St Gerard's Catholic Primary School Nursery Review

Child-chosen learning gives this nursery its character. Within St Gerard's Catholic Primary School's Early Years Unit, children have opportunities to express ideas and make choices, with personal, social and emotional development a central focus. The school describes 26 children holding full-time nursery places: an attendance figure, rather than a statement of maximum capacity.

The setting belongs to a Catholic primary school in Castle Vale, Birmingham. Faith shapes school life, and the nursery's World Faith Week focus is Catholic Life. For families, that religious identity is part of the educational experience from the outset.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning includes exploring home, family life and familiar places. Books, role play, visits and first-hand experiences help children discover how places differ, connecting learning to the world they know. Here, child-initiated learning is an explicit part of the approach. That gives children a role in choosing and developing their activities, rather than making adult direction the sole organising principle. An EYFS staff team supports the unit.

Learning also reaches beyond the school site. A nursery outing to Ash End House Farm gave children opportunities to feed animals, learn about their young and see a chick that had recently hatched. These are concrete experiences to talk about and remember. The visit connects learning with things children can see and interact with directly.

On the wider school site, Katie's Garden is used for outdoor lessons, while the Peace Garden provides space for reflection. These are school facilities, rather than nursery-exclusive areas. In March 2023, Ofsted found that children followed established routines from the early years onwards, supporting an orderly setting for learning.

For a child needing additional help, the school's SEND approach starts with staff discussing concerns with parents. Its Graduated Response follows assessment, planning, action and review, with monitoring revisited each term. Birmingham SEND Toolkits can help staff set smaller learning steps for children working below age-related expectations.

Practical adaptations across the school include ear defenders, visual timetables and quieter working spaces. These give families specific starting points for discussing the adjustments their child might need. The SEND Information Report for 2025–2026 also offers parents of children on the SEND register a termly meeting to review progress and individual targets with the class teacher and SEND coordinator.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery choice and the later school-place decision as separate steps.

Transition preparation has its own practical programme. A summer session lets parents meet the receiving class teacher and SEND coordinator, followed by an induction day later that term. Meetings, information leaflets and classroom taster sessions support the move. Some children may also need additional classroom visits to reduce anxiety; that preparation supports familiarity, rather than conferring an admissions advantage.

Full-time nursery places are part of the provision. Enquiries go through the school office on 0121 464 2613 or by email to enquiry@stgerard.bham.sch.uk. The school is on Yatesbury Avenue, Castle Vale, Birmingham, B35 6LB.

The school calendar and term dates provide the dates families need for planning around school holidays. For SEND concerns, the school's recommended first step is a conversation with the child's class teacher, followed by a review of agreed actions after six weeks.