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Nursery at Town End Academy
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Early language, number skills and musical play give Town End Academy’s nursery its focus. Provision includes a separate offer for two-year-olds alongside nursery education for children aged three and four, within the primary school on Borodin Avenue in Town End Farm, Sunderland.
The school aims to treat children as individuals, encouraging their existing strengths while helping them tackle things they find difficult. Its values are resilience, respect and reflection: a shared vocabulary for learning and behaviour across the school.
The early years foundation stage here centres on building knowledge and skills for children’s next steps. Early literacy includes core books, poems and rhymes; mathematics also uses rhymes. These give families concrete starting points for understanding the learning, rather than treating nursery simply as preparation for formal lessons.
Musical instruments feature in early years play as well as taught sessions. Children can explore sound through play before working with an adult on a musical task. The music learning sequence begins with the two-year-old provision and continues through the school.
At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that early years children made a positive start, with adults using conversation to develop learning and introduce mathematical and reading ideas. The emphasis was on foundational knowledge and recognising gaps in children’s understanding. Adult interaction matters here: language is part of the teaching itself.
Welcome visits provide an opportunity to discuss toilet training with nursery staff. The school asks families to try potty training before nursery where possible; children who have yet to manage it can receive further advice through those visits. Raising this early gives parents and staff a shared starting point for a practical care concern.
For additional needs, families can contact the school’s special educational needs coordinator through the office. The wider family support offer covers emotional wellbeing, bedtime and morning routines, bereavement and managing SEND-related behaviour at home. Staff can also work with other professionals to help families access support.
Food preparation takes place in the school’s own kitchens. Most dishes are made from scratch, using seasonal, fresh ingredients, and the school aims to encourage varied eating while reducing processed food. This describes the school’s catering approach.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Sunderland’s local authority admissions team, following the normal Reception application process and deadline. Choosing the nursery and applying for school are separate decisions.
Two-year-olds have a morning session running from 08:30 to 11:30 or an afternoon session from 12:30 to 15:30. The nursery afternoon runs from 12:15 to 15:15, so the two offers have different collection times.
Eligible three- and four-year-olds can access the school’s 30-hour childcare offer; some places are also offered without funding. Funded entitlement does not guarantee a place or a particular attendance pattern. Contact the school for current charges.
Nursery registration has its own application route. Visits can be arranged through the school office, and families can enquire by calling 0191 7070 123 or using the contact form.
Yes. Town End Academy has separate two-year-old provision alongside nursery provision for three- and four-year-olds.
Morning sessions run from 08:30 to 11:30, and afternoon sessions from 12:30 to 15:30.
The school offers 30 hours of funded early education and childcare for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Entitlement does not guarantee a place or a particular attendance pattern.
The school asks parents to try where possible. If your child is not potty trained, discuss this with nursery staff at the welcome visits for further help and advice.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Sunderland’s local authority admissions team, following the normal application process and deadline.
