St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy Nursery Review

Wellies for the forest area, books to share at home and regular movement sessions give Fountains, the nursery at St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy in Elland, a practical early years identity. Children can join in the term following their third birthday. This is nursery provision within a Catholic primary school. At the June 2024 inspection, nursery children often played alongside Reception children.

Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Good following its inspection on 18 and 19 June 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together early learning and children's development. Here, named teaching programmes sit alongside play: music uses Kapow, while weekly Real PE lessons and Little Movers sessions give physical activity a regular place. Fine and gross motor skills are a focus, connecting small hand movements with larger movements of the body.

Life to the Full brings a Catholic perspective to relationships education. In EYFS, children explore their likes, dislikes and feelings about themselves. Keeping Safe includes bodily privacy through the NSPCC PANTS message and talking to trusted people about worries, giving children practical language for seeking help.

Mark-making starts early. The EYFS Writing Continuum supports the development of writing skills, giving those first marks a place in a longer learning sequence. Books also travel beyond the classroom. On Fridays, EYFS children take home a Snuggle Up With A Book bag with hot chocolate; families read aloud over the weekend and return it on Monday. Each class has a Repeated Text Library, so children can revisit familiar stories and practise retelling them.

Outside, nursery children use the forest area and keep wellies at school for it. In June 2024, the early years learning environment supported children's learning effectively, and children maintained their attention on activities for sustained periods. There is room here for staying with an activity rather than simply moving through tasks.

For children beginning school without English, picture prompts and displays of important vocabulary helped settling in during June 2024. These visual cues supported children as they began acquiring new words. They offer a concrete example of how the early years environment can make unfamiliar language more approachable.

Families can contact the class teacher through Seesaw or send a message through the office. For additional needs, the school encourages prospective parents to discuss their child's needs early. School support includes speech and language programmes, sensory circuits and social stories. Individual Education Plan targets are reviewed each term with parents, the class teacher and SENCO, giving families a role in reviewing support.

The school kitchen prepares meals on site each day with fresh local ingredients. Families order school meals online for the term, and menus change with seasonal produce. Nursery free school meals depend on qualifying parental benefits, the child being under compulsory school age and in full-time education, and attendance before and after lunch; eligibility is not automatic for every nursery child.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the normal deadline.

At the June 2024 inspection, Nursery and Reception children often played together. That shared experience can make the older class feel familiar, but it is a transition benefit rather than an assurance of admission.

Children have 15 funded hours, with an opportunity for working parents to claim 30 funded hours. Additional sessions can be purchased. Before a child starts, parents or carers must complete parental declaration, general consent and emergency contact forms.

Uniform is required daily. It includes an emerald green logo jumper or cardigan, a white shirt and a school tie. Adjustments can be arranged with individual families where additional needs require them. Nursery children also need wellies that remain at school.

Visits with children and their families are welcomed. To enquire, use the admissions contact form or call 01422 373104. The office can help families discuss nursery entry and arrange a look around.