Woodford Primary School Pre-School Review

A Forest School base camp on the school grounds gives Woodford Pre-School a practical outdoor dimension alongside its focus on language, relationships and early learning. This is Woodford Primary School’s nursery provision, for children in the year before they start school. It forms part of the school on the former Woodford Aerodrome site.

At the inspection on 18 and 19 March 2025, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes the curriculum. In parent language, that means learning to communicate, manage feelings and relationships, and develop physical skills, alongside early reading, mathematics, creative expression and discovering how the world works. These areas connect: talking about an experiment, for example, gives children practice in expressing ideas as well as exploring a question.

Concrete examples make that approach easier to picture. During British Science Week in March 2023, Pre-School children investigated ramps and experimented with mixing water and colours. They made predictions, tested ideas and discussed what they noticed. The activity gave their questions a practical purpose. In May 2023, a visit to Pre-School from Avro Heritage Museum brought objects to examine, aviation hats to try and stories connected to the summer theme of Courage.

Forest School adds another kind of exploration. Every class has a sequence of sessions each academic year, using the base camp within the school grounds. Activities include searching for bugs, constructing dens and creative work, giving children opportunities to solve problems and work together outdoors.

In March 2025, early years children developed their understanding of number through repeated practice. They also picked up phonics quickly. Adults introduced demanding vocabulary in conversation, which children then used confidently during play: language learning carried into their own activities.

Woodford Pre-School aims to help children settle smoothly and values close links with families. Teachers can speak briefly with parents at collection and drop-off; a longer discussion can be arranged as a meeting or telephone call. That gives families a route for sharing everyday concerns as well as matters needing more time.

For additional learning needs, parents can approach their child’s teacher or the SENDCo. The SENDCo discusses concerns, gathers information with the teacher and then talks through next steps with the family. The school also works with previous settings to learn about additional needs before a child starts, helping that information travel with the child.

Pre-School attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and does not give priority in the application. Families must apply separately through the local authority where they live; Stockport residents use Stockport’s primary admissions service.

The normal application window opens in August, with a January deadline for entry the following September. For the September 2026 intake, the deadline was 15 January 2026. Treat the nursery choice and the later school application as separate decisions.

Pre-School hours run from 08:45 to 15:15. Those timings give families a clear start and finish around which to organise the day.

Nursery applications are handled directly by Woodford Primary School, separately from Reception admissions. For enquiries, telephone 0161 549 7100. Guided school tours can be arranged through the School Office, offering parents a practical opportunity to look at the setting before deciding.