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Nursery at Holt House 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Outdoor learning gives Holt House’s pre-school its clearest character. In October 2022, adults planned activities in the pre-school outdoor area carefully and used questions to extend children’s understanding. That makes the space part of the learning day, with adults helping children think through what they are doing.
This is Holt House Infant School’s own provision for children aged three and four, on Bannerdale Road in Sheffield. Children can join from the term following their third birthday, with starts in September, January or April. Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 18 and 19 October 2022; that judgement covers the school’s early years, rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Counting, measuring objects and talking about shapes brought early mathematics into practical activities in October 2022. Children used mathematical language alongside these tasks, connecting words with things they could handle and compare. The emphasis was on using numbers and describing what they discovered, giving parents a concrete picture of early learning beyond a list of subjects.
Outside, planned activities and purposeful adult questions worked together. Adults helped children develop their ideas as they learned in the pre-school outdoor area. For a child who enjoys exploring outdoors, this is a useful feature: the learning extended into a physical space beyond the classroom.
Families can choose a morning, an afternoon or a full day. Holt House recommends five morning sessions or five afternoon sessions to give children access to the complete pre-school curriculum. That recommendation makes a regular half-day pattern a practical option for families arranging the week around shorter sessions.
In October 2022, children’s relationships with adults and familiar early years routines supported their experience. Predictable routines give young children a recognisable shape to the day, while those relationships provide a foundation for taking part in activities.
For children staying all day, a healthy packed lunch is an option. Lunchtime supervision carries a separate charge for full-day attendance because it falls outside the funded early learning entitlement. Families choosing longer days therefore need to account for the lunch interval as well as the learning sessions. Contact the school for current charges.
Attending Holt House’s pre-school does not guarantee a Reception place. Nursery admission and Reception admission are separate processes: families must apply again through the normal Reception application route by its deadline. Choosing a nursery session should therefore be a decision about the child’s pre-school experience, rather than an assumption that a school place is secured.
Outdoor learning at the next stage. In October 2022, the Reception outdoor area needed further development, with fewer opportunities for adults to assess and extend learning there. Families considering staying at Holt House should keep that dated early years concern in view alongside the positive findings about the pre-school outdoor area.
Morning sessions run from 8.50am to 11.50am; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. A full day runs from 8.50am to 3.30pm, including a 40-minute lunch interval. The application form lets families select sessions across Monday to Friday, so the chosen pattern can be set out when applying.
The form provides for up to 15 funded hours each week, beginning in the term after a child turns three. Apply through the Pre-School Application Form. For application enquiries, contact the school office on 0114 255 3717 or email enquiries@holthouse.sheffield.sch.uk.
Children can start in the term after their third birthday, or at the beginning of a later term. Entry points are September, January and April.
Mornings are 8.50am to 11.50am, afternoons are 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and full days are 8.50am to 3.30pm.
The application form allows up to 15 funded hours per week from the term after the child’s third birthday. Full-day lunchtime supervision is charged separately because it is outside that entitlement.
No. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal route by its deadline.
Use the Pre-School Application Form. Contact the school office on 0114 255 3717 or enquiries@holthouse.sheffield.sch.uk for application enquiries.
