Mere Green Primary School Nursery Review

Daily stories and a weekly Forest School session give Mere Green’s nursery a clear character: conversation, play and outdoor exploration work together. This is the school’s own provision for three- and four-year-olds, within Mere Green Primary School in Sutton Coldfield. Children can start in the term following their third birthday.

Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 13 and 14 May 2025. That judgement covers early years across the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery. Nursery children were comfortable switching between their home language and English when talking with friends and adults, a concrete example of communication in everyday play.

Language gets daily attention. Nursery rhymes and stories are everyday activities, and books introduce children to cultural differences and gender equality. Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), learning combines small teaching groups, activities led by adults and play chosen by children. Children then return to ideas independently, giving them opportunities to practise what they have learnt rather than encounter it only once.

ShRec structures adult interactions around extended conversations and shared thinking. Wellcomm supports additional language work, while same-day interventions revisit learning before children tackle a new idea. These arrangements make talking and responding part of the learning process. A whole-school improvement action from May 2025 asked staff to use assessment more effectively to extend learning and connect it with earlier knowledge; this was a school-wide concern, rather than a nursery-specific finding.

Creative activity includes Expressive Arts and Design through both guided work and children’s own exploration. Art materials and activities remain accessible for play. Early years maths brings together White Rose Maths, NCETM Numberblocks and NCETM Mastering Number materials, with number, patterns and mathematical ideas also explored through imaginative play. That gives children different ways to approach the same idea.

A purpose-built Forest School area provides a physical focus for outdoor learning. Nursery has a weekly session with a trained Forest School practitioner, and children use the area through the seasons in almost all weather conditions. Planned tasks sit alongside activities children choose themselves. The school aims to develop confidence through practical challenges, collaboration and decisions about risk.

The nursery team includes a Nursery Leader and a Nursery Practitioner. Language support through Wellcomm complements the emphasis on conversation, giving additional attention to communication alongside ordinary nursery activities.

Across the school, additional needs are identified through a Graduated Approach involving parents at each stage. Learning mentors and pastoral assistants work with SEND colleagues; support can include individual sessions or small groups. These are school-wide arrangements, so they provide context for discussing a child’s needs before starting nursery.

Parents can speak with members of the leadership team at the beginning and end of the school day, or make contact by telephone or email. For families using Badgers, breakfast and drinks are provided before school. After school, children receive fruit and a drink; parents must supply extra snacks if their child stays beyond 4.30pm.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority under the school’s admission criteria. Families must submit a separate Reception application through Birmingham City Council’s online school admissions route by the normal deadline. Choosing the nursery and securing a school place are separate decisions.

The early years curriculum is designed to revisit concepts and develop independence for the next stage. That continuity of learning should be considered separately from admission: familiarity with Mere Green does not change the application process.

Morning sessions run from 8.40am to 11.45am; the Day Session runs from 8.40am to 3.15pm. Nursery operates during term time. Full-time and part-time places can be self-funded or supported through 15-hour or 30-hour funding. Contact admissions@meregrn.bham.sch.uk or 0121 308 1384 for nursery enquiries and current charges.

Badgers extends care before and after the nursery day. Its Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 8.45am, and After School Care from 3.15pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Staff take children to their classrooms after breakfast and collect them for after-school care. Advance online booking is required and places are limited, so families needing the longer day should plan both arrangements together.