Annfield Plain Infant School Nursery Review

Five mornings or a longer week with an early Friday finish: the two nursery patterns give families a clear starting point for planning childcare. Annfield Plain Infant School’s own nursery opened in September 2023 and takes children aged three and four. It sits within the infant school on Northgate in Annfield Plain, with wooded school grounds as part of its setting.

A class teacher and teaching assistant form the nursery team. This is a school nursery with its own provision, rather than a separate childcare setting.

Language, stories and growing independence are useful starting points for understanding the learning here. The curriculum includes the Early Years Foundation Stage, alongside attention to children’s social development and their ability to do things for themselves. For parents, that means learning extends beyond early reading and number work to participation and everyday independence.

Read, Write Inc is the school’s early reading programme. It teaches the relationship between letters and sounds, then how those sounds work in words and writing. Parent sessions introduce families to the approach, giving them a way to understand the reading work their children encounter.

In March 2024, Ofsted found that early-years children made a strong beginning in phonics, developed precise mathematical vocabulary and repeatedly encountered familiar books. That repetition helped children absorb stories and language; mathematical vocabulary gave them words to explain their thinking. These findings concern early years across the school, rather than a separate nursery judgement.

The same inspection identified a school-wide development point: staff needed further support to use approaches to introducing new learning consistently. That qualifies the positive findings about the early-years foundations.

Support starts with noticing how a child communicates. On entry to early years, Speech Link and Well_comm assessments help identify possible language difficulties. Progress is monitored each term from nursery onwards, so concerns can lead to discussion with parents and the SEND coordinator rather than waiting until later schooling.

For children with SEND, individual support plans identify needs, intended outcomes and provision. Parents contribute to the process. Visual prompts can help children with language delay, while additional adult input models learning. The class teacher is the first contact for pastoral concerns, with the SEND coordinator involved when further advice is needed.

Before children join, families provide dietary preferences, allergy information and health requirements, together with emergency contacts. Keeping these details current matters for everyday care and emergency responses.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal primary admissions process and meet the deadline for their child’s entry year. Nursery enrolment should therefore be treated as a childcare and early-learning decision in its own right.

For the past 2026/27 primary admissions cycle, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. Separately, school entry support includes visits before starting and additional familiarisation visits for children with SEND. This preparation supports adjustment; it does not secure admission.

The 15-hour pattern runs Monday to Friday, from 8.45am to 11.45am. The 30-hour pattern starts at 8.45am throughout the week, finishing at 3.15pm Monday to Thursday and at 12.45pm on Friday. That shorter Friday is a practical detail to build into collection plans.

Nursery enquiries go through the school office on 01207 234691. Families can also email api-admin@slptrust.co.uk or use the contact form. Visits can be arranged through the school, giving parents an opportunity to see the provision before applying.