Co-op Academy Northwood Nursery Review

Dough Disco, movement with scarves and stories about families give Fantasia, Co-op Academy Northwood’s nursery, its character. Play is the starting point. The nursery uses the school’s MAGIC learning approach and aims to help children build confidence through their first year of learning.

Fantasia has a class teacher and a supporting team member, within a school whose staff structure includes an Early Years Lead. The nursery classroom is on the ground floor, and an assisted entrance door supports access to the nursery building.

The Foundation Stage curriculum takes practical form through movement, conversation, counting and making things. In Fantasia’s first autumn topic, children explore their own lives and families while practising nursery routines. This gives them familiar subjects to talk about as they learn how the classroom works.

Dough Disco and Write Dance combine rhythm with physical activity to develop the movements needed for handwriting. Ribbons and scarves encourage larger movements, while self-portraits give children opportunities to experiment with materials, shapes and lines. These activities connect physical development with early mark-making.

Number rhymes support counting, with children counting objects to five and recognising the corresponding number of fingers. Soundpots games use resources including shaky eggs and bouncing teddies to develop attention and listening. Books include Elmer, Three Little Pigs and Lulu’s First Day, bringing stories alongside the topic’s focus on identity, home and relationships.

In July 2025, Ofsted found that early-years staff developed children’s language effectively and that most children achieved well. Small-group play in the home corner involved children taking turns while pretending to prepare a drink for someone else. Most early-years children needed extra help with fine motor development. Tweezer activities and artwork using small objects supported the control needed to hold a pencil.

Settling involves learning new routines during the first autumn term. In July 2025, children in the early years formed close bonds with staff and adjusted quickly to school life. Staff checked support needs from the outset, including providing focused language help for children beginning to learn English.

Nursery children are assessed using the Nuffield Communication Screen, which helps determine whether language intervention or Speech and Language Therapy is needed. Parents can raise developmental concerns with the class teacher, then seek help from the Inclusion or Pastoral team. ClassDojo and the academy office provide contact routes.

For children with SEND, personalised plans are developed with families. Small-group or individual provision depends on available resources, so the support package needs to reflect the child’s particular needs. Parents are invited to contribute to support-plan reviews at least termly.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their local authority and meet the deadline for the relevant entry year. Stoke-on-Trent residents apply through Stoke-on-Trent Admissions; families living elsewhere use their own council’s route.

For children with SEND, personalised transition arrangements may include visits, Social Stories and transition books, alongside meetings involving staff and parents. These help prepare children for a change of classroom or setting. They are separate from the allocation of a Reception place.

Call the academy office on 01782 234379 to enquire or arrange a visit. For everyday preparation, early-years children need wellies and an all-in-one waterproof suit. A water bottle with a sports lid and a book bag are also required; belongings should be labelled so they can be identified.

The academy’s 2026–2027 calendar includes closures on 16 and 30 November 2026. Families should account for these when planning childcare around the autumn term.