What are Maintained Nursery Schools?

We make up 2 of 3 Maintained Nursery Schools in Wakefield Local Authority.

A lot of people ask what exactly is a Maintained Nursery School?'

A Maintained Nursery School is a local authority school, and is funded and controlled by the Local Authority, just like any other Local Authority school. They must be led by a Headteacher and employ other qualified teachers, and like all schools in the country the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) must be a qualified teacher.

We are inspected by Ofsted in exactly the same way as primary and secondary schools.

There are just under 400 maintained nursery schools remaining in England.

Maintained Nursery Schools are uniquely placed to:

• Provide high quality early education, led by specialist Headteachers and delivered by qualified teachers, nursery nurses and early years educators.
• Integrate education, care and health services for children, so that all aspects of a child's development can be supported.
• Put parents and families at the centre of their work.
• Share their expertise with other early education and childcare providers, so that all children in the local community benefit.
• Give priority in admissions to vulnerable children and have the skills and expertise to support them successfully.
• Are effective in 'closing the gap' between the most disadvantaged children and their peers.

Crigglestone and The Castle Nursery Schools are incredibly proud to be Maintained Nursery Schools. We work tirelessly to deliver excellent education and utilise our expertise, resources and passion for inclusion and early years education to ensure the very best outcomes for all of our children.