St Mary's Catholic Primary School Nursery, Malton

An outdoor stage, spaces children build for role play, and conversations about tadpoles becoming frogs give St Mary's early years its character. Play has substance here. Children have opportunities to perform, construct and explain their ideas, with adults helping them find the words.

The nursery belongs to St Mary's Catholic Primary School on Highfield Road in Malton. Funded nursery entitlement begins in the term following a child's third birthday. Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Outstanding at its inspection on 10 and 11 June 2025; that judgement covers early years within the school.

Performance and imaginative play are concrete features of the early years experience. Children use a stage outdoors and create their own settings for role play. Building those spaces gives them something to shape as well as somewhere to act out their ideas. The learning environment and its resources support children's development, rather than simply providing a backdrop to activities.

Conversation matters just as much. In June 2025, adults gave children room to express their opinions and encouraged them to explain their thinking. Children developed an expansive vocabulary: their explanations of the change from tadpole to frog included language about development and transformation. For parents, the useful distinction is that play and talk work together. Children explore something tangible, then practise putting that experience into words.

A nursery teacher also holds a SENCo role, linking nursery teaching with responsibility for special educational needs. Across St Mary's, additional support is planned around each child's needs, with parents and relevant outside agencies involved in developing the support package.

The school's approach starts with teacher assessment and reviews of progress each term. Targeted classroom teaching is the initial response; continuing concerns are discussed with the SENCo. Parents participate in decisions and have meetings with teaching staff and the SENDCO at least three times annually. That gives families a defined place in reviewing support. School resources include quiet spaces for breaks and a nurture room, while specialist advice can include speech and language therapy or occupational therapy.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at St Mary's. Families must make a separate application through North Yorkshire admissions and complete a Supplementary Information Form for the school. Treat that application as a separate task, even when your child already attends nursery.

For the September 2026 Reception intake, the deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is past. Transition arrangements are a different matter: children joining Reception are invited to informal summer-term sessions with their future teacher and classmates, and parents have an information evening. These offer familiarisation with people and surroundings; they do not secure admission.

Both nursery patterns begin at 8:45am. The 15-hour provision finishes at 11:45am, while the 30-hour provision ends at 2:45pm. An optional collection time of 3:00pm extends the latter by a short supervised period. Supervision between 2:45pm and 3:00pm carries an additional charge; contact the school for current charges.

Universal funding provides 15 hours from the term after the third birthday. Eligibility conditions apply to 30-hour funding, and families using it must reconfirm eligibility every three months. A valid code is required before the new term, by the preceding month's end. If the code is not renewed, full term fees apply. Nursery application packs can be requested from the school office on 01653 692274.