Saplings Nursery at Sowerby Primary Academy

Playdough, small tools and experiments with moving parts give Saplings a practical starting point for learning. This is Sowerby Primary Academy’s nursery for children aged 2 to 4, part of the academy since January 2022. Its curriculum combines making and exploring with early language and social development.

Availability differs by age. Children can start in the term after their second birthday, with limited places on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; places for 3 and 4 year olds run Monday to Friday. That distinction matters when matching nursery attendance to family routines.

Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), combining communication, physical development and learning to get along with others with early literacy, number and exploration. Play provides opportunities to practise those skills together. Saplings children investigate how wheels, levers and hinges work, handle materials including wood, foil and card, and learn to join things using small tools. Making something becomes a reason to explain an idea, test it and try again.

Language develops through stories and conversation as well as early sound work. Nursery activities can include singing, rhymes, storytelling with participation and making marks to convey ideas. Adults extend talk through conversations and discussions. The nursery currently uses Letters and Sounds (2007) guidance, with a planned move to Essential Letters and Sounds weekly planning. Rhymes and alliteration remain part of that early preparation.

Technology also has a place in early years play: children use cameras, iPads, an interactive smart board and programmable Bee-Bots. These give them practical ways to explore instructions and solve problems. Stories and discussion introduce safe technology use at an appropriate level for their age.

Movement extends beyond a separate activity slot. Early years children use the outdoor area daily and have a weekly PE session, practising control of their movements and careful equipment handling. Indoor and outdoor activities offer physical challenges, so learning involves the body as well as talk and making.

Each child has support from a key person, and families receive regular feedback about development and progress. That gives parents a continuing point of contact as their child learns to spend time with other children and adults. Nursery staff are qualified, undergo enhanced DBS checks and hold fire drills regularly.

Additional support in early years can include adapted equipment, visual prompts, smaller groups and a pace suited to the child. Families work with the special educational needs coordinator and specialist educators on individual plans, connecting classroom adjustments with specific goals.

School meals are prepared fresh each day in the school kitchen. Meat and poultry come from the region, while fruit and vegetables are sourced regionally where possible. The menus follow a healthy-eating policy.

Attending Saplings does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through North Yorkshire Council and meet the normal application deadline. For the 2026 admissions cycle, the closing date for both paper and online applications was 15 January 2026. Nursery attendance and the Reception application should therefore be treated as separate decisions.

Funding includes 15 hours a week during term time from the term after a child’s third birthday. Eligible families can claim 30 hours for children aged 3 and 4, and Saplings also has allocated places for funded two-year-olds. A birth certificate is required to claim funding.

To enquire or arrange a look around, call 01845 523037 and select option 2. A visit offers families a chance to consider the practical, play-based curriculum alongside their preferred attendance days.