St Oswald's Nursery, Durham

Daily access to a large outdoor learning area gives St Oswald's nursery a clear starting point: learning extends beyond the classroom. Children join from their second birthday, with provision for ages two to four inside St Oswald's Church of England Aided Primary and Nursery School on Church Street, Durham.

Christian values shape the nursery and primary school together, with compassion, thankfulness and courage providing the shared language. Nursery staffing includes lead practitioners, a management team and practitioners, overseen by the school's headteacher and deputy. The adult-to-child ratios are one to five for two-year-olds and one to eight for children aged three and four, so staffing arrangements distinguish between the age groups.

Children's interests help determine the activities, alongside nursery themes and events beyond school. Educators plan for learning indoors and outside, and children use the large outdoor area daily. That makes outdoor learning part of the regular provision rather than an occasional addition.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the curriculum framework. Here, its practical expression includes listening to familiar books, exploring patterns and developing number understanding. In September 2022, Ofsted found that nursery children treated one another kindly, understood routines and concentrated on activities. Early-years children could recognise amounts without having to count and use shape vocabulary accurately. These are concrete foundations for learning: attention, language and early mathematical understanding.

Art and design. The September 2022 inspection identified weaknesses in the progression of art knowledge and skills across the curriculum beginning in Nursery, alongside a need for subject training for some teachers. Families should weigh that curriculum concern alongside the positive findings about nursery routines and early learning.

Lunch can be a catered two-course meal or a packed lunch from home. Breakfast and tea food attract additional charges when children use funded hours in the corresponding clubs; catered lunch is charged separately too. Families therefore have choices about lunch, while food costs need to be considered alongside the attendance pattern. Chartwells handles medical diet requests through a form, with supporting medical evidence returned to the school office.

Support for additional needs involves parents in identifying concerns, agreeing provision and reviewing progress. Short Notes record initial concerns, while individual SEN Support Plans set out needs and the support to address them. The school's SENCO meets regularly with the Nursery SENCO, connecting nursery support with the wider school team. This gives families a process for discussing needs and checking whether support is working.

A nursery and wraparound manager also serves as a deputy safeguarding lead. Concerns about a child are passed immediately to the designated lead and recorded on CPOMS, providing a defined route for staff to raise and document worries.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through Durham County Council. For September 2027 entry, apply by 15 January 2027; applications after that date are treated as late.

Transition activities are a separate matter from allocation. Children have opportunities to visit Elvet Class and meet staff, and parents are invited to an induction meeting. The receiving teacher works with the nursery team. Where a child has SEN, the school and nursery SENCOs coordinate with professionals already supporting the family, helping information and support move with the child.

Term-time opening runs from 7.45am to 6pm, with different attendance patterns. Funded provision includes 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday; an additional 15 hours depends on parental eligibility. Some two-year-olds qualify for 15 or 30 hours according to family circumstances. Hours beyond the entitlement are charged, and holiday sessions are optional and chargeable. Ask the school for current charges.

Apply using the nursery application form and email it to sunshine@stoswaldsdurham.net, or return a paper copy to the school office. Applications enter a waiting list, with offers made when a place becomes available. Extended funded places require age evidence and an HMRC eligibility code before the term starts, with continued eligibility required thereafter.

Nursery children may wear jogging bottoms in navy, black or grey with the school uniform. Parking. There is no parking on site, so families travelling by car need to allow for parking away from the school.