Belfield Community School Nursery Review

Listening games, rhymes and early number work give Belfield’s nursery a clear learning focus. This is the school’s own provision on Samson Street in Rochdale, with an EYFS team leader whose role includes SEND coordination. For parents, the emphasis is on the beginnings of communication, reading and mathematical understanding.

Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 2 and 3 April 2025. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Short periods of teaching on the carpet sit alongside planned opportunities to play. This gives children different ways to take part: listening together, then learning through activity. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) takes concrete form here through early language, reading and number work.

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised shapes the phonics approach. Nursery games introduce children to recognising speech sounds and combining sounds aloud, with attention and listening as the starting points. Links between letters and sounds begin in the summer term. In April 2025, early years children enjoyed songs and rhymes and paid close attention to differences between sounds.

Maths Passports introduce mental maths from nursery, through separate teaching sessions and, sometimes, groups organised by the passport children are working on. Books also have a physical place in the learning environment: each class has a reading corner, and units have small library spaces where children can select books. These give reading a place beyond a single teaching session.

In April 2025, early years children had affectionate, trusting connections with staff. That matters for young children learning to take part away from home: relationships are part of their early experience, alongside the curriculum.

Support for special educational needs and disabilities includes the school’s Acorn Room and Leaf Room, with access organised around identified needs. Sensory circuits, water play and areas using light and touch feature in the Acorn Room. The Leaf Room concentrates on communication, using individual or small-group work, speech and language care plans and WellComm assessments. These are targeted spaces, with planned access rather than an assumption that every child uses them.

Parents are involved through SEND discussions and progress meetings. The school’s Family Worker can also help families with paperwork and contact with external services. For medical needs, the school policy requires parents to administer prescribed medication needed during the day; serious conditions require a detailed healthcare plan. This is a practical consideration for families managing treatment.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Rochdale Borough Council, following the normal Reception application route and deadline.

The council’s arrangements for the 2024–2025 academic year did not include nursery attendance among the oversubscription criteria. Those arrangements gave 15 January as the normal primary application deadline. That is a past admissions cycle, so it should not be treated as confirmation of the deadline for a later intake. Nursery enrolment and a Reception application remain separate tasks.

Two three-hour sessions structure the nursery day: mornings run from 8:45am to 11:45am, and afternoons from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. These timings give families a concrete basis for planning the journeys around a session.

Nursery applications go directly to the school on 01706 341 363. General enquiries can also go to office@belfield.rochdale.sch.uk or through the contact-page message form. Appointments to visit the school can be arranged.

The school’s uniform policy accepts an ordinary blue cardigan or sweatshirt, alongside grey or black trousers or skirts and a white shirt or polo shirt. Second-hand uniform is also offered free through the school, giving families another way to obtain clothing.