Worthington Primary School Nursery

A school tour before nursery starts gives families an opportunity to discuss their child’s needs with staff. When identifying additional needs, the school’s policy includes liaison with the child’s health visitor on entry to nursery. This is the nursery provision within Worthington Primary School in Sale, with access to the school’s SEND arrangements.

Adult-directed learning sits alongside activities children select themselves. In March 2025, Ofsted identified worthwhile adult-led experiences within an early-years environment that supported learning. The distinction matters: children have opportunities both to follow an adult’s direction and to make their own choices.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for this stage of education. It covers relationships and emotional development, movement, and speaking and listening, alongside early reading and writing, number, creativity and discovering how the world works. For parents, this means learning extends beyond preparation for formal lessons: communication and physical development count too.

Language during independent activities. The same inspection identified inconsistent adult interaction when children selected their activities, limiting opportunities to practise and expand their language. Staff expertise needed further development so that these exchanges supported communication more consistently. This is a relevant consideration for families whose child needs encouragement to express ideas or sustain conversation.

Preparation begins before the nursery start. Families are invited to tour the school and speak with staff, and a summer-term meeting precedes the September EYFS intake. These offer opportunities to discuss a child’s needs and introduce the setting before attendance begins.

For children with SEND, the school’s transition policy allows additional familiarisation visits and, where helpful, an individually agreed phased start. Identification of needs can include information from the child’s previous setting, parental concerns and liaison with their health visitor on entry to nursery. Support therefore has routes for incorporating what families and other professionals already know.

Trafford’s Graduated Approach and the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle organise SEND support. Learning Plans set out the provision, while parents of children receiving SEND support meet the class teacher at least termly to discuss needs and progress. A One Page Profile records strengths, preferences, learning barriers and useful strategies, and is shared with parents. That gives families a concrete basis for discussing how support works for their child.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Trafford Local Authority manages the school’s admissions apart from nursery, so parents should treat the next application as a separate task.

Preparation for a new class is a different matter from admission. Where a transition may be difficult, the school uses Social Stories and a photograph book that children can revisit with parents over the holidays. These resources help make a change familiar; they do not secure a place.

Worthington Primary School’s address is Worthington Road, Sale, M33 2JJ, and its telephone number is 0161 973 3504.

The school site permits wheelchair access, and the visitor car park includes a designated disabled parking space. Parents who need to discuss additional support can contact the SENDCo through the school office or at senco@worthingtonprimary.co.uk. The class teacher is also the initial contact for concerns about a child’s needs.