Our Lady and St Joseph Brooms Nursery, Leadgate

A start for three-year-olds within a Catholic primary school: that is the nursery offer at Our Lady and St Joseph Brooms in Leadgate. The school announced a planned opening for 28 April 2025, bringing nursery provision into its school community on St Ives Road. It belongs to Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust.

Relationships are central to the school's stated aims. It places early contact with families first and describes a community in which children are valued as individuals. For parents choosing a school nursery, that emphasis makes the relationship between home and the school team an important part of the offer.

The school aims to build children's spoken language and vocabulary, alongside confidence in communicating. Its curriculum intentions include learning outdoors, visits and visitors, with opportunities to respond to children's interests and spontaneous learning. These are school-wide aims, rather than a prescribed nursery timetable. They place conversation and exploration alongside planned teaching.

An EYFS teacher forms part of the teaching team. In November 2024, Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Good. That judgement predates the announced nursery opening and applies to the early years provision inspected at that time.

The November 2024 early years findings describe learning in which talk and number were woven into activities. Children could clear up for themselves, making independence visible in everyday tasks. Conversation with adults helped develop language and thinking; sustained attention and playing together were also evident. Those concrete features show the emphasis on language, social learning and everyday independence in the school's early years work at that point.

Support for additional needs follows the school's Assess, Plan, Do, Review process. A SEN Support Plan records the intended provision and agreed outcomes, with parents involved throughout. This gives families a defined process for discussing needs and reviewing the help their child receives.

Teaching assistants support children across EYFS and the later school stages. The school also works with speech and language therapists and other specialist agencies where appropriate. Medical support includes individual care plans, communication with staff and parental consent before medication is administered. These are school arrangements that make conversations about a child's needs concrete.

Families receive electronic newsletters about school life. Alongside this general communication, parents of children with SEND can discuss concerns with the class teacher or SENCO and contribute to support-plan reviews.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route by the deadline for their child's entry year.

For September 2026 entry, applications went through Durham County Council at durham.gov.uk/primaryschoolplaces, with a closing deadline of midnight on 15 January 2026. That cycle is now past.

Transition support is a separate matter. For children joining the school from nursery settings, summer-term visits introduce the surroundings and staff. Children with SEND can have additional visits with their parents, helping the next step feel more familiar without implying an admissions advantage.

Contact the school office on 01207 503979 or email olsj@olsj.bwcet.com for nursery enquiries. Families can request an application form and arrange a nursery visit through the school.

Parking. Redwell Hills car park must not be used for parking or turning during collection and drop-off, and its entrance must remain clear. Families travelling by car need to plan their stopping place accordingly.