St Anne's Catholic Primary School Nursery Review

Catholic faith gives the pre-school at St Anne's its wider setting: a primary school community in South Ham, Basingstoke, where the school says Gospel values shape daily practice. The pre-school belongs to St Anne's Catholic Primary School, a member of Mother Teresa Catholic Academy Trust.

For families choosing this provision, that religious character matters. The school aims to combine children's personal, spiritual and academic development, and values partnership between home, school and parish. It describes inclusion as recognising each child's individual gifts and giving children equal access to learning opportunities.

In March 2024, Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Good. The curriculum work beginning in early years was effective in preparing children with knowledge and skills for later learning.

There was also a qualification at school level: some subjects needed clearer curriculum detail so that learning could go deeper. This was a whole-school improvement requirement, rather than a finding specifically about the nursery's daily activities.

Individual needs are part of the school's stated approach. St Anne's aims to recognise barriers associated with sensory or physical needs, learning difficulties, and social or emotional development. It acknowledges that difficulties can be temporary or longer lasting. For parents, this means concerns about a child's development can be raised without assuming that every difficulty has the same explanation.

A SEND coordinator and SEND assistant form part of the school team. Both can be reached through the school office, giving families a direct contact route for discussing additional needs.

In May 2022, the school's approach to SEND involved Assess-Plan-Do-Review: staff and families considered needs, agreed support, put it into practice and checked its effect. Personal Learning Targets guided support for children receiving SEN support, with individual interventions or work in small groups where appropriate. This gave parents specific goals to discuss, rather than a general promise of help.

That approach also included sharing support information during transitions and arranging accompanied liaison days for children with additional needs when required. At school level, designated safeguarding leads and deputies provide a contact route for concerns. Staff receive safeguarding training annually, with further updates during the year.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority, and nursery attendance gives no priority under the 2027-2028 arrangements.

For September 2027 entry, the application deadline is 15 January 2027. Families seeking consideration in the relevant faith categories are strongly requested to return a Supplementary Information Form to the school office by that date, with supporting documentation. Omitting that information can affect the category in which an application is considered. Keep the nursery decision and the Reception application as two separate tasks.

The school is on Pinkerton Road, Basingstoke, RG22 6RE. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01256464165 or by email to adminoffice@st-annes.hants.sch.uk. The same school office provides access to the SEND team and a route to safeguarding staff, so families have one initial point of contact.