East Herrington Primary Academy Nursery

Favourite stories, repeated rhymes and learning to take turns give East Herrington’s nursery its clearest character: language and learning alongside other children. This is the academy’s Nursery class for children aged 3 to 4, with entry from the September following their third birthday. It sits within the school’s early years provision.

Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 11 and 12 October 2022. That judgement covers the school’s early years rather than a separately inspected nursery. The nursery teacher also holds the roles of EYFS phase leader and senior mental health lead, bringing those responsibilities together in the staffing structure.

Two three-hour sessions give the day its basic shape. Morning attendance runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; the afternoon runs from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Lunchtime sessions and a 30-hour option are also available, giving families an alternative to a single morning or afternoon.

In October 2022, nursery children returned to familiar stories and practised rhymes, developing their understanding of unfamiliar words. These are concrete examples of early language learning: children revisit language through stories they enjoy rather than encountering new vocabulary only once.

The Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS, connects communication, physical development and children’s social and emotional development with learning in areas such as literacy and mathematics. Here, the October 2022 findings also showed children cooperating in play and practising turn-taking. Learning to wait and share an activity matters alongside learning words. It helps children participate with their peers.

Communication support has a concrete nursery example. In October 2022, adults successfully used picture cards with children who could not speak, giving them another means of communicating. For a family whose child needs help expressing themselves, that is a useful example of support in practice.

The school’s SENDCo covers early years, with inclusion responsibility also held by an assistant head. Support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle: the class teacher and SENDCo consider the child’s needs, agree support with parents and revisit its impact. The teacher retains responsibility for the child’s daily teaching during interventions.

Support Plans include individual targets, teaching strategies and actions for home. Parents help shape them and participate in termly reviews, so support can connect what happens in class with what families do at home. Where a child has both medical needs and SEND, provision is coordinated with their healthcare plan.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal Sunderland Council process and meet its normal deadline. The council usually sends information about applying in September of the preceding academic year; nursery settings distribute these letters to registered children.

For children with SEND, transition planning involves parents and children, with information about their support passed to the next setting through reviews. That continuity concerns care and learning. It does not secure admission.

Up to 15 hours of free nursery education are offered to children aged 3 to 4. Eligible families have the option of an additional 15 hours of free childcare. The eligibility condition matters when planning longer attendance.

Registrations can begin once a child turns two. Nursery enquiries go directly to the school at ehpa@balmorallearningtrust.co.uk. To register, families submit the nursery application form by email with a copy or photograph of the child’s birth certificate and a Council tax bill proving their address.