All Saints Anglican/Methodist Primary School in Elston set to open new nursery

A village school is to open a new nursery as its headteacher is aiming to leave behind a lasting legacy before retiring after 11 years.

All Saints Anglican/Methodist Primary School in Elston is set to open a new nursery for a class of 15 toddlers aged three and over this September after over a year of hard work.

Lisa Richmond, the headteacher of the primary school, is retiring at the end of the school year.

To leave behind a legacy to provide for the young children in the village, she decided she wanted to bring the building next door to the school back into use as the preschool, which was a different institution, closed in 2022

“There was no preschool provision in the village, which was really sad, and then the building was just there, I decided I had to do something,” she said.

After speaking to local authorities, the building was transferred to her, and after putting in a successful bid for the Department of Education capital funding, managed by the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, was able to build a corridor that connects the new nursery to the primary school, as well as refurbish the former preschool room.

She added: “I'm pleased that it's done, because I knew the potential of it all, and I wanted to get it sorted.

“I wanted to get the building works done and everything that need to happen to get it up and running so that when the new head comes in, there's a lovely new building, new resources, and a lovely group of children ready to enjoy it.

“I'm just really proud of the school.”

The nursery room, called The Caterpillars, is offering play-based learning for the children, and the little ones will also join in morning worship and sports days along with the primary school.

“I think that this is going to be beneficial for any families that have little ones, and having it here means they can just walk, rather than have to drive somewhere,” added Lisa.

The nursery will be hosting an open day on Monday (May 19) from 9am to 11.30am and from 1.30pm to 2.30pm for parents to have a look around the site.