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Nursery at Duddon St Peter's CofE Primary School
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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Forest School on Thursday afternoons and specialist PE on Friday mornings give Treetops a distinct weekly rhythm. This is the Foundation Stage unit at Duddon St Peter's, where nursery children aged three and above learn alongside Reception children, with teaching groups differentiated between the two stages. Play and exploration drive the approach.
Children normally join in the term following their third birthday, although some can start shortly after turning three. An early years specialist teacher leads the learning, supported by a higher level teaching assistant and teaching assistants. Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Good at its inspection on 14 and 15 January 2025. That judgement covers early years within the school.
The morning starts with registration and focused teaching between 9.00 and 9.30am. Children then move into activities they choose themselves, interspersed with teaching in small groups, using both the outdoor and indoor learning spaces. A review after tidying gives them time to revisit what they have done. Sounds, stories and songs occupy the final stretch before lunch.
Afternoons follow a similar pattern: registration and teaching, time for children's own activities, then tidying and a story before collection. This gives the day a recognisable shape while leaving substantial time for play. Forest School and the visiting PE specialist add outdoor exploration and physical activity to the week.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) means learning extends beyond early reading and counting. Children practise talking and listening, managing feelings, building relationships and controlling their movements. Counting and problems involving numbers sit alongside role play, dance, making music and artwork. The Chatty Plan provides activities aimed at communication and language, including playdough resources.
Planning follows children's interests rather than fixing every activity in advance. The lead teacher's qualifications include a PGCE specialising in early years and a Masters in Education focused on early literacy and writing development, giving families a clear picture of the expertise behind that planning.
Food punctuates both sessions. Morning snack brings fruit with water or milk, and children learn to help themselves. In the afternoon, they sit together for toast and a drink. Lunch can be brought from home or prepared hot in the school kitchen; a midday assistant allocated to nursery looks after the children during this part of the day.
Parents are encouraged to help children settle and pass messages to staff. Regular conversations with families inform learning tailored to each child's development, making those exchanges useful beyond the immediate handover.
For additional needs, the school's graduated support starts with classroom teaching and can extend to individual intervention or small groups. Families help identify needs, and support targets can be recorded in an SEN plan or a one-page profile. The SENDCO works with services including speech and language therapy and Cheshire West Educational Psychology Service.
Support targets. In January 2025, school-level monitoring of individual goals was insufficient for pupils with SEND who had no EHC plan. Families using personalised support should keep progress against those goals central to discussions. Attendance. School-level attendance procedures also needed strengthening in January 2025 because some pupils were missing learning; regular attendance remains a practical consideration for families.
Attending Treetops does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. The school directs applications to Cheshire West and Chester's online school admissions service.
Learning alongside Reception children, with differentiated teaching groups, gives nursery children experience of the wider early years unit. That familiarity is part of their nursery experience, separate from the allocation of a school place.
Choose a morning from 9.00am to noon, an afternoon from 12.30 to 3.30pm, or a full day from 9.00am to 3.30pm including lunch. Lunch can also extend a morning until 1.00pm, or precede an afternoon with an 11.45am start. Confirm the afternoon handover when arranging sessions, as the nursery timetable begins afternoon registration at 1.00pm.
Parents can claim 15 or 30 funded hours. The school requests a voluntary termly contribution towards snack and activity ingredients, including baking and playdough; contact the office for current charges. Paid before-school care begins at 7.45am, with nursery children escorted to Treetops, and after-school care runs from 3.30 to 6.00pm.
Uniform includes a red cardigan or sweatshirt and a white or red polo shirt. Nursery children need no separate PE kit: suitable joggers or shorts and trainers accompany their usual top. For Forest School, bring suitable boots or wellies and seasonal outerwear. To arrange a visit or discuss sessions, call 01829 781366 or email admin@dstp.cheshire.sch.uk.
Children usually start in the term after their third birthday. In some circumstances, they can join shortly after turning three.
Yes. Children can bring a packed lunch or have a hot meal from the school kitchen. A morning can extend until 1.00pm, and an afternoon including lunch can begin at 11.45am.
Forest School takes place on Thursday afternoons. Children also use outdoor learning spaces during their child-initiated activities and small-group teaching.
Parents can claim 15 or 30 funded hours. Charged before-school and after-school care are also offered; contact the office for current charges.
No. Families need a separate application through Cheshire West and Chester's school admissions process, submitted by the applicable deadline.
