Monkwood Primary School Nursery Review

A wood of its own gives Monkwood’s nursery a distinctive setting for early learning. Children spend plenty of time outdoors, with a playground and a large outdoor area alongside the woodland. Wellies belong on the daily checklist. This is Foundation Stage 1 (FS1), the nursery provision at Monkwood Primary School on Estate Road in Rawmarsh, for three and four year olds.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at its inspection on 15 and 16 June 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery. In June 2023, children had purposeful teaching alongside opportunities to work independently and use their learning in play.

Short periods of direct teaching sit within a day largely given to play that children choose and initiate. Adults build activities around children’s interests, while the indoor environment encourages them to make their own choices. The balance gives children time to pursue an idea as well as join focused learning with an adult.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently with early reading, number work, creative expression and exploration of the world. At Monkwood, singing and rhymes are part of nursery life, and donated cartons and boxes become models or sculptures. These are practical ways to connect language, imagination and making things.

Read Write Inc begins in FS1. Nursery children were exploring environmental sounds before progressing to letter sounds in June 2023, giving early reading a starting point in listening. Adults also used questions to extend children’s language during early years learning.

Outdoors is a substantial part of the experience: the nursery has access to its own wood, outdoor space and playground. Children keep labelled wellies at school, making outdoor play part of the routine rather than an occasional outing.

Starting nursery centres on play and getting to know the child. Adults support children at the classroom door, while families are encouraged to let them enter independently. Toilet independence is encouraged too, but children still wearing pull-ups can receive help. This gives families a practical starting point for developing self-care.

Class Dojo carries photographs and messages about children’s development, and parents can message the class teacher. Families can also share experiences from home; photographs may become prompts for children to talk about something familiar. Book bags come in daily, with books exchanged on Fridays.

A healthy snack is provided each day, milk is offered free, and children can reach their water bottles throughout the session. Families must notify staff of any allergies. Nursery school dinners are charged separately.

For children with SEND, support can include visual timetables, Makaton, smaller learning steps and individual or small-group work. There is level access to classrooms. Parents join reviews of individual targets, so adjustments can be discussed with the staff supporting their child.

Safeguarding training. In June 2023, staff across the school needed a better understanding of local and national safeguarding risks. Behaviour expectations also needed more consistent application by staff. These were school-wide concerns, relevant to families considering its nursery.

Attending Monkwood’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal admissions process and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year. Rotherham residents apply through the local authority, online at www.rotherham.gov.uk/schools or using a paper application form; families living elsewhere apply through their home authority.

Class changes are prepared for through short visits to the new teacher and classroom, followed by a full day before the summer holidays. Children who may find the change difficult can have additional visits. Familiarity helps with transition; it does not secure admission.

Morning nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoons run from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. Children are allocated a session. The nursery offers 15 funded hours each week from the term after a child’s third birthday, with 30 hours for eligible working families. Families taking up 30 hours must supply their allocated code; this pattern equates to four and a half full days at Monkwood.

Additional sessions and school dinners carry charges, with an optional additional charge for a child using 30 funded hours who stays all week. Payments go through ParentPay. Contact office@monkwoodprimary.org or 01709 710310 for enquiries and current charges.

Uniform branding is optional. Bring a labelled water bottle, coat, book bag and wellies. Collection arrangements differ between morning and afternoon sessions, and staff release children individually. Tell the school on the day if someone different will collect. Leaving the nursery requires at least four weeks’ written notice to the office; otherwise fees are charged and funded entitlement claimed for that period.