Radleys Primary School Nursery

Three indoor learning areas and a large outdoor space give Radleys’ early years provision its physical shape. The nursery has 26 places within the school’s EYFS unit in Rushall, Walsall, with provision starting from age three. Families can choose a 15-hour or 30-hour pattern. The indoor and outdoor areas belong to the early years unit as a whole, rather than being described as nursery-only facilities.

Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS: a framework covering children’s care and development alongside their learning. At Radleys, the curriculum brings together language and literacy, maths, physical development, emotional and social development, creative expression and understanding the world. Relationships and children’s individual needs shape the approach. For parents, this means learning extends beyond early reading and number work to communication, movement and growing independence.

The nursery’s 2020–21 guidance describes listening games using environmental noises, voices and musical sounds through Letters and Sounds. It also describes introducing Read, Write Inc. in the summer term. These are dated details of how listening and phonics were organised, rather than a promise about today’s timetable. That guidance also describes adapting the routine to children’s interests and needs.

In February 2025, Ofsted found that early years children connected familiar stories with counting objects to ten and beyond. This gives a concrete example of learning crossing subject boundaries: a story becomes a starting point for number work. Early reading. The same inspection identified school-wide inconsistencies in phonics delivery, including pronunciation and missed writing errors, which slowed some pupils’ reading development. Checks on learning. Inspectors also found inconsistent assessment in a few subjects across the school, with uneven identification of learning gaps and what pupils needed to learn next. This limited the school’s understanding of pupils’ learning in those subjects. Both concerns were school-wide findings, rather than nursery-specific judgements.

Parents have several ways to connect home life with learning. Early years consultation meetings sit alongside half-termly learning newsletters, reading sessions involving parents and children, and half-termly inspire sessions. Families can also share achievements from home for celebration in school. These exchanges give staff a fuller picture of the child beyond the classroom.

For additional needs, the school’s SEND coordinator works closely with its Family Support Worker to support children and their families. Parents can contact these roles directly by email. This provides a clear starting point for discussing support.

The school’s lunch service prepares food on site each day using locally sourced ingredients. Confirm nursery access and meal arrangements with the school office. Hot meals are booked through an emailed termly form; amendments must be submitted before 9.30am that day. For families using that service, lunch needs to be part of the advance planning.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Walsall Council. Radleys’ admission arrangements give priority through care status, qualifying siblings, supported medical or social need, and distance. Nursery attendance is not one of those criteria, so choosing the nursery does not confer Reception priority.

Nursery applications go through the school office, which supplies the admission form. Call 01922 721383; the contact page gives enquiry hours of 8.30am to 3.30pm.

The 2020–21 nursery guidance gives morning hours of 8.30–11.30am and a 30-hour day of 8.30am–2.30pm. Treat those clock times as historical. The current EYFS page describes the 15-hour and 30-hour options. EYFS uniform includes a white polo shirt with no tie, with grey trousers or a skirt and a red logo jumper or cardigan.