North Stainley Church of England Primary School Nursery

Harvest cooking, seasonal discoveries and movement to music gave North Stainley’s 2025–26 nursery curriculum plan its character. This is nursery provision within North Stainley Church of England Primary School, in North Stainley near Ripon. An Early Years and KS1 teaching role connects the youngest children’s education with the school’s wider teaching team.

Proposed closure. Leeds Diocesan Learning Trust has proposed closing the school at the end of the Summer term 2027. Families were informed on 15th July 2026. This remains a proposal, but its timing matters for anyone planning a nursery start and subsequent schooling here.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning about the world, creative expression and physical development. North Stainley’s nursery planning for 2025–26 made those areas concrete: exploring seasons, expressing feelings through art and practising movement skills. The plan provided opportunities to observe, make and move.

For the 2025–26 academic year, the nursery curriculum began with the theme Who am I? Autumn activities included looking at pictures of familiar situations from the past, investigating changes in nature and using artistic techniques to communicate ideas. Cooking and nutrition connected with Harvest, while physical learning concentrated on basic movement and ball skills. Familiar experiences supplied the starting point.

Spring’s theme, How can life be different?, broadened that focus to other environments and comparisons between countries. Simple maps introduced another way to explore places. Outdoor observation involved noticing sounds, sights and sensations; storytelling provided a starting point for making levers and sliders. Gymnastics and dance brought balance, coordination and movement to music into the plan.

By summer, How do places change? connected seasonal observation with comparisons between story characters and historical figures. Colour became a means of expressing feelings, and making activities explored axles and wheels. Athletic movement and striking and fielding skills continued the physical strand. Across that year, the themes linked creative work with questions about people and places.

Emotional support includes the school’s Thrive Approach. Staff throughout the school have received Thrive training, and teachers use its strategies in their classrooms. A quieter Thrive space gives children somewhere to go when classroom activity feels overwhelming; individual or group work can also support children with additional emotional needs.

Parents contribute to Thrive assessments alongside class teachers. The resulting individual action plans shape activities in classrooms or the Thrive room, connecting support with a child’s identified needs rather than relying on a single general activity.

For concerns about special educational needs and disabilities, the class teacher is the usual first contact, with the SENCo involved where appropriate. Teachers discuss children’s progress with the headteacher at least termly and plan interventions when progress falls short of expectations. That gives families a clear starting point for raising concerns.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal admissions route. For September 2026 entry, applications went through North Yorkshire, with online applications encouraged; the deadline was 15 January 2026. That deadline has passed.

Transition is a separate matter from securing admission. Children are invited for several half-day school visits in the latter half of the summer term, providing time to become familiar with school before starting.

Contact the school office on 01765 635276 or email n-admin@gfnsschools.co.uk for enquiries. Visits can be arranged by contacting the school, giving prospective families an opportunity to discuss the provision in person.