Alexandra Park Primary School Nursery

Purposeful play, learning outdoors and a start built around getting to know the child give Alexandra Park’s nursery its character. This is the school’s own early years provision on Bombay Road in Stockport, with a nursery admission number of 40. Children begin within the primary school community, while families have opportunities to meet the Early Years Team before choosing a place.

Play is a way of learning here. The emphasis is on learning through purposeful experiences and play, with activities taking place in both indoor and outdoor learning spaces. That gives children more than one environment in which to explore their interests.

Earlier experiences matter too. The early years team aims to build on the preschool learning children bring with them, rather than treating every newcomer as having the same starting point. Its stated aim is to help children develop a positive attitude to learning through varied experiences. Enjoyment and challenge are both part of that approach.

Care, Aspire, Achieve are the school’s shared values. Across the school, stories and animal characters illustrate six learning behaviours, making ideas about learning easier for children to discuss. Parents are encouraged to recognise those behaviours at home as well, connecting conversations about learning across home and school.

Getting familiar with people and places starts before the first nursery session. Summer information meetings bring new nursery parents together, while Stay and Play sessions let children and parents spend time with the classroom and teachers. These offer a concrete introduction to the setting before the child starts.

Staff also visit children at home and in their existing nurseries before they begin school. The purpose is to establish relationships and understand each child’s circumstances. For families, that creates an opportunity to share the experiences their child brings with them.

Support extends to parents. The school works with Stockport Family through Team Around the School, bringing together a school nurse, a linked social worker and other relevant professionals. Families with concerns can contact the school and ask for the SENCO. Translation can also be requested through the office, helping parents take part in communication with school.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and does not confer priority under the admission criteria. Families must make a separate Reception application online through Stockport Council. For the 2026 entry cycle, the deadline was 15 January 2026; that date has passed.

When places are oversubscribed, the criteria consider care status, highly exceptional medical or social reasons, catchment residence and siblings, with distance used where places are contested. Nursery attendance is not one of those criteria. Familiarity with teachers and classrooms through Stay and Play is preparation for starting school, separate from the allocation of a place.

Nursery enquiries go through the school office on 0161 480 5557 or the contact form. Initial school visits focus mainly on the early years provision and include meeting the team and seeing children learning, giving parents a direct opportunity to explore the nursery’s approach.

Adults are encouraged to attend that initial visit on their own, although children may accompany them if arranging childcare is difficult. Once a place has been offered, children have further opportunities to visit before starting.