A PRIMARY school in Kendal has been inundated with requests for places in its new nursery, four months before it has opened its doors.

The brainchild of head teacher Sarah Tansey and deputy head Clare Ritchie, Little Deanies Nursery will be opening in September at Dean Gibson Primary School.

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"We have achieved an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted grading for our early years’ provision and we have always wanted to be able to extend that downwards," Mrs Tansey said. "Our aim is to capture children early in their lives, and to be able to teach and nurture them in those early years. We’ve been sitting on the idea for a couple of years, but now is the right time as we’re riding the crest of a wave."

The nursery has had 'loads of inquiries' from interested parents, with Mrs Tansey saying that everyone was 'very excited.'

Little Deanies Nursery will also be working in partnership with Kendal College, providing placements for students and also being closely located so that students of the college can drop their children off.

The nursery will cater for children aged three and four, and will be open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 5pm on Fridays.

Clare Ritchie, deputy head and head of early years, said: “The fact that we’re able to offer a full day of care is one of things that sets us apart. We want to create a loving and warm environment with a family atmosphere which is totally inclusive and open to all. That’s our philosophy at Dean Gibson and we want the nursery to have the same values and ethos."

The nursery will look after 10 children to start with and it is likely that three jobs will be created.

“Little Deanies Nursery will be a home from home environment for fun and imaginative play and children will also have the benefit of an easy transition with friends to our reception class," said Mrs Ritchie.

"We acknowledge the formative, early years of a child’s life as crucial to their future learning, development and life chances. We believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life, helping them to develop into happy, confident, sociable and independent people."

To register for a place, please contact the school office on 01539 723363.