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Nursery at Riverside Primary 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A mud kitchen, weekly Forest School for Acorns and early language work give Riverside’s nursery a character of its own. Two age groups have distinct rooms: Seedlings serves two-year-olds, while Acorns takes children aged three and four. This is the nursery within Riverside Primary School, rather than a separate childcare setting.
Seedlings has eight places per session, morning and afternoon, making 16 across the two groups. Acorns has 26 places in each session. At the school’s Ofsted inspection on 25 and 26 April 2023, early years provision received a Good judgement. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision; it is not a separate nursery inspection outcome.
Play carries the learning. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) combines language, movement and emotional development with early literacy, maths, creative work and exploration of the world. Children learn inside and outdoors through play, exploration and active thinking.
The activities change with age. Seedlings children handle malleable materials daily to develop finger control, alongside larger arm movements. In Acorns, pencil disco and line dancing support increasingly controlled mark making. Cooking and baking also feature in the nursery, giving children practical activities alongside their work on numbers, shapes and colours.
Language has a clear thread through the day. Word Aware supports vocabulary across early years, and Read Write Inc begins in Foundation One. In April 2023, stories, singing and rhymes helped even the youngest children develop awareness of sounds. These are foundations for reading, rather than an expectation that two-year-olds already read.
Acorns visits Forest School weekly, sharing activities with Foundation Two children. The mud kitchen, searches for mini-beasts and climbing trees provide reasons to talk, cooperate and practise physical skills. Children can follow their interests as well as join activities with a particular learning focus. Seedlings learns words for familiar surroundings, including sand, forest and beach; Acorns uses experiences such as Chester Zoo to explore animal habitats.
Curriculum sequencing. The April 2023 inspection identified a weakness in a few subjects within the wider school curriculum: the knowledge children needed to retain was insufficiently clear, making some lesson planning harder. This qualifies the positive early years judgement and matters for how learning builds over time.
Families can arrange a short settling visit where children can play while adults discuss routines, development and individual needs. Parents may remain with their child on the first day. Children meet their key person, and families receive a Welcome Booklet explaining the start of nursery life. Insecure toilet training does not prevent admission.
For children needing help with communication, Foundation Stage support includes Early Talk Boost and Talk Boost. Families can contact the SEND team at sendteam@riverside.wirral.sch.uk. Class Dojo shares classroom photographs, videos and messages with parents, providing a way to follow learning and contact staff.
Acorns can have a school lunch, with hot and cold choices on a three-week menu rotation. Parents select meals through Arbor. Breakfast sessions include cereal or toast, fruit and a choice of milk or water, so families using the earlier start have a food option built into that session.
Nursery attendance gives no Reception priority and does not guarantee a place at Riverside. Families must make a separate application through Wirral’s local authority admissions process. For the September 2026 intake, the on-time deadline was 15 January 2026; that cycle has passed.
Transition activities are separate from allocation. The induction programme includes a summer meeting for parents, a July afternoon with the new teacher and classmates, and a September start in smaller groups over two weeks. Shared Forest School activities also let Acorns children spend time with Foundation Two pupils before moving on.
Morning nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoon sessions run from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. Seedlings offers either session, with no full-day places. Acorns children can attend mornings, afternoons or a full day through eligible funding or paid sessions. Lunch occupies the half-hour between sessions, and Acorns breakfast begins at 8am.
For three- and four-year-olds, the 15 funded hours are taken across mornings or afternoons. Eligible children can access 30-hour places. Two-year-old funding is conditional on eligibility, and the school office receives funding codes. Extra sessions and lunch payments use Arbor; contact the school for current charges.
Nursery application and funding forms go to the school office, with paper copies also obtainable there. Enquiries can be sent to schooloffice@riverside.wirral.sch.uk. Acorns has Fitness Friday: children wear a plain white T-shirt, black jogging bottoms and black pumps or trainers. The school can supply this kit where families cannot obtain it.
Seedlings takes two-year-olds. Acorns, the Foundation One class, takes children aged three and four.
No. Seedlings offers morning or afternoon sessions. Full-day attendance is an option in Acorns through eligible funding or paid sessions.
No. It gives neither a guarantee nor priority. Reception requires a separate application through the local authority admissions process.
Families can arrange a short play visit and discuss their child’s needs with staff. Parents are invited to stay on the first day, when the child meets their key person.
Acorns offers 15 funded hours across morning or afternoon sessions and 30-hour places for eligible three- and four-year-olds. Eligible two-year-olds can receive 15 hours; funding codes go to the school office.
