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Nursery at Leighswood 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.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, scooters and an all-weather wild area give Leighswood’s youngest children plenty to investigate. This is school-based early education with practical play: children explore materials, make choices at snack time and practise getting their own coats and shoes on.
Leighswood has a 45-place Nursery alongside provision for two-year-olds in the Acorn Room. The older nursery provision admits children from the term after their third birthday. Both age groups have funded and paid options. At the inspection on 18 and 19 March 2025, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good. That judgement covers early years within the school.
Wonder, Investigate, Learn and Discover give the W. I. L. D. curriculum its name. Leighswood aims to use this approach with children and practitioners learning together. It sits alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): learning combines language, movement and social development with early literacy, maths, creativity and exploration of the world. For parents, that means play has a learning purpose rather than being separate from teaching.
Indoors, the Nursery has a Creation Station and separate corners for construction and curiosity, as well as sand exploration and a group corner. These give children different starting points for making, building and investigating. Acorn Room experiences include water and messy play, crafts, pretend play and miniature-world activities, with opportunities to exercise both small hand movements and larger physical skills.
Outside, two-year-olds explore the wild area whatever the weather. Bikes and scooters add movement; the mud kitchen offers another place for play. The physical environment gives outdoor exploration a concrete role in the day.
In March 2025, early years learning used everyday objects and experiences to help children understand themselves and their surroundings. Children built vocabulary and practised counting by touching story characters. Nursery children also listened for environmental sounds as preparation for reading. These are approachable beginnings: familiar stories and things children can hear or handle make early number and language learning tangible.
Acorns has key workers for two-year-olds. The Early Years team also welcomes questions about children’s development, giving families a route to discuss how their child is getting on.
Routine is part of the approach for younger children. Leighswood encourages a consistent pattern of morning or afternoon attendance to support the move into school Nursery. Everyday care also becomes practice in independence: children work on handwashing, toileting and dressing themselves. At snack time they choose between food options, so making a decision is part of the routine too.
For families needing advice about special educational needs and disabilities, Walsall SENDIASS provides impartial support for children and their parents or carers. That offers a separate advice route alongside conversations with the school.
Attending Leighswood’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply again through Walsall Council’s normal Reception process by the normal application deadline. The local authority manages applications and makes the offers.
Nursery attendance does not confer priority. The priority order covers looked-after children, qualifying siblings, supported medical or social need, then distance from home to school. A familiar nursery routine and a Reception application serve different purposes; families need to plan for both.
Morning Nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoon Nursery runs from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Children taking the 30-hour option attend from 8:45am to 3:15pm. That earlier finish matters when organising collection.
For two-year-olds, the 15-hour pattern consists of five mornings or five afternoons each week. Eligible families can access 15 or 30 funded hours, while paid sessions are also offered. For children using government 30-hour funding, the lunchtime provision carries no additional fee. Ask the school for current charges for paid provision.
Nursery enquiries go to the Childcare office on 01922 457186 or childcare@leighswood.walsall.sch.uk. Application forms can be emailed or taken to the school office, giving parents a direct route to arrange a place.
There is provision for two-year-olds in the Acorn Room. Children enter the older Nursery provision in the term after their third birthday.
Morning sessions are 8:45am to 11:45am and afternoons are 12:30pm to 3:30pm. For 30-hour children, the day is 8:45am to 3:15pm.
Two-year-olds explore the wild area in all weathers, ride bikes and scooters, and use the mud kitchen.
No. Nursery attendance neither guarantees a place nor confers priority. Families make a separate Reception application through Walsall Council.
Contact the Childcare office on 01922 457186 or email childcare@leighswood.walsall.sch.uk. Nursery application forms can be emailed or taken to the school office.
