Thorpe Primary School Nursery Review

Story maps, autumn discoveries and houses built from Duplo give Thorpe’s nursery its practical, playful character. This is the nursery provision within Thorpe Primary School on Dolphin Lane, with learning organised around play and sessions led by adults. The emphasis is on children doing, talking and exploring.

That daily picture needs to sit alongside an important caution. Ofsted’s inspection on 8 and 9 March 2023 judged the school’s early years provision Requires improvement. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Play does much of the teaching here. Within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the nursery combines playful experiences with adult guidance: children experiment with materials, talk about their discoveries and practise using tools. Adults demonstrate construction with bricks and Duplo, while paint, crayons and pens support colour matching and early mark making. Scribble club focuses on movement and pencil control, giving those first marks a practical purpose.

The Autumn 1 plan uses Owl babies to connect stories with feelings, family relationships and wildlife. Children rehearse the tale aloud using a visual story map, explore unfamiliar vocabulary and discuss characters and settings. Family photographs provide another starting point for conversations about similarities, differences and events in children’s lives.

Early reading has a named approach: Floppy’s Phonics introduces sounds during the nursery year. A reading area, daily stories and nursery rhymes make books part of the routine. Number songs include 5 little ducks, followed in the autumn plan by colour activities and different representations of the number 1. Instruments introduce differences in sound, including pitch and volume. An autumn walk brings learning outdoors through collecting natural objects, taking photographs and noticing seasonal changes.

In March 2023, early years children enjoyed singing and acting out familiar tales, including Jack and the Beanstalk, but the sequence of learning was insufficiently clear. The essential knowledge, skills and personal development children needed had not been mapped precisely enough, affecting preparation for their next stage. Curriculum planning. The nursery’s detailed activities give families concrete examples to discuss, but the early years curriculum concern deserves attention alongside them.

Tapestry connects nursery learning with home. The online journal includes a blog each week and records significant moments in a child’s learning, giving parents specific experiences to talk about together.

Support extends beyond classroom adults. The pastoral team works with nursery children as well as older pupils, using individual and group sessions to address emotional, social and behavioural needs. Parents can request learning mentor support, and the team decides the form of help and contacts the family. That gives families a direct route to raise worries about confidence, friendships or managing feelings.

For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the school describes targeted support and regular communication with parents about learning. Its SEND coordinator can be reached through the school office. In March 2023, early years children shared equipment, played contentedly together and were beginning to regulate their feelings and behaviour.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process. Leeds City Council controls admission to full-time education, and the school directs Reception applicants to the council’s application information. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

Nursery enquiries go to nursery@thorpe.leeds.sch.uk. The nursery application form can be completed and returned to school, and the admissions team can arrange a visit. Families seeking to change an existing nursery arrangement from 15 hours to 30 hours must make a formal request by email to the nursery address.

Step-free access includes a slope serving the Early Years/Yr 1 building. This is a useful physical detail for families planning access with mobility needs. General enquiries can also go through the school office on 0113 5217040.