St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford Nursery

Adults who know the children well are the clearest strength of the early years at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford. In October 2024, they used that knowledge to develop children's learning through their exchanges with them. That makes the adult's contribution to an activity an important part of the picture.

Nursery provision forms part of this Catholic primary school on Pontefract Road in Castleford, with the school's age range starting at 3. Ofsted judged early years provision Good following its inspection on 8 and 9 October 2024. This judgement covers the school's early years, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Resources and adult interaction were positive features of early years in October 2024. Children had resources supporting their development, and staff drew on their understanding of individual children to take learning further. The practical value is in how an adult uses an activity to help a child make progress, rather than simply keeping them occupied.

Learning activities. Some tasks chosen by adults did not match closely enough with what individual children needed to learn next. Consequently, children sometimes gained less from an activity than they could have. This is a material qualification to the positive findings about resources and interaction. For families, the useful distinction is between having activities to complete and having activities with a clear learning purpose for their child.

Knowing individual children was a positive feature of early years in October 2024. Staff used that understanding in their interactions, connecting their knowledge of a child with support for learning. This provides a concrete reason to value the relationships children build with the adults teaching them.

Safeguarding has a defined team structure across the trust. Each academy has a Designated Safeguarding Lead responsible for child protection at that school. Staff receive safeguarding awareness training and know the procedure for raising concerns. For parents, this establishes a route for concerns about a child's welfare: contact the school's designated safeguarding officer.

CPOMs is used across the trust to monitor child protection. The trust also provides for listening to concerns raised by children and parents, alongside reviews led by safeguarding specialists. These arrangements describe how concerns are handled and checked, rather than establishing a separate nursery inspection outcome.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately for Reception through the normal application process and meet the relevant deadline. Choosing the nursery and securing a school place are separate decisions.

Keep that distinction in mind when planning your child's next stage: nursery attendance should not be treated as confirmation of a Reception offer.

The school is at Pontefract Road, Castleford, WF10 4JB. For nursery enquiries, telephone 01977 555780. This gives families a direct school contact when considering the provision.