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Nursery at Bowesfield 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Streamers, chalk and paint gave Bowesfield’s youngest children a practical start to learning at the February 2024 inspection. Motor Mondays developed the larger movements needed to handle pencils and brushes, connecting physical development with drawing and painting. It is a concrete example of teaching shaped around what children need next.
The 52-place nursery sits within Bowesfield Primary School’s early years provision on Northcote Street, Stockton-on-Tees. Three-hour sessions run in the morning and afternoon, with a limited allocation of 30-hour places for eligible working parents. Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Outstanding at its inspection on 27 and 28 February 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separate nursery inspection.
Play and adult guidance share the day. Children choose activities, while adults join their play, introduce ideas and use questions to extend their thinking. Staff also work with individuals and small groups in indoor and outdoor classrooms. This gives children opportunities to explore independently alongside more focused support. Adults also watch children’s play and listen to their ideas, using what they notice to plan future activities. Children’s interests therefore help shape the learning, alongside the topics and activities prepared by staff.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently with early literacy, maths, creativity and understanding the world. Topics are planned half-termly. Favourite Fives, the selected core texts, give stories a recurring place in learning and help children develop understanding of books and their sounds.
Carpet gatherings include stories, rhymes, singing and circle activities, with listening and speaking as their focus. Nursery phonics begins with noticing sounds, playing with rhyme and hearing how words can be broken into sounds and put together again. Read Write Inc follows in the term before Reception for children who are ready. Readiness matters here.
Making and experimenting also have a place. Nursery children explore tools and materials through design and technology, trying out texture, colour and shape and considering what materials can do. In February 2024, early years staff identified children’s learning needs with exceptional precision; drawing and painting were particular strengths. Outdoors, children explored activities and grew in confidence, with adults encouraging them to acknowledge one another’s successes.
Tapestry connects learning at nursery with home. Staff share photographs and videos through the online journal, and parents can contribute their own examples of their child’s development. It creates a two-way record rather than leaving families to rely solely on updates from staff.
Thrive is used across the school to support social and emotional development. Adults respond to children’s feelings, acknowledge them and help children calm down before expecting them to manage those feelings independently. For a young child, that means emotional support forms part of the approach to learning.
The school’s Inclusion Team develops individual support plans with families and teaching staff. Its external partners include Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists, giving families routes to specialist advice through the school. SEND enquiries go to bpsen@bowesfieldprimary.org.uk.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Bowesfield follows Stockton’s local authority admissions policy; the council’s Admissions Team can be contacted on 01642 526605. Treat choosing nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.
Morning Nursery runs from 8.30am to 11.30am; Afternoon Nursery runs from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. These are distinct three-hour sessions. The limited 30-hour provision is for working parents who qualify for that entitlement.
For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 01642 601890 or email BPEnquiries@sbcschools.org.uk. Families can also contact the school to arrange a tour of its facilities and grounds.
Care beyond the session. The school’s wraparound provision covers Reception through Year 6. Families planning nursery around working hours should base their childcare arrangements on the nursery sessions above.
Morning Nursery is 8.30am to 11.30am, and Afternoon Nursery is 12.30pm to 3.30pm.
A limited number of places are offered to working parents who are entitled to 30 hours of nursery provision.
They explore sounds, rhyme and spoken words first. Read Write Inc begins in the term before Reception if children are ready.
Staff share photographs and videos through Tapestry. Parents can add examples of learning and development from home.
No. A separate Reception application is required through the normal admissions process. Bowesfield follows Stockton’s local authority admissions policy.
