St Antony's RC Primary School Nursery Review

Conkers counted, autumn leaves turned into artwork and stories explored through Talk4Writing: practical discovery gives St Antony's nursery its character. The nursery belongs to St Antony's RC Primary School on Shadsworth Road in Blackburn, within a Catholic school community. Its activities connect language, movement and early number work with things children can handle and discuss.

Sharing is part of that learning. Turn-taking games help children understand that a friend may want the same resource, while talking about favourite activities gives them a way to express preferences as they become familiar with nursery life.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together communication, social development, physical skills and early learning. Here, those areas meet in practical activities: children compare numbers and explore how numbers up to five are made, experiment with mixing colours, and listen for rhyme. Clapping syllables with a partner makes attention to spoken sounds a shared game.

Talk4Writing includes Brown Bear and Peace at Last. Children discuss story characters and events, using props to develop their own role play. During November 2024, adults in the early years demonstrated spoken language clearly, and children engaged enthusiastically with singing, storytelling and rhymes. Those activities helped them recognise patterns and sounds within words.

Outdoor learning supplies materials for several kinds of work. In Exploring Autumn, children gathered acorns, leaves and conkers from woodland and outdoor areas. They counted and sorted their finds, described how they looked and felt, and used them in art. The same objects become a starting point for mathematical thinking, conversation and creativity.

Movement has a named partner, too. An Edstart coach works with nursery children on balancing and climbing equipment, including moving over, beneath and through it. Starry Night shifts attention to the contrast between daytime and darkness, nocturnal animals and why sleep matters. Pattern-making and language about size and quantity sit alongside these explorations.

Settling begins with helping children recognise places and activities they enjoy. Looking at photographs of the nursery learning environment prompts conversation about favourite areas, giving children something concrete to discuss while their confidence develops. In November 2024, older pupils also helped early-years children settle through Gardeners and Seeds activities.

Independence is a learning goal: nursery work includes dressing, toilet use and personal hygiene, alongside understanding healthy food choices. For parents seeking support with additional needs, the school holds a SEND Forum each half term. Topics include speech and language, physical development and social communication, with local-authority guest speakers and SEND drop-ins providing opportunities to exchange information.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their child's entry year. The local authority's School Admission Team handles the application forms; nursery attendance should never be treated as an allocation decision.

The school office can arrange a visit on 01254 54686. General enquiries can also go to admin@stantonysrc.co.uk. A visit gives families a direct opportunity to discuss their child's interests and introduce themselves to the school before starting.