Gleadless Primary School Nursery Review

Nursery rhymes, spoken sentences and early number work give Gleadless’s nursery its educational character. This is the nursery within Gleadless Primary School on Hollinsend Road in Sheffield, forming part of its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Learning begins with listening and talking, alongside opportunities to make marks and develop movement skills.

The school’s overall Ofsted judgement is Requires Improvement. That is a whole-school judgement, not a separate nursery inspection grade.

Listening comes first in the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme. In Foundation Stage 1, children practise through nursery rhymes, games that explore sounds and oral blending activities, joining spoken sounds together. The emphasis is on hearing and using language, giving children a starting point for later reading.

Making marks and developing motor skills feature in adult-led activities and in continuous provision, the learning opportunities available beyond a directed session. Ideas to express come through discussion prompted by books and creative games. Across the Foundation Stage, children practise putting those ideas into complete spoken sentences, with Shape Coding helping them understand how a sentence fits together. This language work is the starting point for writing.

Number work features every day in Foundation Stage 1, through adult-led activities and continuous provision. EYFS maths planning draws on the statutory framework and NCETM. Adults use conversation to develop children’s mathematical thinking, so explaining an idea forms part of learning about numbers. The EYFS Development Matters Framework also informs curriculum planning. Gleadless aims to adapt its early-years curriculum to the interests and needs of the children attending.

For children with additional needs, the Foundation Stage approach starts with assessment on entry and attention to information already held about the child. Existing special educational needs information is passed on and acted upon. Parents contribute their knowledge of their child, helping staff understand both the difficulties and the support that may help.

Progress is monitored throughout the Foundation Stage. Where a child’s needs extend beyond the team’s everyday expertise, staff and parents can involve speech and language therapists or health and care professionals. The class teacher is the first contact for discussing needs, with referral to the SENDCo where appropriate. This gives families a starting point for conversations about support.

Across the school, SEND support uses an Assess, Plan, Do, Review Cycle. A Learner Profile brings together information about a child’s needs and useful strategies, and is reviewed at least once each term. Some children also have a Support Plan or Extended Support Plan. These arrangements give parents opportunities to contribute and revisit how support is working.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions, even though both provisions belong to the same school.

Nursery children must be collected from the playground by an adult. That collection requirement matters when arranging who will pick up your child.

To enquire or arrange a school visit, contact the main office at enquiries@gleadless.sheffield.sch.uk or call 0114 239 6130. For a discussion about additional needs, the SEND team can be reached at send@gleadless.sheffield.sch.uk.