Sacred Heart RC Primary School Nursery Review

Bridge building, fruit salad and songs give Sacred Heart’s nursery a practical, creative character. This is the nursery class within Sacred Heart RC Primary School, a Catholic primary in Gorton, Manchester, rather than a separate childcare setting. Full-time attendance is the model, following an agreed transition period.

At the Ofsted inspection on 25 and 26 February 2025, early years provision was graded Good. Children in early years made substantial progress despite generally beginning with low levels of development. That gives families an early-years-specific assessment to weigh alongside the nursery’s daily activities.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together practical exploration, expression and early understanding. Here, making and building give that learning concrete form. Nursery activities include creating emergency vehicles from reused materials, constructing a bridge linked to Billy Goats Gruff and building houses inspired by the three little pigs. Children also use blocks to create imagined small worlds. These tasks connect familiar stories with decisions about materials and construction.

A playdough area forms part of the early-years learning provision. Children practise choosing materials and explaining their creations, giving hands-on activity a language element as well as a physical one. Cooking activities include preparing vegetable soup and fruit salad: opportunities to explore ingredients while making something tangible.

Early mathematics includes sorting, matching and patterns, alongside work with numbers to 5 and then 6. Positional language and sequencing add ways to describe where things belong and what happens next. The emphasis is on building early mathematical understanding through several kinds of activity.

Music adds another route into learning. The 2024-2025 music programme used Charanga, with teaching sequences extending to Nursery. Early-years musical learning includes remembering nursery rhymes, adding movement to songs and exploring contrasting pitches. Singing, listening and movement connect sound with stories and expression.

Teaching is shared between the nursery teacher and the early-years leader, with a nursery teaching assistant also on the team. The nursery teacher covers Monday, Thursday and Friday, plus Tuesday morning; the early-years leader teaches Wednesday and Tuesday afternoon. This gives parents a concrete picture of the adults’ teaching pattern across the week.

Settling involves an agreed transition period before the expectation of full-time attendance begins. Parents are encouraged to speak to class teachers if a child becomes reluctant to attend, allowing concerns to become a conversation rather than simply an attendance issue.

Nursery newsletters provide another connection with families. For children with additional needs, the school SENDCo supports children across the school and can be contacted at senco@sacredheart-jun.manchester.sch.uk. In February 2025, respectful behaviour towards others extended to children in early years, and personal development began in that phase, including learning about health and relationships.

Attending Sacred Heart’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

Full-time attendance. Nursery places are full-time, with that attendance expected after the agreed transition. This matters for families considering how nursery will fit into their week.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 0161 223 0231 or email admin@sacredheart-jun.manchester.sch.uk. The school is on Knutsford Road, Gorton, M18 7NJ.