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Nursery at Harewood Centre Nursery School
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Long stretches of play, everyday objects to investigate and songs with Makaton signs give Harewood’s nursery day its character. This maintained nursery school on Harewood Avenue in Pontefract has a pre-school class for children aged two to three, alongside a nursery class serving children aged three and four. Early education is the school’s focus.
The staffing structure includes a headteacher qualified in early years teaching, an EYFS lead who teaches the nursery class, and nursery nurses and childcare practitioners. That gives families a teaching-led setting with distinct provision for younger children.
Play has time to develop here. Children have extended periods to pursue their interests, using open-ended resources indoors and outside. Adult-guided activities sit alongside children’s own choices, so the day combines opportunities to explore with planned teaching.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) gives this play its educational shape. It brings together movement, communication and emotional development with early number work, literacy, creative activity and exploring the world. Harewood began working towards Curiosity Approach accreditation in January 2025. Its emphasis on everyday objects lets children decide how something might be used, rather than having a toy dictate the game.
Language also has a regular place in the timetable. Small groups have daily phonics activities using Letters and Sounds Phase 1; games, storytelling and songs develop listening and awareness of sounds. Little Wandle Foundations is being introduced alongside this work. Makaton accompanies routines and singing, while World Nursery Rhyme Week adds a named celebration of rhyme. Wakefield’s 50 Things to Do Before You’re 5 contributes an activity to weekly planning, linking experiences at nursery with things families can try together.
Ofsted’s July 2022 inspection found that children practised new vocabulary through outdoor exploration, including examining pinecones, hunting for minibeasts and excavating pretend dinosaur fossils. The same inspection identified two concerns: curriculum milestones needed finer steps to guide teaching and assessment, and governors needed better information to evaluate curriculum content and delivery. Curriculum precision. These concerns matter because interesting activities need clear learning intentions and careful oversight.
A key person provides a particular relationship within the wider staff team. For pre-school children, staff and parents complete the two-year progress check together, bringing home knowledge into the assessment. Families can also share photographs of activities through Class Dojo or the EEXAT learning journey.
Starting nursery includes a welcome meeting for children entering the nursery class directly, with the start date agreed there. Emotion Coaching shapes behaviour support: adults acknowledge feelings and help children practise ways to manage them. This gives emotional development a place alongside learning through play.
SEND support can include individual work, small groups and specialist equipment, with local authority teams involved where additional help is needed. In July 2022, children’s preferences and parents’ contributions informed SEND planning, and support addressed friendship as well as communication and early learning. In July 2022, safeguarding arrangements were effective, and minor amendments to the staff checking record were completed.
Attending Harewood does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal school admissions process; Harewood directs parents to Wakefield Council’s online Reception application route. Choosing nursery and applying for a school place are separate decisions.
Within Harewood, children approaching three can spend time in the nursery class before moving from pre-school. Those visits help introduce the next classroom, but are distinct from admission to Reception elsewhere.
Morning sessions start at 9am. Afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Nursery offers the universal 15-hour entitlement, with 30-hour provision during school terms for eligible children, subject to space. Paid sessions are also conditional on availability. The school accepts working-parent funding for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds; contact the office about additional hours and current charges.
Uniform is optional. A red jumper or cardigan and white polo shirt are choices, while ordinary weather-appropriate clothes are accepted. Clothing that can get messy and is easy to manage helps children practise changing and toileting independently.
For nursery enquiries, telephone 01977 330194 or email admin@harewood.wakefield.sch.uk. Visits can be arranged through the admissions page’s contact route, giving parents and children an opportunity to meet staff before starting.
Pre-school serves children aged two to three, with the nursery class catering for three- and four-year-olds.
No. Families need to apply separately through the normal school admissions process. Harewood directs them to Wakefield Council’s online Reception route.
Nursery offers 15 universal hours and term-time 30-hour provision for eligible children, subject to availability. Harewood also accepts working-parent funding for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds.
No. Uniform is optional, and children can wear suitable everyday clothing that allows messy play and is easy to manage independently.
Support can involve individual sessions, small groups, specialist resources and collaboration with local authority teams. Parents contribute to identifying their child’s needs.
