Little Acorns Nursery at Foley Infant School Academy

Full days or mornings, with learning rooted in stories and practical exploration: Little Acorns gives families two term-time patterns within Foley Infant School Academy in Kinver. The nursery opened in February 2020. Its full-day pattern covers 30 hours per week; mornings cover 15 hours.

This is the school's own nursery, within its early-years provision. Ofsted graded early years Good at the inspection on 11 and 12 July 2023. That judgement covers the school's early years rather than a separately inspected nursery.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines learning and development before later schooling. At Foley, assessment is intended to identify children's next steps as their knowledge and skills develop. Nursery planning includes maths and vocabulary progression, giving number work and language a place alongside practical experiences.

Stories have provided concrete starting points. In January 2022, nursery children explored Goldilocks and the Three Bears through size comparisons, teddy bear sandwiches and the differences between wet and dry porridge. These activities linked a familiar tale with early mathematical ideas and sensory exploration.

In January 2023, Little Acorns children used We're Going on a Bear Hunt to discuss stormy weather. Puppets helped them act out the story, while a foam pit provided space to make shapes. Language became something to explore through movement and materials. An earlier nursery activity, in November 2021, involved making an edible fire engine: discussing food shapes brought in maths, while stirring and spreading icing exercised small hand movements.

Outdoor learning also has a named approach. Forest School uses the school's outdoor area for small projects and social interaction; Foley aims to take children outside in different weather conditions so they can experience seasonal changes.

Early-years staff work within a team that includes school leadership. Foley describes relationships with parents and supporting professionals as part of its approach, including therapists, school nurses and educational psychologists. Parents can raise concerns about special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and contact the SENDCo at BrindleyandFoleySEND@manormat.com.

The school kitchen is run by edwards and ward. This is a school-wide catering arrangement, rather than a description of a nursery meal routine.

Communication. In July 2023, a significant minority of parents across the school were concerned about communication and felt insufficiently informed about changes. Improving communication was an inspection action. Separate school-wide actions concerned embedding newer subject curricula and using assessment more purposefully; these were not presented as nursery-specific shortcomings.

Attending Little Acorns does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through their home local authority, following its normal application deadline. Nursery attendance and the Reception application are separate decisions.

For preparation, Foley offers introductions to teachers so children can begin becoming familiar with them before starting school. That practical support should be understood separately from the allocation of places.

Choose between full-day provision of 30 hours per week and mornings of 15 hours per week, both during term time. These are weekly attendance patterns, rather than confirmation of a funded entitlement.

Nursery enquiries go to the school office on 01384 872382 or info@foleyacademy.com. Foley is on Fairfield Drive in Kinver, postcode DY7 6EW.