St Joseph's Little Scholars

A Beach Hut for sandy play, a full-size gym and a small Chapel give St Joseph's Little Scholars a character that goes well beyond its classrooms. This Catholic nursery in Chesterfield occupies a former school site beside St. Joseph’s Convent, with outdoor space for active play and quieter places for reflection. The physical setting is a substantial part of its appeal.

Children aged three and four attend the nursery, which has 60 places in total. At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall. That is a dated judgement: families choosing now should also weigh the current rooms, activities and attendance arrangements described below.

Term-time provision includes morning and afternoon nursery sessions, with St. Joseph’s Club providing separately charged care before and after nursery.

Rooms and Ages

The Owl room and Squirrel room are spacious classrooms with woodland themes and resources children can return to throughout their play. For preschool children, that makes the room itself part of the learning experience: there is space to explore and revisit an interest.

Elsewhere, the Sensory Room contains fibre-optic equipment, a bubble lamp and a projector, creating a quieter setting for small groups. Soft Play adds steps and a slide indoors. These spaces serve different purposes, giving children alternatives to the larger, more active areas of the campus.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, including language, physical development and early number skills. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision; here, counting develops through games, songs and stories, while construction and puzzles give children opportunities to work out how things fit together.

Conversation runs through role-play and storytelling. Children explore the links between letters and sounds, discuss unfamiliar vocabulary and think about what might happen next in a story. Creative activities include modelling, movement and experimenting with materials. The practical value is clear: children can practise speaking, making choices and expressing an idea while engaged in play.

In October 2021, children used pretend shopping to explore numbers and compare sizes, and assembled large shapes into an imaginary rocket. A sand timer helped them manage turns with shared toys. These examples show how everyday play could bring mathematical thinking, imagination and social negotiation together at that time.

There were also limits to the teaching in October 2021. Adults sometimes left an interesting conversation at the level of what children already knew, rather than developing the idea further. During some storytelling, children learning English as an additional language needed more help to understand the vocabulary. Both areas became improvement priorities and remain useful topics for a visit.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed playground supports free movement between indoor and outdoor learning. The Garden adds opportunities to care for plants and insects, alongside games, movement and summer picnics. This gives outdoor time a broader purpose than simply letting off energy.

The Beach Hut is a wooden play space containing sand, seaside objects and toys, including buckets and spades. It brings a recognisable seaside theme into imaginative and sensory play. The Full-size Gym also hosts celebration concerts, so the campus provides space for shared occasions as well as everyday activity.

Faith is visible in the setting. The Chapel, attached to the convent house, is used for brief songs, hymns, stories and thanksgiving around celebrations. The nursery's Catholic ethos also includes teaching children to respect other cultures and faiths. Families can therefore weigh both the religious character and the practical facilities when deciding whether it fits their child.

Each child has a key person who encourages exploration and growing independence. That gives the child a consistent adult relationship alongside the freedom to choose activities. In October 2021, familiar interests helped new children settle: dough play was one example of an activity chosen to make an unfamiliar setting feel more manageable.

At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support for children with SEND through cooperation with families and other professionals, including additional funding for individual adult support. Those findings belong to that visit, rather than constituting a current assurance about every child's experience.

Communication in October 2021 included conversations with parents about what their children had done and learnt during the day. Staff also used words from children's home languages, although the storytelling weakness described above shows why language support needs more than familiar greetings or isolated vocabulary.

Everyday independence was evident in October 2021 through children managing handwashing and used tissues themselves. Adults discussed dental care and supported children in working through disagreements with friends. These small routines matter alongside planned learning: they give children practice in looking after themselves and sharing space with others.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens on weekdays during school terms, from 7.30am to 5.30pm. Morning sessions run from 8.40am to 11.40am; afternoon sessions run from 12.20pm to 3.20pm, with lunch between them. The shorter sessions give families a different attendance pattern from the wider opening window.

St. Joseph’s Club provides wraparound care for children aged three to eleven in the large gym, with access to the playground and lawn. Its morning period runs from 7.30am to 8.40am, and its afternoon period from 3.20pm to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday in term time. Separate fees apply to this care; breakfast is included in the morning, and a snack and drinks are included in the afternoon.

Getting There

The address is 42 Newbold Road, Chesterfield, S41 7PL. Families can register interest through the admissions form or contact the nursery by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded provision is offered on a 15/30 basis for the nursery's preschool age group, within its term-time operation. Families using paid wraparound care should distinguish that booking from their nursery sessions and funded entitlement.

The fees page provides the route to the fee structure; current prices should come in a written quotation from the nursery. Included club food belongs to the club booking and should not be treated as a statement about meals during funded nursery hours.

• Term-time attendance. Nursery sessions and St. Joseph’s Club operate during school terms. Families needing care through school holidays will need an arrangement that covers those weeks.
• Teaching and language support. The October 2021 improvement priorities concerned extending play and explaining English vocabulary. During a tour or taster day, ask how staff now develop children's ideas and adapt stories for children learning English.
• Catholic character. Chapel activities include hymns and thanksgiving around celebrations. Consider how this religious element fits your family's preferences alongside the nursery's teaching about other cultures and faiths.
• The complete booking. Morning and afternoon nursery sessions sit alongside separately charged club care. Ask for a written breakdown covering your chosen pattern, funded hours, meals and consumables before committing.

St Joseph's Little Scholars suits families seeking term-time preschool provision with a choice of morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those who need club care around the nursery day. Its strongest current appeal is tangible: woodland-themed classrooms, substantial outdoor space, a seaside play hut and a gym provide different settings for play.

The Catholic identity is equally clear. The Good judgement from October 2021 adds useful context, but the teaching and language-support priorities deserve attention when choosing. For families comfortable with the faith element and the term-time calendar, this is a setting with plenty of physical variety for preschool children.