St Mary's Nursery Group

A bungalow beside St Mary’s School and a lunch club in the school hall give St Mary's Nursery Group a recognisable character. The nursery is registered for 16 places. This Albrighton nursery combines early-years play with practical familiarity with school life. Its size describes the whole setting, rather than the number of children attending any particular session.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The detail beneath that judgement matters: children practised doing things for themselves, books supported language development, and settling arrangements involved parents. There were also weaknesses in teaching oversight and the notification of committee changes, which families should weigh alongside those strengths.

The age range is 31 to 60 months, with admission from the term following a child’s second-and-a-half birthday. Morning and afternoon sessions operate during term time, with a lunch club between them.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children develop language, physical skills, relationships and understanding through play, alongside early literacy, mathematics and creative activity. It is the common foundation for early-years education. Here, planned activities take place indoors and in the nursery’s own outdoor area, giving children different ways to explore the same developing skills.

In September 2024, children’s interests helped shape activities. Making treasure maps prompted conversations about journeys over water and land, connecting imaginative play with vocabulary and collaborative thinking. Play dough gave children opportunities to handle tools and make models, while sustained mark-making supported the physical skills needed for later writing. These were practical experiences, rather than learning confined to spoken instructions.

Books had a clear place in the day in September 2024. Children selected stories on library visits, while familiar books were revisited daily so that they could anticipate language and join in. Repetition served a purpose: a child could move from listening to taking an active part in the story.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor area supports exploration and planned activities. Families provide Wellington boots and suitable spare clothing, and children play outside frequently. Messy play is part of the offer, so clothes children can manage themselves make more sense than outfits that need careful protection.

In September 2024, children used a sandpit and tested whether objects would support them before climbing. Visits to a dental practice introduced oral health, which children then explored through pretend play. Weekly yoga and martial arts sessions added opportunities to practise listening and movement. Those examples show how physical development and everyday understanding were brought together at that time.

Current enrichment includes yoga and music lessons, alongside activities named food explorers and gardening club. A voluntary sustainability fee helps support this programme. The practical content of the latter two activities is a useful topic for a visit, rather than a reason to assume a particular teaching approach.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who helps them become familiar with nursery and builds a relationship with their family. Settling is approached individually: staff work with parents, recognise that some children need longer, and allow a familiar comforter. That gives families a concrete way to connect home with the new setting.

In September 2024, parents shared information about their children before starting and joined settling sessions where children could begin getting to know their key person. Daily updates and take-home activity packs also connected nursery learning with family life. These arrangements gave parents something specific to discuss and continue at home.

Regular observations contribute to progress records shared with families, and termly parents’ meetings provide a longer conversation about development. Parents can also arrange a private meeting with staff. Communication therefore has both an everyday route and a more deliberate opportunity to discuss concerns or progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff helped children recognise emotions and use a calmer space when overwhelmed, supporting progress for children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The current team structure includes a special educational needs coordinator and a child protection coordinator; these are identifiable responsibilities rather than a general promise about support.

Children who are not toilet trained have an intimate care plan, with staff and parents working towards independence. Prescribed medication can be administered under the nursery’s policy after the required forms are completed; administration is witnessed and documented. All staff hold paediatric first aid certificates.

In September 2024, committee changes had not been notified to the regulator within the required period. Committee members awaiting suitability checks had no unsupervised contact with children. Separately, staff supervision was not consistently detecting ways to improve teaching, making the quality of ongoing oversight an important consideration.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Bungalow, Shaw Lane, Albrighton, WV7 3DS. Sessions run Monday to Friday during term time, excluding bank holidays: mornings are 9am to noon and afternoons are 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Bookings are normally made by term. This is an attendance model built around sessions and the school calendar, so holiday cover needs separate planning.

Lunch Club runs from noon to 12.30pm in the lunch hall at St Mary’s School, with nursery staff accompanying children and remaining with them. Children bring a packed lunch and drink; parents also supply a healthy snack for each nursery session, while the nursery provides milk and water and publishes a nut-free snack policy.

Lunches are refrigerated at nursery. Using the school hall offers familiarity with part of school life, but attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Registration enquiries can be made by telephone on 01902 375533, by email at stmarysnursery@live.co.uk or through the contact form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes Nursery Education Funding from the term after a child turns three, two year old funding subject to eligibility, and the extended free entitlement (30 hours funding) for eligible families. Delivery is term-time. Funding eligibility and the nursery’s admission age are separate conditions, so funding for a younger age group does not itself change the starting rule.

Private sessions and Lunch Club are charged, and the sustainability fee is voluntary and applies each half term. Families supply snacks and packed lunches, including when using funded sessions; parents also apply sun cream before nursery in summer. Current prices should form part of the nursery’s written quotation, with session charges, lunch club and the voluntary contribution considered separately.

• Teaching oversight and governance. September 2024 findings identified gaps in monitoring teaching and timely notification of committee changes. On a visit, ask how staff supervision and trustee-change procedures now work.
• Term-time attendance. Morning and afternoon sessions sit around a short lunch club, with bank holidays excluded. Families needing holiday childcare should factor that calendar into their choice.
• Food and enrichment. Parents supply snacks and lunch, and the nursery publishes a nut-free snack policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice; a visit is also the place to discuss what food explorers and gardening club involve and how the voluntary sustainability contribution supports activities.

St Mary's Nursery Group suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, including those who want to connect them through Lunch Club. Its bungalow setting, outdoor area and use of the neighbouring school hall give the offer a clear shape. The September 2024 examples of practical independence, shared reading and personalised settling add substance to that picture.

The balance is straightforward: useful play and care arrangements sit alongside specific weaknesses in teaching oversight and governance notification. Those deserve a focused conversation before choosing the nursery. For families whose calendar fits the session model, this is a small setting with a tangible connection to everyday school life, while Reception admission remains a separate decision.