Heygarth Primary School Nursery Review

Woodland exploration and a gradual start give Heygarth’s nursery its character. Foundation 1 (F1) is the nursery class within Heygarth Primary School in Eastham, with funded places for children aged 3 and 4. It offers up to 52 part-time places. That is nursery capacity, rather than the number of children attending each session.

A single-storey school building and nursery changing facilities provide concrete support for children with physical or personal care needs. The nursery’s class teacher also leads learning outdoors, connecting the youngest children’s provision with that aspect of school life.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework provides the basis for learning. Heygarth emphasises practical experiences and developing knowledge alongside skills: children learn through doing, as well as through adult teaching. The school places particular importance on personal, social and emotional development, seeing this as preparation for learning and later life.

Stories and rhymes give language development a daily-life focus. In February 2023, Ofsted found that adults helped early-years children develop communication, with children enjoying storytelling and rhymes. This gives parents a concrete picture of the language experiences children encounter, rather than an academic promise about later results.

Forest School adds a different learning environment. Its enclosed area lies on the school field, with established trees and a willow boundary planted in early 2025. Sessions begin with outdoor clothing and a discussion of rules, then gather around the fire circle to consider activities. Possible activities include planting, sensory exploration, shelter making and the Mud Kitchen. These are possibilities within the programme, rather than a fixed nursery timetable.

Children help put resources away and discuss their experience afterwards. Heygarth aims for children’s interests to shape Forest School learning, giving them opportunities to make choices and explore ideas outdoors.

Settling happens in stages. Before starting F1, children can visit and join a welcoming event; the intake is staggered, and parents can remain while their child becomes comfortable. That gives families time to establish familiarity before separation.

For children with additional needs, support can involve small groups, individual help and specialist advice. Personal support plans are reviewed each term and shared with parents, making the next steps a joint discussion. Speech and Language Therapy is among the services the school accesses. Children with needs already identified have a meeting involving relevant professionals before joining.

Lunch needs planning too. Nursery children who remain for lunch bring a packed meal; those attending mornings only are collected at 11:45am. Nuts and nut products are prohibited, and lunchboxes must exclude sweets and chocolate bars. Nursery changing facilities support personal care on site.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Wirral Council’s normal admissions process. For the 2024–2025 admissions cycle, nursery attendance carried no Reception priority; the criteria concerned care status, catchment, siblings and distance. The deadline for that cycle was 15 January 2025, which has passed.

Transition activities are a separate matter. Children joining Reception have summer story sessions, stay-and-play opportunities and an induction day, while parents can meet staff and see classrooms. These help children prepare for the change; they do not determine the allocation of places.

The nursery attendance patterns are five mornings, five afternoons or two and a half days, subject to numbers. Morning sessions run from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoons run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Eligible parents can use 30 hours of funding.

Enquiries go directly to the school through its nursery application form or by calling 0151 327 1570. Visits can be arranged by telephone. Uniform includes grey bottoms, a white top and green knitwear or sweatshirt; nursery children do not need PE kit. Collection is through Gate C, and an EYFS child’s collector must be at least 16.