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Nursery at Banks Lane 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Bi-folding doors connect an open-plan nursery room to outdoor learning space: Banks Lane’s nursery has a distinct base of its own behind the infant school in Offerton. Built in 2015, the separate building has an entrance on George Street West, plus a kitchen, snack area and room for meetings with parents. The layout brings indoor play, outdoor exploration and family conversations into the same nursery setting.
For children aged three and four, there are 40 places, divided into 10 part-time and 30 full-time places in the 2026 prospectus. Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good at its inspection on 15 and 16 November 2023; this is an early years judgement within the school inspection, rather than a separate nursery rating.
Play has two complementary forms here: activities guided by adults and uninterrupted time for children to pursue their own ideas. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) covers communication, physical and social development alongside early reading, maths, creativity and understanding the world. In practice, children hear stories, sing, explore materials and learn to play together. Learning extends beyond sitting with an adult.
Letters and Sounds Phase 1 supplies some of the early reading activities, with attention to listening, distinguishing sounds and speaking. Several books are revisited during each term so children can anticipate phrases, join in and eventually retell the story themselves. In November 2023, nursery reading experiences helped children build vocabulary and language knowledge. Daily maths teaching also extends into play indoors and outside, giving children opportunities to count and explore shapes and measures.
Outdoors, a mud kitchen, sandpit and woodland areas provide sensory exploration, including in wet weather. The nursery progression map includes riding trikes and scooters, balancing, using scissors and working together to move large play materials. These activities give physical development a practical shape, from whole-body movement to handling small tools.
Curriculum sequencing. The November 2023 inspection identified incomplete content and ordering in one or two subjects across the school’s curriculum, which spans Nursery onwards. This sometimes limited learning; the concern was not identified as a nursery-only weakness.
A key person features in the nursery’s progression planning, with early goals built around feeling confident enough to explore while that adult is close by. Care skills are also learning goals: children work towards managing coats, washing hands, using the toilet and eating independently. These are planned steps towards independence, rather than assumptions about what children can already do.
Parents receive termly theme sheets explaining the half-term learning, while SeeSaw lets families engage with nursery activities and share experiences from home. That gives conversations about learning a concrete starting point.
For additional needs, the school follows the Stockport Entitlement Framework and provides a graduated response. Individual SEND Support Plans are developed with parents. Specialist advice can include the Inclusion Service, speech therapy and the Hearing & Vision Service where appropriate. The nursery building includes wheelchair access and an accessible toilet, making physical access part of the provision itself.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate online application through Stockport Council within the normal application period. Nursery and school admissions use different criteria, and transfer is not automatic. Treat the Reception application as a separate family task, even when your child is already attending Banks Lane nursery.
Two attendance options shape the week: mornings from 9am to noon, described as 15 hours, or full days from 9am to 3.15pm, described as 30 hours. Families choose their pattern after receiving an offer. Nursery applications go through the local authority’s online school admissions route.
Eligible families can use 30-hour funded provision for full-time attendance. A childcare service account supplies the eligibility code, which must be brought to nursery; allocation depends on places being available. Families who do not qualify can pay to extend attendance to a full-time place. Contact the school for current charges.
Use the nursery’s George Street West entrance and the selected session’s finish time when planning collection. General enquiries go to the school on 0161 480 9252.
The nursery provision caters for children aged three and four.
Morning attendance runs from 9am to noon. Full-day attendance runs from 9am to 3.15pm. The options are described as 15 hours and 30 hours respectively.
Children explore the mud kitchen, sandpit and woodland areas. Nursery planning also includes balancing and riding scooters and trikes.
The nursery offers paid extensions to full-time attendance for families who are not eligible for 30-hour funded childcare. Contact the school for current charges.
No. Parents must apply separately through Stockport Council’s online admissions route within the normal application period. Transfer from nursery is not automatic.
