Wharton Primary School Nursery

Daily phonics, Thursday PE and football-led activities give Wharton’s nursery a recognisable weekly rhythm. Play remains the main approach, alongside work on listening, concentration and learning to cooperate. This is nursery provision within Wharton Primary School in Little Hulton, with 30 full-time places.

A nursery teacher and support staff form the nursery team. The emphasis is on developing communication and early literacy and numeracy, with children exploring, sharing ideas and practising skills through play. For parents, the distinctive combination is a school-day timetable with named activities already woven into it.

The early-years day runs from 8:30am until 3pm. A morning break falls at 10:15am, followed by lunch at 11:45am, giving families clear reference points for the daily routine.

Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). In nursery, the main priorities are language and communication, physical development, and children’s social and emotional development. Put plainly, the focus includes expressing themselves, moving and developing relationships. Topics organise the learning, while exploration, active participation and thinking through ideas shape the approach.

Supersonic phonics brings a more structured element. This term, children begin Basics 2, taking part in small-group phonics each day. They practise new sounds and learn to separate and combine sounds aloud, laying foundations for later reading.

Movement has its own timetable. Nursery PE takes place on Thursday mornings, and children stay in their usual clothes rather than changing into a PE kit. Monday afternoons include City in the Community, the Manchester City charity’s football-led activities. These give physical development a place alongside language work and play.

Seesaw carries updates about children’s learning as well as school messages, giving parents a regular connection with nursery life. Concerns should go first to the class teacher; families can arrange a staff appointment by telephoning the school. That provides a direct route for discussing a child’s experience.

Language support extends beyond classroom activities. A speech and language therapist works in school one day a week, assessing and developing young children’s speech, language understanding and organisation. The school’s SEND process includes reviewing intervention plans, consulting parents about action and inviting them to review meetings. This makes parent involvement part of the support process.

Attending Wharton’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Salford City Council rather than treating nursery attendance as an automatic move into school.

For the 2026-2027 admissions cycle, the application deadline was 15th January, with place notifications on 16th April of the admission year. These dates belong to that cycle. The local authority coordinates admissions and applies oversubscription criteria when demand exceeds the places available.

Full-time nursery places follow the early-years school day. Families should stay off school grounds until 8:25am, when their child’s class is ready for the start. The 3pm finish is the key collection time for planning the afternoon.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 0161 560 8180 or email Whartonadmin@thelinkeducationtrust.co.uk. School visits can be arranged. The office also provides a route to teacher appointments, allowing families to discuss their child directly with staff.