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Nursery at Kells 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Stories, conversation and the confidence to play with other children give Kells Infant School’s nursery its character. Based at the school on High Road in Whitehaven, it combines early learning with care that helps children become curious and increasingly assured. Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding at its inspection on 8 and 9 October 2024; that judgement covers early years within the school.
Language runs through the nursery day. Children hear rhymes, enjoy songs and encounter stories, then practise telling stories themselves. They also make marks to convey their ideas. This gives early writing a purpose before children can produce conventional written sentences. Daily activities involving both small movements and larger body movements help prepare them for writing, connecting physical development with communication.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings learning and development together here through an emphasis on independence and expressing ideas. The school’s EYFS vision focuses on helping children explain what they are thinking and planning. In October 2024, nursery children developed their communication skills successfully, while sensitive adult help supported sharing and playing together. Learning to join in matters as much as learning to tell a story.
Adult support helps children gain confidence. In October 2024, the standard of nursery care helped children become eager to learn, and staff guided them towards enjoying play with their peers. For families, that connects emotional security with the practical business of taking turns and joining a group.
Class Dojo provides a route for communication between home and school. Families also receive newsletters each week and a weekly video of children’s learning, giving parents something concrete to discuss with their child. For absence messages, include your child’s name, your own name and the reason for absence, helping staff identify the child and understand the situation.
Lunch is cooked in the school kitchen each day. Nursery meals are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with booking and payment arranged by half term. The office supplies the current menu, so meal planning forms part of organising a whole-day place.
The school’s Wiggle Rooms provide sensory support and intervention for pupils with complex needs, alongside time in mainstream provision. These are school facilities rather than a separate nursery offer. Families can also approach the safeguarding team confidentially about concerns; staff undertake safeguarding training annually.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority in allocating one. Families must make a separate application through the Local Authority’s Co-ordinated Admission Scheme, with Cumberland Council responsible for Reception admissions. Places are decided through the applicable admission scheme, rather than through a child’s nursery attendance.
Preparation for the next stage is a different matter. The nursery’s work on language, sharing and playing with other children prepared children well for Reception in October 2024. Those skills support the move; they do not alter the application process.
Places follow one of two patterns: five mornings or five whole days. Morning sessions run from 08:45 to 11:45, and nursery closes at 15:00. The whole-day pattern is described as using the 30-hour funded childcare offer. Meals and extra wraparound hours carry separate charges and cannot be covered by either 15-hour or 30-hour funding. Contact the school for current charges. Tax-Free Childcare is not accepted because the school does not take online payments.
Nursery applications are handled by the school. Forms can reach the office by email, post or hand delivery. For enquiries, use admin@kells-inf.cumbria.sch.uk or telephone 01946 691865; the office contact hours are 09:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday.
School oversight. The October 2024 inspection required better checking of curriculum learning in a small number of subjects and more systematic scrutiny by governors. These were school-level concerns, relevant to families considering the wider organisation around the nursery.
The nursery offers five morning sessions or five whole-day sessions. Mornings run from 08:45 to 11:45; nursery closing time is 15:00.
No. Attendance is not an allocation factor. Families must apply separately through the Local Authority’s Co-ordinated Admission Scheme.
They tell stories aloud, use marks to communicate ideas and take part in daily activities developing small movements and whole-body movement.
No. Meals are charged separately and cannot be paid for using 15-hour or 30-hour funding. Nursery lunches are offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with booking and payment by half term.
Contact the school office at admin@kells-inf.cumbria.sch.uk or on 01946 691865. The school also uses Class Dojo for parent communication.
