Goathland Primary School Nursery

A third-birthday start and flexible provision of 15 or 30 hours give Goathland’s nursery a clear practical identity. This is nursery education within a small rural primary school on Beckhole Road, with moorland around the school building. It puts the youngest children within an existing school setting rather than a separate childcare establishment.

Base 1 has a teacher responsible for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1. That shared responsibility is an important feature for families considering the nursery’s place within the school.

Patterns, shapes and conversation give a concrete picture of early learning here. In July 2024, children in the early years chose activities independently, explored mathematical ideas and heard adults introduce mathematical vocabulary through conversation. Learning involved both doing and talking: children could explore a concept themselves while staff helped them put words to it.

The classroom was calm and inviting, and children showed confidence and happiness. These are early-years findings from the inspection of 10 July 2024, rather than a separate nursery judgement. Relationships extended to older pupils as well as adults, giving the youngest children contact beyond their own age group.

There is also a wider school caution to keep in view. The ungraded inspection on 10 July 2024 left the school’s overall Good judgement unchanged, but warned that a graded inspection might result in a lower grade. The next inspection would be graded. This was a school-wide warning, not a nursery judgement. In July 2024, curriculum changes were still becoming established, assessment did not pinpoint knowledge gaps precisely enough, and some pupils needing reading support did not receive it promptly. Those concerns concerned the school; they should not be recast as nursery-specific findings.

Support has a defined team structure. The school shares a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) with Lythe Primary School, while the staffing team includes an advanced teaching assistant and a teaching assistant with a one-to-one role. These are school staffing arrangements, rather than a promise of individual support for every nursery child.

For welfare concerns, the headteacher is the designated safeguarding lead, supported by a deputy. Staff use CPOMS to log safeguarding, pastoral and welfare matters, and concerns are shared with the safeguarding team that day. This gives families an identifiable route for raising a concern and staff a common recording system.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal school admissions process. The application route is North Yorkshire County Council’s school admissions service, which provides an electronic application form.

Treat the nursery decision and the Reception application as two distinct steps. Choosing nursery hours is about the child’s present care and learning; the later school-place decision still requires its own application.

Flexible provision of 15 and 30 hours is the nursery’s stated hours model. For families balancing nursery with other commitments, that flexibility is the practical feature to weigh when choosing this setting.

Visits can be arranged through the school secretary. Contact the office on 01947 896230 or email admin@goathland.n-yorks.sch.uk to arrange one. The school is on Beckhole Road, Goathland, with postcode YO22 5ND.

A pre-loved uniform collection is open to all families through the school office. This is a useful school support option for families who need clothing, rather than a nursery uniform requirement.