St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Nursery, Billingham

Pencil preparation starts with movement here. At the June 2024 inspection, St Joseph's nursery children copied adult actions during squiggle and wiggle time, practising patterns in preparation for holding a pencil. That gives parents a concrete picture of learning at this age: physical activity with a purpose.

The nursery provides for three-year-old children within St Joseph's Catholic Primary School on Low Grange Avenue, Billingham. It forms the starting point for the school's curriculum, so early learning belongs to a longer sequence of teaching.

Squiggle and wiggle is the clearest example of what nursery children actually do. In June 2024, children followed the adult's movements confidently, rehearsing handwriting patterns before moving towards pencil use. The emphasis is on preparation: practising movements comes before expecting children to manage the writing tool itself.

The June 2024 inspection found that early-years children developed both large movements and smaller, more precise movements effectively through this activity. For parents, that connects physical development with an everyday learning task. Movement is part of the preparation for writing, rather than simply a break from it.

Curriculum planning starts in Nursery and connects with later learning across the school. In June 2024, this provided useful starting points and supported transitions. The nursery's place within that sequence matters: these first activities are intended to build towards what children will learn next.

Additional support needs deserve attention alongside the learning activities. In June 2024, communication and language were a significant area of need across the school. Staff had undertaken training with a local charity and used approaches including individual workspaces, sensory tents and visual timetables. These were school-wide arrangements; they should be understood in that context.

Support plans. In June 2024, the quality of plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities varied across the school. Some targets needed to become more precise and capable of being measured. For a family considering nursery with additional needs, the practical issue is clear: a support target should make the intended next step understandable and allow progress to be checked.

Attending St Joseph's nursery does not guarantee a place in its Reception class. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery choice and the later school application as two separate decisions.

The curriculum connection is a learning arrangement. It must not be treated as an admissions advantage or a promise of a Reception place.

For nursery enquiries, contact St Joseph's on 01642 560056 or email office@stjosephsbillingham.bhcet.org.uk. The school is on Low Grange Avenue, Billingham, TS23 3NN. Use those details to contact the Billingham school directly.