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Nursery at Brightside Nursery Infant School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Stories, songs and conversation give Brightside's nursery its character. Key worker time centres on listening and vocabulary, making language development part of everyday play rather than a separate task. This is provision for three and four year olds, housed in a separate building at Brightside Nursery Infant School on Jenkin Road, Sheffield. The nursery and Children's Centre building has its own playground.
There are 39 morning places and 39 afternoon places, a total of 78. Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 11 and 12 June 2024; that judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Play links the classroom with outdoor activities. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework guides the learning: children build knowledge and communication through practical experiences, with speaking and listening threaded through the nursery's topics. What's growing in Brightside? connects learning to the local area and seasonal change. Who lives in the mud? introduces animals and the world nearby.
Book for a Hook gives each topic a text to build around. Alongside stories and songs during key worker time, LEAP (Language Enrichment Activity Programme) and VIP (Vocabulary Improvement Programme) provide focused language activities. These give children further opportunities to practise vocabulary and expressing ideas.
Making has a place too. Nursery design and technology combines activities children can explore with tasks led by a teacher, including building floating rafts and preparing fruit kebabs. These are concrete ways to investigate materials and food. Early years art develops control of paintbrushes, pencils and scissors, alongside making marks. Early years computing also uses programmable toys and walkie-talkie sets, giving children practical ways to explore control and practise language through play.
In June 2024, adults developed children's language by demonstrating sentence construction and questioning. A garden-creature activity helped children compare insects using words about size and similarity. Exploring garden creatures also gave children practice in describing size and similarity.
Settling begins at home. Staff visit children in familiar surroundings before entry, and starting times are introduced gradually over a short period. That gives children time to adjust to nursery rather than beginning with the complete routine immediately.
For children with SEND, the school's support includes individual planning with parents. Termly conversations bring families into target setting and progress reviews, while interpreters can be arranged in advance. The nursery building is wheelchair accessible.
Brightside Zone is the school's communication space, with a sensory room and a team of teaching assistants. Access depends on identification criteria; it provides quieter activities, opportunities for interaction and a place for a sensory break. Staff training includes Makaton and Developmental Language Disorder, giving families specific areas of expertise to discuss when planning support.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate application through Sheffield City Council's normal school admissions process, meeting the deadline for the relevant entry year. Treat that application as a separate step from choosing nursery.
Transition itself is gradual. The nursery curriculum includes Where shall we go?, a topic about moving to Reception. This preparation concerns children's adjustment to their next stage, rather than an entitlement to admission.
The 15-hour pattern runs across five days, with a choice of mornings or afternoons. Morning sessions are 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. A number of funded 30-hour places are also offered to parents who meet the eligibility criteria. The application form lets families select their preferred pattern and include health or SEN requirements.
Entry points are September, January and April. Children can start in the term following their third birthday, subject to a place being available. To enquire, call 0114 2441826 or email enquiries@brightside.sheffield.sch.uk. Visits can be arranged by telephone appointment. School Jotter carries letters, dates and news, helping parents keep track of school communications.
The nursery caters for three and four year olds. Entry is in the term after a child's third birthday, subject to availability.
Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am, and afternoon sessions from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. The application form also includes a 30-hour option, subject to eligibility.
Staff make home visits, and starting times are staggered over a short period so children can adjust gradually.
No. Parents need to apply separately through Sheffield City Council's school admissions process.
Key worker time uses stories and songs to develop vocabulary. Named programmes include LEAP and VIP, alongside language practice throughout the curriculum.
