St Patrick's CofE School Nursery Review

Apples picked, chopped and baked into crumble give a concrete flavour of preschool life at St Patrick's CofE School. Children aged two to four learn through play, creative work and activities guided by adults. This is the school's own nursery provision in Endmoor, with access to its vegetable garden, library, hall and playground. Those shared spaces extend learning beyond the preschool classroom.

EYFS Development Matters shapes the curriculum: adults plan activities around children's development, linking their targets with the school's termly theme. Guided tasks and group activities sit alongside independent play. Staff adjust the classroom layout to encourage children to explore and use the space differently, while observations and conversations help them decide what each child should try next.

Art, craft and adventurous play give children opportunities to experiment and express ideas. The apple-crumble activity involved picking fruit before peeling, chopping and making the topping. Another example follows food through planting, harvesting, preparation, cooking and eating. The vegetable garden therefore has a practical role in learning, connecting growing things with what ends up on a plate.

Early reading has a named approach. Short Read Write Inc sessions introduce sounds and pictures, with Fred Talk used to practise combining sounds into words. For maths, preschool staff draw selected adult-guided activities from resources associated with White Rose and Mastering Number. These are resources used selectively, rather than a claim that preschool follows the full programmes.

In February 2024, Ofsted found that the curriculum accommodated the youngest children, including two-year-olds, and that early-years children enjoyed picture books with friends and adults. The inspection also identified a school-wide weakness in the sequencing of knowledge in some subjects; this was not presented as a nursery-specific finding.

Practitioners support children through difficult transitions and take their interests and views into account when planning. Children practise cooperation and communication by acting out situations with adults. This makes social learning part of the activities themselves, rather than a separate lesson about behaviour.

Daily conversations keep parents informed about progress. Reports invite family feedback, while Google Classroom and email carry updates about preschool life. Parents also join events such as storytelling beside the Christmas tree, giving them another connection with what children do here.

Food appears in the learning through growing and cooking. Separately, the school's meal-ordering system, SchoolGrid, lets families inspect ingredients, recipes and allergen information before ordering. Its milk scheme provides registered under-fives with free milk through Cool Milk.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline.

Using the school's hall, playground, garden and library introduces preschool children to facilities within the wider school. That familiarity is useful preparation for school life, but it should be kept separate from the decision about who receives a Reception place.

Both grant-funded and paid sessions are offered. Current charges should be checked with the school.

Wraparound care. Preschool care beyond the usual session depends on capacity and requires an individual arrangement with preschool leaders. Families should treat it as a conditional option when planning their childcare, rather than an automatic extension of a nursery place.

For enquiries, contact the office on 01539 567388 or email admin@st-patrickscofe.cumbria.sch.uk. A contact form also accepts questions. School visits are welcomed, giving families a way to explore the preschool's use of shared facilities and discuss its play-based approach.