Maryvale Catholic Primary School Nursery

Playdough, growing seeds and stories acted out with props give Maryvale’s nursery its practical character. This is the nursery within Maryvale Catholic Primary School on Old Oscott Hill in Kingstanding, Birmingham, with provision starting at age 3 and an admission number of 26.

Catholic teaching shapes the learning: nursery religious education includes Baptism, Lent and Holy Week. Families are choosing an early start within a Catholic school, with faith woven into the curriculum.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, movement, relationships and early learning. In the spring nursery programme, children practise counting objects and connecting quantities with numerals up to 5, while exploring shapes through words such as round and flat. Talking about stories, recognising rhymes and making marks sit alongside this practical mathematics.

Hands have plenty to do. Cutting, threading and weaving feature alongside playdough and Funky Finger activities, giving children practice with the movements needed for tools and pencils. Larger movements include balancing, hopping and riding trikes, bikes and scooters. Children also use simple playground maps and create maps linked to stories, connecting familiar space with imaginative play.

Winter Wonderland and New Life are the spring themes, adaptable to children’s interests. Planting seeds and tending plants introduce growth and care for living things. Story props support pretend play; songs and dance give children other ways to express ideas.

Ten:Ten Life to the Full supports learning about relationships and safety. My Happy Mind’s Celebrate work introduces character strengths, with children beginning to recognise these in themselves and others. These sit alongside learning to choose resources, pursue a chosen goal and understand why rules matter.

Early Help includes nursery families, with advice or signposting for housing difficulties, domestic abuse and financial worries. That gives parents a route to support when pressures at home affect family life.

For SEND, the school uses a cycle of assessment, planning, support and review. Staff discuss initial concerns with parents; after approximately 6–8 weeks, progress is reviewed to decide whether the child should join the SEND register. Support can include individual help or small teaching groups, with adjustments such as visual timetables and ear defenders. Parents can raise concerns through conversations, email or telephone, keeping the discussion connected to everyday learning.

Nursery attendance neither guarantees a Reception place nor gives admission priority. Children already at Maryvale’s nursery are considered against the same criteria as other applicants. Families must apply separately.

For September 2027 entry, apply through the local authority where you live, naming Maryvale. The deadline is 15th January 2027; the Supplementary Information Form must also reach the school by that date.

Preparation is a separate matter. Summer-term parent sessions introduce the teacher and SENDCo, while classroom taster sessions let children explore their next learning space. Information leaflets and meetings support families through the change.

Morning nursery runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; the afternoon session is 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Up to 22 places are full-time, with a further 4 part-time places. These patterns matter when fitting nursery around family routines.

Contact the school office on 0121 675 1434 or email enquiry@maryvale.bham.sch.uk to enquire. Nursery applications need a birth-certificate copy; applications for baptised Catholic children also need a baptismal-certificate copy. Label items brought into nursery with your child’s name. In the spring programme, home-sharing books are returned each Monday for changing, giving families a regular reading routine.