Ranskill Primary School Nursery

Little Owls and Tawny Owls give Ranskill’s youngest children their own identity within the primary school. Little Owls caters for ages 2–3, while Tawny Owls serves ages 3–4; both groups occupy the nursery building. This is provision for children aged 2–4, with age-based groups sharing a nursery setting rather than being described simply as part of the wider school.

Take Care is the school’s guiding ethos. For nursery children, that has a concrete social dimension: in January 2025, children learned consideration and manners from the start, enjoyed friendships and cared for each other. Everyday relationships matter here.

Two three-hour sessions shape the day. The morning runs from 8:45am to 11:45am, lunch occupies 11:45am to 12:30pm, and the afternoon runs from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. That gives families distinct morning and afternoon blocks, with a lunchtime period between them.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning. In parent terms, the initial emphasis is on talking and listening, movement, and children’s emotional and social development. These foundations support later work with numbers, literacy, creativity and understanding the world. Learning involves exploration and play, physical activity and thinking creatively, indoors and outdoors.

Planning responds to children rather than following a fixed script. Staff observe them and draw on their interests, alongside contributions from children and parents, to shape activities. Ranskill aims to extend vocabulary and encourage curiosity. Parents’ knowledge of their child therefore contributes to what happens during the nursery day.

In January 2025, early-years teaching helped children connect letters with their sounds. The wider school also needed to make challenging curriculum content more accessible through suitable tasks and check understanding more consistently. Those were school-wide improvement points, rather than a separate nursery judgement.

Relationships provide the clearest inspection-backed picture of care: in January 2025, early-years children formed close, trusting bonds with adults. That matters for young children learning to spend time away from home.

The June 2020 nursery arrangements included a stay-and-play invitation after families accepted a place, giving them an opportunity to meet the team and agree a starting date. Those arrangements also included a snack with a paid session for a non-funded two-year-old, and an optional school meal charged separately from the lunchtime session.

For SEND concerns, parents should begin with their child’s class teacher. The school uses Assess, Plan, Do and Review, with parental involvement in individual support and its review. Children on the SEND register have review meetings at least three times a year, giving families repeated opportunities to discuss progress and adjustments.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no admission priority at Ranskill. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process.

For Nottinghamshire residents, the route is Nottinghamshire County Council. Families living elsewhere apply through their home local authority. Choosing the nursery and applying for Reception are separate decisions; a nursery place should not be treated as securing the next stage.

Nursery children use the pedestrian entrance, then follow the side of the school to the nursery building. Parking on site is reserved for staff, contractors and deliveries; the spaces immediately in front belong to residents. Families should park responsibly on Cherry Tree Walk.

For enquiries, contact the school office on 01777 818 468 or administration@ranskill.notts.sch.uk. Visits can be requested through the office. Ask the school for current charges before agreeing paid sessions or lunch arrangements.