Leyland St Mary's Nursery Review

Stories, rhymes and seed planting give St Mary's nursery its most distinctive details: language learning and a dated garden activity. The nursery belongs to Leyland St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School on Haig Avenue in Leyland, bringing its youngest children into a Catholic primary school setting.

At the Ofsted inspection on 25 and 26 June 2024, early years provision was judged Good. That judgement covers the school's early years provision, rather than being a separate nursery rating.

Listening and talking are central to the nursery's learning. In June 2024, children developed these skills through activities involving stories and rhymes, building the language foundations they would need for reading. The Early Years Foundation Stage also involved learning how to concentrate: early-years children sustained their attention on tasks. These are practical foundations for taking part in learning, alongside the stories themselves.

The garden provides a concrete example of learning beyond the classroom. A November 2022 activity involved planting seeds outdoors, with a plan to return each day and observe their growth. It linked something children could do with changes they could watch over time.

Catholic religious education has a named programme, To know you more clearly, taught in Nursery. The school aims to help children understand Catholic belief and develop their relationship with God. Faith therefore has an explicit place in the learning programme.

The nursery team includes a nursery lead and teaching assistant, alongside an early-years teacher and department lead. This places nursery staffing within a wider early-years team. In June 2024, early-years children picked up routines promptly and showed exceptionally positive behaviour, giving a concrete picture of how they adjusted to school expectations.

For additional needs, the school aims to identify difficulties early, involve parents and arrange appropriate help, including collaboration with other agencies. Families can contact the special educational needs coordinator through the main school number, 01772 422431. That gives parents a direct route into discussions about support.

Food has clear daily arrangements. Nursery children receive fruit for their morning snack, so parents are asked to leave additional snacks at home. Lunch runs from 11:45am to 1pm. The school aims to keep food free of nuts because of children's allergies; packed lunches should exclude nuts and foods containing them. Grapes should be halved to reduce choking risk.

Under-fives can receive free milk through registration with Cool Milk. Registering by Tuesday allows milk to begin the following week; the free provision ends on the Friday before the child's fifth birthday.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the later school-place application as two separate steps when planning your child's education.

Nursery opening hours are 8:40am to 3:10pm. These give families the daily start and finish points to plan around. After the school gate shuts at 8:50am, late arrivals go to the main office for signing in.

For nursery enquiries, call 01772 457476. The school is at Haig Avenue, Leyland, PR25 2QA. Ask the school for current nursery charges.

Wraparound age limit. Noah's Ark provides before-school and after-school care for children aged 4–11. Families with younger nursery children should factor that age condition into their childcare plans.