Nursery at St Alban's Catholic Voluntary Academy

A pretend bus makes numbers tangible: children count their fellow passengers and work out how many spaces remain. That example, from March 2023, captures the early-years learning at St Alban's Catholic Voluntary Academy, where play gives children something concrete to count and discuss.

The nursery belongs to a Catholic primary academy on Newstead Avenue in Chaddesden, Derby. It is school-attached provision, so the useful focus for parents is the youngest children's learning and care. The early-years picture combines learning indoors and outdoors, early literacy and mathematics, and activities supporting children's emotional and social development.

In March 2023, the early-years classrooms had plentiful resources both inside and outside. Learning therefore had two physical settings, giving children opportunities beyond the indoor classroom. The outdoor classroom matters as a learning space in its own right, rather than simply as somewhere to spend a break.

Mathematics took a practical form in the pretend-bus activity. Counting passengers brought number into imaginative play; counting empty spaces added another quantity to consider. For a parent, this is a useful example of how an everyday scenario can become a learning activity. Children have something visible to connect with the numbers they use.

Early literacy also formed part of the learning opportunities. Staff understood which knowledge they wanted children to retain, giving the activities a teaching purpose. A consistent early-reading approach began in the early years, with staff training supporting its delivery. Together, these details describe play with planned learning behind it: counting, literacy and remembering important knowledge each have a place.

Personal, emotional and social development received deliberate attention in the early-years activities in March 2023. Teachers planned learning that supported these aspects of children's development. This matters because learning at nursery includes how children relate to others and manage their feelings, alongside the first steps in literacy and number.

That emphasis gives parents a useful way to understand the provision's educational balance. The activities addressed children's development as people as well as their knowledge. Early mathematics and literacy were part of the same early-years picture as emotional and social learning.

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

The St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi-Academy Trust is the admissions authority, while the relevant local authority coordinates applications on its behalf. Admission decisions rest with the school's Local Governing Body. For families choosing the nursery, the practical distinction is clear: a nursery place and a Reception application are separate decisions.

The school address is Newstead Avenue, Chaddesden, Derby, DE21 6NU. Nursery enquiries can be made by calling the school on 01332673823. This provides a direct contact point for families considering the provision.