The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
Nursery at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Hedgehog hotels, nature walks and obstacle courses give the early years at Our Lady of Lourdes a practical, exploratory character. Language matters just as much: songs, storytelling and rhyme are part of the daily learning. This is nursery provision within a Catholic primary school on Beech Avenue in Farnworth, Bolton.
Children become eligible in the full term following their third birthday. The February 2025 nursery policy sets capacity at 15 full-time equivalent places, or 30 part-time places. That distinction matters when choosing between a shorter session and full-time attendance: these are alternative ways of using the nursery’s capacity.
Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Outstanding at its inspection on 15 and 16 October 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery inspection outcome.
Communication gives the nursery curriculum a clear focus. From the Nursery Year, activities develop children’s speaking and understanding, with daily singing, rhymes and stories giving them repeated opportunities to hear and use language. For a young child, learning starts with listening, joining in and finding words to express an idea.
The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Here, the curriculum builds knowledge in steps rather than treating activities as isolated experiences. In October 2024, children in early years listened closely, participated readily and became absorbed in practical exploration. Making shelters for hedgehogs, constructing obstacle courses and taking walks to explore seasonal changes were concrete examples. These connect learning with making, movement and the natural world.
Catholic teaching also shapes the curriculum. The relationships education policy includes EYFS and uses the themes Created and loved by God, Created to love others and Created to live in community. These give personal development an explicit religious context, connecting children’s understanding of themselves with relationships and responsibility towards others.
Learning to manage emotions forms part of the EYFS relationships curriculum. Children are taught words for feelings and simple ways to manage their emotions and behaviour. This gives them a vocabulary for expressing how they feel, alongside strategies for responding.
The school’s accessibility plan sets out aims to increase disabled pupils’ participation in learning and improve access to both the physical environment and information. For families considering the nursery, these are school-wide commitments relevant to participation, rather than a promise of one particular adjustment for every child.
A nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the local authority’s normal Reception process. Keep that application distinct from registering interest in nursery.
The arrangements for September 2025 entry gave no priority for nursery attendance. They used other criteria, including Catholic status, care status and siblings. For that past intake, parents applied online through Bolton Council and the closing date was 15 January 2025. Those dates belong to that admissions cycle, rather than a future application timetable.
Morning sessions run from 08:40 to 11:40, with afternoon sessions from 11:50 to 14:50, Monday to Friday. Full-time places are also offered. Parents indicate their preferred pattern when the school checks whether they still want a place, although their first choice cannot always be accommodated.
Under the February 2025 policy, eligible families seeking a full-time place supply a 30-hour childcare code for verification; the offer remains provisional until that check is complete. Families can alternatively fund the additional 15 hours themselves when places are available. Contact the school for current charges.
Register interest through the school office, which then contacts families about nursery places. Use 01204 333181 or office@ourlady.bolton.sch.uk. Nursery children are expected to wear school uniform, with details provided at the Parents Welcome meeting.
Children are eligible in the full term after turning three. Admission during the academic year is considered when places are available.
Sessions run Monday to Friday: mornings are 08:40 to 11:40 and afternoons are 11:50 to 14:50.
Yes. The February 2025 policy provides for full-time places using verified 30-hour childcare eligibility, or self-funding the additional 15 hours where places are available.
No. A separate Reception application is required through the local authority. Nursery attendance was not a priority criterion in the September 2025 arrangements.
Contact the school office for a Registration of Interest form. Parents can register interest from their child’s birth, and the school contacts them directly about nursery places.
