Little St Mary's Nursery & Little Oaks Before and After School Club

A woodland garden with a mud kitchen, a school setting and a separate club for older children give Little St Mary's a clear identity. Based at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Studley, the nursery cares for children from age three, while Little Oaks provides care around the school day and during holidays. This is provision shaped around preschool learning and school life.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. There are 40 places in total across the setting, a capacity figure rather than the size of a nursery group. The nursery is teacher led, with play, children's interests and preparation for greater independence shaping its day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play and conversation sit alongside activities guided by adults. Planning takes account of what individual children are ready to learn next and what interests them. Children also choose activities for themselves. That balance gives them opportunities both to follow an idea and to take part in something a practitioner has prepared.

Construction, books, role play and creative work are part of the everyday choice. A home corner and dressing-up resources support pretend play, while physical activities give children a different way to explore. These are concrete resources for a play-based day, rather than a list of branded programmes.

In March 2024, stories involved puppets and other props, and adults modelled pronunciation during conversations. A dough activity combined cutting practice with discussion about what children were doing. The examples show how practical play can bring movement, language and concentration together.

There was also a clear teaching limitation in March 2024: activities did not consistently stretch every child as far as they could. The improvement priorities were to adjust teaching more effectively within activities and make staff development more closely address teaching practice. For parents, the useful distinction is between providing an engaging activity and extending the learning of each child taking part.

Outdoor and Community Life

The nursery occupies a building behind the primary school. Its landscaped garden can be used in different weather, and the woodland garden area includes a mini beast hotel, a digging area and a mud kitchen. These give outdoor play a practical character: children can investigate, dig and experiment, rather than simply use the garden for a break from indoor activities.

Access extends to the school's playing fields and playgrounds, with a tyre park, climbing equipment and a slide. Little Oaks uses the playground or field in each session. Older children can choose resources from an equipment library as well as taking part in construction, reading, craft and physical play, so the club has space for different interests after lessons.

Past outings add some local colour. A summer trip to All Things Wild took place on 13 July 2023, and Breakfast with Santa at Bruno’s Bakery followed on 18 December 2023. These are examples of previous experiences, rather than a promise about this year's calendar.

Relationships and Communication

Independence has a practical meaning here. Children are encouraged to manage toileting and their outdoor clothing, with easy-to-handle clothes helping them do more for themselves. Protective clothing is supplied for messy play. The emphasis is on everyday skills children can practise repeatedly, rather than treating readiness for school as an academic exercise alone.

In March 2024, parents took part in stay-and-play sessions and progress discussions each term. Questionnaires gave families another way to contribute their views, and communication included ideas for managing behaviour and routines at home. That offers a useful picture of how nursery experiences were connected with family life at the time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCO coordinated targeted support with families and other professionals, including contact with specialist settings, so children with SEND could participate and work towards individual goals. The important mechanism was coordination: support was linked across the people and settings involved in a child's care.

During that same month, staff helped children put feelings into words and understand the sequence of their day. Familiar routines and support with sharing were part of daily care. These observations belong to the inspection period; they provide concrete examples behind the judgement, rather than a general assurance about every child's experience.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Pool Road, Studley, B80 7QU. Nursery opening hours are 8.45am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Morning and day sessions are offered, with lunch relevant to both patterns. The term-time operation covers 38 weeks and closes for school holidays, teacher training days and bank holidays.

Little Oaks breakfast care runs from 7.30am to 8.45am for children attending St Mary's Catholic Primary School. After-school choices are an early collection before 4pm or collection before 5.30pm. Those different collection points matter for families whose working day ends at different times.

Holiday provision welcomes school-aged children aged four to eleven. Its Full Day runs from 8am to 5.30pm; Half Day choices are 8am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 5.30pm. The holiday club may close when bookings are insufficient, so it is a separate arrangement from the nursery's term-time calendar.

Registration enquiries go to littlestmarys@welearn365.com. The nursery can also be contacted on 01527 852140, option 3.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2024, the nursery received early-education funding for three- and four-year-olds. Current prices should be obtained in a written quotation, keeping nursery attendance, club sessions and meal choices separate.

For morning or day nursery sessions, families can supply a packed lunch or buy a hot meal from the school canteen, eaten in the school hall at 11.45am. Little Oaks includes its 5pm snack in after-school session prices, while breakfast children can choose cereal, toast or fruit.

Moving on to School

In March 2024, nursery children used the school's dining hall and took part in physical education with its sports coach, giving them experience of school routines before Reception. Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place; families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Teaching challenge. The March 2024 priorities concerned extending learning within activities and sharpening staff development. During a visit, ask how practitioners now adjust the same activity for children at different stages.
• School-day boundaries. Nursery hours end at 3.15pm, while Little Oaks serves children attending the primary school. Families needing a longer preschool day should ask whether any club arrangement applies to their child.
• Holiday dependence. Little Oaks welcomes school-aged children aged four to eleven, but may close if too few book. This condition matters when planning cover during school breaks.
• Arrange a visit. Visits can be booked by emailing littlestmarys@welearn365.com. Use the visit to discuss how your child's individual needs would fit the nursery's routines.

Little St Mary's suits families seeking morning or day nursery sessions within a term-time routine, alongside school families who need breakfast or after-school care. For older children, full-day and half-day holiday sessions add another option, subject to sufficient bookings.

The garden, access to school spaces and practical emphasis on independence give parents clear reasons to consider it. The Good judgement from March 2024 supports that picture, while the teaching priorities remain a useful point to explore. Its strongest appeal is the connection between preschool play and familiar school routines.