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Nursery at Thelwall Infant 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Twenty-two places and a close connection to the school's early years team give Little Explorers its character. This governor-led nursery at Thelwall Infant School takes children aged 3 and 4, with entry possible from their third birthday. It opened in January 2021 and forms part of the school rather than operating as a separate setting.
Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 21 and 22 March 2023. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.
Choice has a place in the session: children in the foundation stage can select activities. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum has a two-year planning cycle covering Nursery and Reception, giving nursery learning a connection to the next stage. In March 2023, the early years curriculum was ambitious, with deliberate planning for how learning would develop between those years.
Enquiry questions give that planning a concrete focus. Nursery themes in autumn 2023 included exploring whether homes are alike and asking who had sat in a chair. These are examples of learning organised around questions children can discuss, rather than a list of disconnected subjects.
Books matter from the Nursery Year. Developing enjoyment of reading was a priority in March 2023, and nursery children now start Read Write Inc in the summer term before Reception. This introduces the programme before the move. Experiences also extend beyond school: early years children had enjoyed a local bus journey at the time of the inspection.
Qualified teaching assistants staff the nursery, with foundation stage teachers contributing regularly. The team includes a nursery room lead and nursery practitioners, linking day-to-day care with the school's early years teaching team. Before children begin, families are invited to an induction session together. That gives parent and child a shared introduction to nursery life.
In March 2023, early years children settled promptly, worked cooperatively and followed familiar routines. These findings matter for a child learning how to join a group and manage a school session.
Lunch falls within each nursery session: 11.30am to noon for the morning group and noon to 12.30pm for the afternoon group. Link Club adds breakfast, served until 8.30am, with options including fruit, cereal and toast. A light tea follows at around 4.10pm, with pizza or fish finger sandwiches among the examples.
For SEND enquiries, families can contact the school's SENDCo through the office. Wider family support may include an Early Help Assessment or Team Around the Family meetings, bringing school and other services together around the help a family needs.
Attending Little Explorers does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal school admissions process, using Warrington Borough Council's online application route and meeting the normal deadline.
The nursery's close work with the early years team and its summer-term introduction to Read Write Inc concern continuity of learning. They should be considered separately from the allocation of a school place.
Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. Wraparound care extends from 7.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm. Link Club operates during term time, uses the hall and nursery room, and has an entrance to the left of the school's main entrance. Its bookings go through iPAL.
All children qualify for 15 funded hours from the term following their third birthday. From September 2025, most working parents are eligible for 30 hours for children older than 2. Funding can cover nursery sessions and wraparound care, and can be shared with another setting. Families must apply for funding in the preceding term. Additional nursery hours can be purchased, subject to availability; contact the school for current charges.
Visits can be arranged through the school office on 01925 267172 or at thelwall.infant@thebeamtrust.co.uk. Nursery uniform allows comfortable legwear, including leggings or joggers, and shoes suited to both indoor and outdoor use. Logoed clothing is optional.
Children can begin once they turn 3. The nursery caters for 3 and 4 year olds and has 22 places.
Morning sessions are 9am to noon and afternoon sessions are noon to 3pm. Wraparound sessions run from 7.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 6pm.
Yes. Families can use funding for wraparound care as well as nursery sessions, and can split funding between two settings. Funding applications must be made in the term before the intended start.
No. Reception requires a separate application through Warrington Borough Council's online school admissions process.
Contact the school office on 01925 267172 or email thelwall.infant@thebeamtrust.co.uk to arrange a visit.
