Sherdley Primary School Nursery Review

A Friday book choice gives Sherdley’s Pre-School a distinctive thread: stories travel home, and parents record their child’s responses in a Sharing Book Journal. Books connect classroom learning with family time. This is the nursery provision attached to Sherdley Primary School on Mill Lane in Sutton, St Helens, with Pre-School staff working within the school’s early years team.

Language gives the learning its shape. The curriculum follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), alongside Development Matters, with selected books guiding activities and vocabulary. In practical terms, children encounter stories while developing their speaking and listening. Staff plan vocabulary in stages, helping children extend the words they understand and use. Class learning plans also give parents ideas for continuing activities at home.

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised provides the named phonics approach. Pre-School uses its Foundations for Phonics and Rhyme Time programmes: children practise hearing and repeating sounds, then combining spoken sounds into short words. The emphasis is on listening and speaking as preparation for reading. In January 2023, Ofsted described enthusiastic participation in songs and rhymes across early years, alongside shared books and stories.

A designated book area gives these activities a physical base indoors. Outside, Pre-School has its own outdoor learning area, accessible across the day, so learning can move beyond the classroom. The Lending Library extends the book routine: children can select a title each Friday to enjoy with their family, and the Sharing Book Journal provides a place for their responses.

Settling begins through home visits and sessions where families stay and play. These create contact between home and the early years team as children start Pre-School. Communication continues through activity photographs uploaded to the app every few days, a weekly EYFS newsletter, and Family Learning sessions and curriculum workshops. Parents have several ways to connect with what their child is doing.

For additional needs, Sherdley’s school-wide SEND process starts with parents raising concerns with the class teacher and agreeing a short plan. Continuing concerns bring involvement from the SENDCo and an Individual Education Plan, with targets reviewed three times a year and parents invited to meetings. Consent is sought before discussing a child with external professionals. This gives families a staged process for raising and reviewing concerns.

Early reading support. The January 2023 inspection identified inconsistent use of agreed methods for children struggling with early reading and called for staff training. This was a school early-reading concern, rather than a separate nursery judgement.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through St Helens Council’s normal admissions route. The primary admission criteria on Sherdley’s admissions page do not include nursery attendance as a priority.

Keep the application cycle separate from the nursery day. For September 2026 entry, the stated deadline was 15 January 2026, which has passed. That date belongs to that intake; it should not be treated as the deadline for a later application.

The school office is the enquiry contact: telephone 01744 678683 or email sherdley@sthelens.org.uk. Sherdley is on Mill Lane, Sutton, St Helens, WA9 4HA. Families can also request paper copies of website documents and policies through the office, giving them another way to access the school’s information.