St John with St Mark CofE Primary School Nursery

Rhyme time, listening games and the first steps towards reading give this nursery its character. At St John with St Mark CofE Primary School in Bury, nursery provision sits within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Children can join in the term after turning three, with a choice between morning, afternoon and full-time places. The pattern matters: families choose a regular morning or afternoon allocation rather than mixing the two.

September is the main entry point. January and April starts may also be possible when spaces allow, giving children born at different points in the year further opportunities to join.

Early learning here includes reading, writing and mathematics. In November 2022, Ofsted found that early-years teaching helped children retain learning and connect it with broader ideas, with staff checking that learning effectively. For parents, that means attention to what children remember as well as what they encounter during a session.

Little Wandle is the school's phonics programme. Nursery children also practise recognising sounds, joining spoken sounds together and enjoying rhymes and reading. These are concrete beginnings: listening closely and hearing how sounds work in words before tackling more demanding reading tasks. Short sessions each week introduce the first 30 sounds.

The EYFS is the nursery's early-learning stage, with these beginnings in literacy and numeracy forming part of children's education. Families can use Little Wandle resources at home to support pronunciation and letter writing, linking home practice with the school's approach.

In November 2022, Ofsted found that children in early years felt happy and secure, and that teachers and support staff helped them thrive. That finding concerns the early-years department, rather than a separate nursery inspection grade.

For children staying all day, lunch can be a meal from school or food brought from home. Families therefore have a choice about how to handle the middle of the day. The nursery application also asks about allergies, dietary requirements and medical circumstances, providing a way to share care needs before a child starts.

Additional needs sit within the school's SEND support structure. Support can begin with intervention, progress to advice from another agency and, where required, involve an education and health care plan. Parents can contact the SEND coordinator through the school office to discuss support.

Attending nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal process and meet its deadline. For Bury residents, the local authority handles applications online, with parents giving three primary-school preferences.

Transition activities are separate from admission. Once a child has been allocated a school place, staff arrange a visit at home or nursery. Summer-term classroom visits then introduce children to their future teacher and classmates, helping the next stage feel more familiar.

Morning places run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoons run from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. Both operate Monday to Friday and are described as 15-hour places. The full-time option, described as 30 hours, runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm on the same weekdays.

Three- and four-year-olds are entitled to a funded part-time place comprising five three-hour sessions each week. School meals carry a charge. Lunchtime supervision is also charged for children staying for lunch who do not receive 30-hour government funding; ask the school for current charges.

For nursery enquiries, call the school office on 0161 764 5330. Individual school visits can be arranged through the office. Applications are accepted throughout the year, with the completed form returned alongside a birth certificate or passport.