Gosforth CofE Primary School and Nursery: Nursery Review

Baby routines and children choosing their own activities give Gosforth’s nursery two distinct rhythms. The Baby and Toddler Rooms accommodate feeding, sleep and play around individual needs; the Pre-School Room combines children’s choices with activities guided by adults. This is care that spans different stages of early childhood, rather than one timetable for every child.

Attached to Gosforth CofE Primary School and Nursery on Wasdale Road, the provision accepts babies from 6 months. Its wider care offer extends to age 11 through out-of-school provision for primary children. Baby, toddler and pre-school areas provide the nursery’s full-day care.

Choice has a practical purpose in the Pre-School Room. Children select activities and have time to pursue them, gradually learning to finish a task they have chosen. Adult-guided activities bring children together in groups of different sizes, introducing skills and experiences while giving them practice at cooperating.

Outdoor learning follows the same balance: children can pursue their own interests or join an activity led by an adult. It connects movement with learning about their surroundings. Rest also has a place. Activities account for changes in energy during the day, with quieter periods shaped around individual needs.

For younger children, stories and walks sit alongside play, feeding, sleep and nappy care. Staff discuss home routines with parents and try to reflect them in the nursery day. That makes the child’s existing pattern a starting point for care.

The curriculum material includes an Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statement and a nursery plan organised around key texts. In practical terms, the nursery’s account of learning centres on developing skills through chosen tasks, new experiences and group participation.

Curriculum oversight. The March 2024 inspection asked the school to strengthen its understanding of curriculum impact in a few subjects, including learning from the early years onward. This concerns how leaders evaluate learning over time.

In March 2024, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good and found that children became comfortable quickly because they trusted their carers. This is an early years judgement within the school inspection, rather than a separate nursery rating.

Daily care includes opportunities for sleep and quiet activity. In the Baby and Toddler Rooms, parents can discuss feeding and sleeping patterns with staff so these can inform their child’s routine.

Breakfast, a home-cooked lunch and snacks are chargeable extras. Parents supply consumables such as nappies and sun cream. Families who prefer to provide an extra themselves can discuss the options with the nursery.

For additional needs, the school provides a SEN coordinator contact route and signposts Cumberland’s local offer and SENDIASS. The latter provides impartial advice and support, including help preparing for meetings.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Gosforth’s admissions page directs families to Cumberland School Admissions; treat this application as a separate step from arranging nursery care.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5pm across five days each week, with continuous care during those hours. Funded provision has a narrower window: 9am to 3pm in term time. The nursery lists 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements; children eligible only for the universal 15 hours take them across two and a half days.

Extra hours can be purchased separately. Contact the nursery for current charges using nursery@gosforth.cumbria.sch.uk or 019467 25800. These are also the direct enquiry routes for nursery care.