St Mark's Catholic Primary School Nursery Review

Bikes, scooters and den building give St Mark’s nursery a distinctly active character. This is the school’s own nursery on Fir Avenue in Halewood, with learning organised around themes that can change to reflect children’s interests. Family life, seasonal change and journeys provide starting points for exploration.

Ofsted judged early years provision Requires improvement at its October 2024 inspection. That judgement covers the school’s early years, rather than a separately inspected nursery. The important distinction for families is between children’s positive experience of settling in and weaknesses in how some learning activities were taught.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, physical development and social skills with early reading, mathematics and exploration of the world. Here, the nursery plan translates those areas into recognisable activities: stories and rhymes, pouring and digging, counting and making patterns. Children practise putting on outdoor clothing as part of becoming more independent.

Movement has several forms. Dough Disco and Squiggle While You Wiggle sit alongside obstacle courses and ball games; bikes and scooters add opportunities to practise control and coordination. Planting beans and exploring chicks’ life cycles give children concrete things to observe as they learn about growth. These are planned experiences, rather than promises that every activity happens in every session.

Early literacy includes listening activities using body percussion. Read Write Inc introduces sound learning, while Fred Talk supports blending sounds aloud. The plan includes attention to pencil grip and forming letters in the air. Nursery children also learn songs, poems and rhymes, a finding recorded in October 2024.

Catholic teaching is explicit through To Know You More Clearly. Journey in Love and No Outsiders bring feelings, identity and family differences into the curriculum. Food preparation is learning too: making porridge and preparing healthy snacks connect practical activity with food choices.

Teaching consistency. In October 2024, some staff lacked confidence in teaching particular early years areas, and some activities did not serve their intended purpose. Subject training was required. Families should weigh the detail of the nursery plan alongside that concern about its delivery.

Settling begins with an opportunity to exchange information. The September 2025 SEND information report offers nursery entrants a home visit or a settling session with nursery staff, giving families a way to share their child’s needs before routines become familiar. Ofsted’s October 2024 findings offer reassurance about starting nursery: children settled quickly, with their social and emotional needs supported. Positive partnerships between staff and families were part of that experience.

Visual timetables and Zones of Regulation feature in the nursery curriculum. They give daily routines and conversations about feelings a clear structure. Handwashing and dressing are included in learning about self-care.

For children needing additional support, the school’s SEND approach uses Assess, Plan, Do, Review, with parents involved and progress meetings at least three times a year. Its specialist support includes a commissioned Speech and Language Therapist for early language development. Parents can raise concerns first with the class teacher, who works with the SENCO on next steps.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place or confer priority under the 2027/2028 admission arrangements. Families must apply separately through their home local authority using its Common Application Form. For September 2027 entry, the closing date is 15 January 2027. Applicants seeking consideration under faith criteria 2 to 6 are also requested to return the Supplementary Information Form and supporting documentation to the school by that date.

Preparation for the next stage is a separate matter. The nursery plan includes helping children express feelings about moving to Reception. Where additional needs make it necessary, the school may arrange opportunities to experience a new setting and develop a transition plan with families and specialist staff.

Morning nursery runs from 8:45am to 11:45am; the afternoon session runs from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. Those timings give families two clear session windows for planning collection and other commitments. The school timetable also lists nursery dinner time as 11:30am to 12:15pm.

Contact the school office on 0151 288 8910 for enquiries. Families considering St Mark’s can make an appointment to look around, a useful opportunity to see the nursery’s learning arrangements directly.