know Acorns, this offers a practical introduction to its approach to play and learning.

Acorns also had a Woof on the Roads road-safety workshop on 3 November 2025. This is a specific example of learning linked to everyday safety, rather than evidence of a recurring nursery activity.

Teaching needs careful consideration. In March 2023, early-years learning lacked a clear sequence of knowledge, and children’s grasp of letters and sounds developed too slowly. During February 2024 monitoring, children in early years were learning phonics securely and reading books matched to the sounds they knew.

Other weaknesses remained in February 2024. Despite work on the learning environment, the curriculum still left children’s intended learning unclear. Children lost focus and missed chances to build language through purposeful conversation. For parents, the key issue is how adults turn play into sustained talk and planned learning across the day.

Free sessions before starting nursery give children a chance to become familiar with the setting. Families can request these through the school office. This makes settling a process that can begin before the first booked nursery session.

Safeguarding also requires a dated reading. In March 2023, responses to welfare concerns and record-keeping were inadequate. By February 2024, safeguarding was effective, with clear procedures for staff to recognise, report and document concerns. This was a school-wide finding, relevant to the care arrangements surrounding the nursery; it was not a separate nursery grade.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Westmorland and Furness Council by mid-January. Being part of Acorns does not replace that application.

Preparation for the change is a separate matter. Reception transition sessions took place on 25 June, 29 June and 2 July 2026, with lunch included in the latter two. These gave incoming children opportunities to experience parts of the school day before September, independently of the admissions decision.

Morning nursery sessions run from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoon sessions begin at 12:30pm. Families can agree flexible attendance with the school, allowing the amount of nursery time to reflect what suits their child.

Depending on family circumstances, government funding covers either 15 or 30 hours. Funded hours can also be used for clubs. Additional hours carry a charge; contact the school for current charges.

To reserve a nursery place or arrange a visit, email admin@kts.changinglives.education or telephone 01768 361497. The office also handles requests for the free sessions offered before children start.