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Nursery at Windmill 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Welly Wednesday gives Windmill’s nursery a distinctive weekly rhythm: woodland exploration sits alongside play in an early years playground reserved for younger children. This is the school’s own nursery for ages 3-4, working alongside its two Reception classes. The shared early years environment brings children together for play, giving nursery children opportunities to communicate with older peers.
Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Good at the inspection on 13 and 14 September 2022. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.
Play, conversation and investigation shape the learning approach. Staff use children’s interests to develop activities, with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supported by Birth to Five Matters. For parents, that means learning includes movement, relationships and communication alongside early number work, literacy, creativity and discovering how the world works. Exploration has a purpose.
Indoors and outdoors are both accessible within the early years provision. A large, secure playground is dedicated to early years children, while the Wildlife Area supplies a different setting for Wednesday woodland sessions. Nursery children share play with Reception children here. These arrangements give social learning room to happen through everyday activity, rather than only through adult-led discussion.
Early reading starts with Phase One of Letters and Sounds. Listening games introduce environmental sounds, stories and rhyme through play, building attention before more formal phonics work. Weekly Circle Time gives children another opportunity to contribute ideas and talk with classmates.
In September 2022, early years children formed close relationships with adults and peers and became familiar with routines quickly. One nursery example involved two children collecting sticks and enjoying each other’s company despite having different languages. It is a useful illustration of how shared activity can support communication before children have the same words.
Settling can be gradual. Nursery children may increase their weekly hours towards an agreed total according to their needs, and parents are invited to help their child settle at each session. Induction meetings with the Nursery Manager or Early Years Strategic Lead provide time for questions; session-time conversations let families exchange information directly with staff.
ClassDojo and the Windmill Weekly Bulletin keep parents informed about school events. For children with additional needs, inclusion assistants work with the early years team on individual or small-group support. This provides a route from an initial concern to targeted help, with parents able to raise concerns first with the class teacher.
Care includes help with toileting, agreed with parents, and daily fruit for early years children. The school also has a sensory room and the Blue room, a quiet space among its resources. These give the team options when a child needs a different setting for support.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Telford and Wrekin’s normal admissions route and meet the normal deadline. The 2026-27 admission arrangements give no priority for attending the nursery, so familiarity with the school must be kept separate from entitlement to a place.
Preparation for the change includes open sessions, parent meetings and an opportunity to meet the teacher before September. As part of the nursery-to-Reception transition programme, Reception teachers arrange a home visit to develop communication with parents. Shared early years play also makes the next stage more familiar, but it does not change admission criteria.
Morning nursery runs from 8:35am to 11:35am; the afternoon session is 12:30pm to 3:30pm. These are distinct from the main school’s timetable, so families should plan around the nursery’s own start and finish times.
For Welly Wednesday, children need wellies, clothing suited to the weather and shoes to change into afterwards. Clothes that can get muddy are encouraged instead of uniform that day. Nursery enquiries can go through the school office on 01952 386360 or the school’s contact form.
The nursery is for children aged 3-4.
The morning session runs from 8:35am to 11:35am, and the afternoon session from 12:30pm to 3:30pm.
Early years children have a weekly woodland session in the Wildlife Area. Bring wellies, weather-appropriate clothing and shoes for changing afterwards.
Yes. Parents are invited to settle their child into each session, and nursery children can build up their weekly hours according to their needs.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Telford and Wrekin. The 2026-27 admission arrangements do not give priority for nursery attendance.
