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Nursery at Shay Lane Primary (J and I) 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A mud kitchen, a bug hotel and woodland den making give Shay Lane’s nursery learning a concrete, playful character. This is the nursery within Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School in Crofton, sharing a Foundation Stage unit with Reception. Its 52 places are split between 26 morning places and 26 afternoon places.
Early years provision was judged Outstanding by Ofsted at the inspection on 21 and 22 February 2024. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery. In February 2024, teaching and planning encouraged curiosity, and the learning spaces were exceptionally well suited to young children.
Children’s choices sit alongside teaching in small focus groups and sessions with the whole class. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, managing feelings and relationships, and physical development, alongside early reading, writing, maths, creativity and understanding the world. Here, play and adult teaching both contribute to that learning. Seasonal starting points include Winter wonderland and Bears, giving children themes to explore alongside activities shaped by their own developing interests.
Conversation gets deliberate attention. Adults expand children’s vocabulary by repeating their words with additions, allow time for replies, and use pictures or objects to support children who do not communicate verbally. Role play provides another reason to talk: following a police visit, nursery and Reception children used an outdoor police station to act out what they had learned.
During play chosen by children, they can move between the outdoor and indoor classrooms. Sand and water, construction resources and musical instruments offer different ways to explore. The woodland space includes den making, a mud kitchen and a bug hotel, giving children practical encounters with the natural world.
Early reading begins with discussion, storytelling and songs. Rhyme of the Week gives children opportunities to perform; sound blending develops gradually, with initial sounds introduced through Read, Write Inc and linked to their letter shapes in the final term. Maths involves exploring quantities, shapes and measurement through play, with adults helping children explain their thinking.
Practice Stations add a simple way to recognise independent work. After completing an activity, children place a coloured lollipop stick in their own container. Tidying also becomes a learning opportunity, involving sorting, counting and discussing where resources belong.
Parents contribute information about interests and achievements at home, helping the team decide what a child should learn next. The EYFS team plans each week and adjusts activities through observations of children’s play. This connects home experiences with classroom learning.
Communication support includes adapting language to individual children and using visual prompts. Across the school, The Hub provides a specialist space for sensory activities, communication and social development, with provision tailored to individual needs. Its resources include a calming sensory space and Attention Autism activities; this is school provision, rather than a promise of a particular nursery placement or intervention.
An early years designated safeguarding lead forms part of the safeguarding team. Families can contact that team on 01924 862600 with concerns about a child’s safety or welfare.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline.
Preparation for the next stage is a separate question. In February 2024, nursery children were learning classroom routines, expectations and learning skills that would help them start Reception. Sharing a Foundation Stage unit gives the nursery a place within the school’s early years setting; it does not secure admission.
Morning nursery runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, while the afternoon session runs from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. The 30 funded hours pattern runs from 8.45am to 2.45pm. Those different finishing times matter when planning collection.
For nursery enquiries, contact the school on 01924 862600. The school is on Shay Lane, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1NN.
There are 52 places, divided into 26 morning places and 26 afternoon places, within a mixed nursery and Reception Foundation Stage unit.
Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am and afternoon sessions from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. The 30 funded hours pattern runs from 8.45am to 2.45pm.
Children can move between indoor and outdoor classrooms during child-initiated learning. The woodland area includes a bug hotel, den making space and mud kitchen.
No. Nursery and Reception admission are separate, and families must apply again through the normal Reception admissions process by its deadline.
Nursery children develop vocabulary through conversation and role play, retell stories and perform Rhyme of the Week. They gradually begin blending sounds orally, then learn initial sounds through Read, Write Inc, linking sounds to their letter shapes in the final term.
