Alvaston Infant and Nursery School has created 25 new nursery spaces for two-year-olds following growing demand from parents. 

The new provision has been made possible through a partnership between Alvaston Infant and Nursery School and St Michael’s Church, which has agreed to rent its church hall at the bottom of the school pathway to accommodate more spaces. 

The additional space now accommodates 25 additional places for two-year-olds alongside its 52 full-time equivalent places for three and four-year-olds. 

The nurseries have been rebranded, with children attending from aged two becoming part of the “Bears”, where they will be taught in the Beantree Nursery.

Three and four-year-olds will become part of the “Big Bears” and will be using the Church Hall (now renamed The Burrow) in the existing nursery building. 

The school has invested in high-quality resources to ensure that children continue to receive excellent education and care. Most two-year-old places have already been filled due to a high demand from the local community. 

The expansion of the school’s provision was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by representatives from Derby City Council.

Molly Peach, Headteacher of Alvaston Infant and Nursery School, said: 

We love and adore every single child within our school family and beyond, so it is fabulous that we can accept children in from a younger age and make a positive difference to their lives. 

The early years are crucial to a child’s success and development, and our carefully crafted curriculum will give them strong foundations to thrive. We always listen to our parents, so when they suggested this, we responded quickly. 

We are also so grateful to the Local Authority who have provided so much support to enable this to happen.

Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said: 

The school has listened to the local community and has worked closely with the Council in order to meet the local demand for places. 

High-quality provision is so important in giving children the best start to their education, and I’m delighted that the school has been able to expand for the benefit of the local community.

Parents at the school have welcomed the expansion. One parent said:

I’m so pleased that we can now send our children from two years old and that the school acted when it did, otherwise I may not have secured a place for my child. It’s such a warm and welcoming school and it really does feel like a family.

To learn more about early years education and care opportunities, visit our early years webpage. To find out more about other education opportunities for older children, there is more information available on our education webpage.