Carmountside Primary Academy Nursery

At the July 2022 inspection, daily toothbrushing gave Carmountside’s early years provision a distinctive practical detail: learning to care for yourself sits alongside learning with other children. The nursery belongs to Carmountside Primary Academy on Woodhead Road in Abbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent. In July 2022, its pre-school provision catered for children aged two to four.

For 2027/2028, the proposed nursery capacity is 26 full-time equivalent places. This is a capacity measure, rather than a headcount of children attending different sessions. Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 5 and 6 July 2022; that judgement covers early years within the school.

Play and adult teaching share the day. The early years curriculum follows the September 2025 EYFS Framework, combining early learning in language, reading and maths with children’s social and emotional development. In parent terms, this means learning to communicate and manage relationships alongside the beginnings of literacy and number work.

Storytelling, vocabulary and conversation receive explicit attention. Maths involves practical experiences, while early reading uses systematic phonics. Children explore and play both outdoors and indoors, giving them different ways to encounter and practise their learning. These are concrete features of the early years curriculum, rather than a promise of formal lessons throughout the day.

The nursery timetable runs from 8.50am to 11.45am, followed by lunchtime and an afternoon learning period from 1pm to 3.10pm. In July 2022, early years children showed curiosity about themselves and their surroundings. Relationships with staff helped them feel secure enough to learn alongside one another.

Security came through relationships in July 2022: the youngest children had a calm, caring setting and close connections with staff. Daily toothbrushing also gave early years children a regular opportunity to practise responsibility for their own care.

Speech and language needs receive attention from the start. Children are assessed during pre-school and nursery. Where concerns arise, they are offered a referral for detailed speech and language assessment and therapy if needed, by an NHS qualified speech and language therapist. That provides a route from identifying a difficulty to specialist help.

For children with special educational needs, support follows Assess, Plan, Do, Review. Parents contribute to plans and termly reviews, so their knowledge of their child informs the next steps. The school has ramps, accessible toilets and writing aids to support access. Families can contact staff through Dojo, telephone conversations or arranged meetings. School meals are provided for pre-school and nursery children.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through Stoke-on-Trent Local Authority’s normal admissions process, submitting an online application or using a paper form from the school office.

For 2027/2028, there is a specific, conditional advantage: criterion 4 gives priority to children who are on the school’s nursery roll at the time of application and qualify for the early years’ pupil premium at that same time. Carmountside’s nursery is included in this arrangement. Attendance alone does not qualify a child for this priority. Families should keep the separate Reception application firmly in their plans.

The school offers 15 funded hours per week for children aged two, three and four. The nursery day begins at 8.50am and ends at 3.10pm, with the lunchtime break separating its morning and afternoon learning periods.

For enquiries, contact the school office on 01782 234676 or email office@carmountside.org.uk. For the 2027/2028 intake, nursery applications are handled by Stoke-on-Trent Local Authority; paper forms can be collected from the school office. This gives families separate routes for discussing the provision and making their application.