St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, Coppull: Nursery Review

Kindness, forgiveness and joy give St Oswald’s its Catholic character. The school aims to put those values into children’s everyday learning, alongside respect and trust. Its pre-school belongs to St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, Coppull, on Spendmore Lane. The school welcomes families of any faith and families with none, so its religious identity does not mean that every child must share the same beliefs.

In September 2024, Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Good. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating. For parents, the useful distinction is between the school’s early years provision as inspected and an individual nursery session.

Learning alongside other children is one concrete feature of the early years experience. In September 2024, children were developing cooperation and awareness of other people’s feelings. This gives the learning a social dimension: getting along with others matters alongside a child’s individual development.

Across St Oswald’s, SMART is the school’s named approach to attitudes towards learning. The school says its praise concentrates on how a child reached an achievement, with attention to teamwork, resilience, ambition, motivation and belief in themselves. The emphasis is on the effort and approach behind an outcome. For families, that explains the school’s intended language of encouragement.

Catholic belief also shapes the school’s aims. St Oswald’s wants children to develop confidence and understanding alongside knowledge and skills, and to make a positive contribution to others. These are school-wide intentions, rather than a description of a nursery timetable.

Communication with families is a school-wide promise. St Oswald’s undertakes to keep parents informed about their child’s progress as well as general school matters, and invites parents to take part in school life. That places the relationship with home alongside children’s learning.

For questions about special educational needs or disabilities, families can contact the school’s SEND coordinator on 01257 791379 or at SENDCO@st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk. This provides a direct contact for discussing a child’s support needs.

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 intake. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two distinct decisions; accepting a nursery place does not settle the later school application.

The school office handles enquiries on 01257 791379, and families can email bursar@st-oswalds.lancs.sch.uk. A contact form provides another way to send a message. The school also welcomes requests to look around: telephone the office to arrange this. A visit offers families a practical next step before deciding whether to pursue a nursery place.