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Nursery at Dane Bank Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Bikes, large building blocks and a home corner give Dane Bank’s nursery a day built around doing things. This is the school’s own provision for children aged 3 and 4, with 24 places and a choice of 15-hour or 30-hour attendance during term time. It sits within the early years provision at Dane Bank Primary School in Reddish.
Inside, children have spaces for construction, pretend play and books. Outside, scooters and bikes sit alongside large construction blocks. These give children different ways to practise movement, develop ideas and play together.
The early years day combines phonics, lunch and substantial periods of continuous provision: time for children to use the learning spaces and resources. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, physical development, relationships, literacy, maths, understanding the world and creative work. Here, those areas take practical forms rather than remaining separate labels.
Stories and rhymes provide material for conversation and play. Nursery activities include remembering events from longer stories, discussing books and making up stories with small-world equipment. Children also practise forming some letters and developing a comfortable pencil grip. In maths, they compare lengths and sizes, explore flat shapes and practise counting to 10. The work connects talk, handling objects and early written marks.
Physical learning includes balancing, ball activities and riding bikes. Children practise moving large objects together safely, bringing cooperation into movement. Seasonal exploration encourages them to notice spring changes and consider how to care for living things.
Creative work includes increasingly detailed drawings and choosing materials to realise an idea. Forest School also appears in the nursery programme, with Wednesday sessions included in the summer 2025 programme. This adds a named outdoor strand to the everyday play spaces.
A nursery class teacher and a nursery teaching assistant form the named classroom roles. Across the school, teachers hold Qualified Teacher Status. Before starting, families meet the Early Years Lead, either remotely or in person, and staff make a home visit during the preceding term. A phased start can increase a child’s attendance according to their needs, giving settling-in a practical degree of flexibility.
Meals take place in the school hall, with school dinners or a packed lunch as the options. Lunchtime staff help children with seating and meals. Home-school books travel home on Fridays, while book sharing gives families another way to stay involved in learning.
For additional needs, the SENDCo works with families, teachers and outside professionals. Support can involve individual work, small groups or classroom resources, with progress checked regularly. Families whose children are on the SEND register are invited to three review meetings during the year. The school’s single-storey building, ramps and accessible toilet provide concrete accessibility features.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place or confer admissions priority. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. Tameside residents apply online to Tameside; residents elsewhere apply through the authority where they live. For the 2027-2028 admissions cycle, the application deadline is 15 January 2027.
Transition activities are separate from allocation. Meetings, time with the next teacher and sessions in the new classroom help children become familiar with the change. They support preparation, rather than securing a place.
Attendance runs across 38 term-time weeks. The school prioritises full-time, 30-hour places. The universal funded entitlement provides 15 hours from the term following a child’s third birthday; eligible families can access a further 15 funded hours. Families using extended funding must renew their eligibility every three months and give the school their code.
Additional hours can be purchased by families who do not qualify for extended funding, subject to availability. Ask the school for current charges. Paid places require half a term’s cancellation notice, and absence does not bring a refund or reduction.
For enquiries, waiting-list forms or a school visit, contact the office on 0161 336 5896. Children have a coat peg and a trolley for lunchboxes and water bottles. Bring a daily book bag or backpack, and keep labelled spare clothing and underwear at school.
Children aged 3 and 4. There are 24 nursery places.
Eligible families can use 30 funded hours across 38 term-time weeks. Eligibility must be renewed every three months, with the code supplied to school.
Families meet the Early Years Lead and receive a home visit before starting. Attendance can build gradually when a child needs a phased start.
No. Nursery attendance does not guarantee a place or confer admissions priority. Apply separately through your home local authority; the deadline for the 2027-2028 cycle is 15 January 2027.
A book bag or backpack each day, plus labelled spare clothes and underwear to keep at school.
