Footsteps Nursery at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bracknell

Communication, curiosity and learning to tackle problems give Footsteps its character. The nursery at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bracknell bases its approach on six images of the child, with independence and confidence among its aims. Preparation for school sits alongside preparation for everyday life.

Responsibility rests with the school's headteacher and governors, and Footsteps is inspected alongside the school. Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Good at the inspection on 11 and 12 January 2022. That is an early years judgement within the school inspection.

The curriculum puts children's ways of communicating first: expressing a need or a feeling matters, whether children communicate in the same way as their peers or differently. Creative thinking and curiosity also shape the approach. The approach encourages curiosity and active learning as children acquire new skills and knowledge.

Relationships have their own place in the nursery's curriculum. Children are encouraged to understand their connection to the wider community and to treat other people fairly. Alongside this, the approach makes room for mistakes. Building confidence to explore, try again and recognise their individuality is an explicit aim.

Challenge is another strand. Children are encouraged to try unfamiliar experiences and make choices independently; solving problems both alone and with others completes the six-part approach. For parents, these priorities put social development, decision-making and persistence alongside learning new things.

Development Matters supplies guidance for the early years foundation stage, or EYFS. Footsteps uses it to check children's learning, with observation checkpoints helping staff identify a child who may need additional support. In practical parent language, the approach connects what adults notice about a child's development with decisions about the help they need.

Observation is part of the support model: identifying a child at risk of falling behind is intended to prompt decisions about additional help. Footsteps also has nursery-specific policies covering settling in, food and intimate care, bringing these everyday care matters within its own policy framework.

For SEND enquiries, families can contact the school's SEND co-ordinator. The school's approach includes involving parents in decisions about support; concerns can be discussed with the class teacher or SEND team before using the formal complaints process where needed.

Attending Footsteps does not guarantee a Reception place at St Joseph's. Families must make a separate school application through their home local authority and meet the deadline for their child's intake. Nursery enrolment and school admission are separate decisions.

The school admissions process also requires Catholic families to complete a Supplementary Information Form so their application can be assigned to the appropriate category. This admissions step is separate from the nursery's developmental preparation for school.

The school secretary handles enquiries on 01344 425246 or at secretary@stjosephsbracknell.co.uk. Footsteps has its own fees policy; families should refer to the school for current charges.

Parking. The school's car park has two accessible bays for Blue Badge holders, while its parking notice restricts parent parking during collection and drop-off until after 4:40pm. The notice directs families to Larges Lane or nearby roads, so allow for the walk when planning collection.