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Nursery at Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Catholic Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Caterpillars and Butterflies give this nursery its own identity: two rooms, with Caterpillars for two-year-olds and Butterflies for children aged three to four. The provision occupies a nursery building at Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Catholic Primary School on Woodhouse Lane in Benchill, Manchester. This is an early start within a Catholic primary school, with separate room identities for its younger and older nursery children.
Play chosen by children sits alongside tasks guided by adults. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning about relationships, movement and communication with early literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. For parents, that means the nursery curriculum extends beyond preparation for reading: physical and social development have their place too.
Development Matters supports staff planning and assessment. Each week, adults adjust classroom learning areas around children's interests, topics and the skills they are working towards. This gives children's choices a role in shaping activities while staff retain a planned direction for learning. Reading and speaking are explicit curriculum priorities.
Story play provides a concrete example. At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found nursery children dramatising stories they enjoyed and beginning to identify sounds. These are early encounters with language through both imaginative activity and listening. Outdoor learning is planned into the EYFS curriculum, with children using the outdoor environment daily. Music adds another named strand: the Manchester Music in the Classroom programme introduces musical elements during the early years, including pitch and tempo.
Teachers and teaching assistants work within the nursery team. Support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) follows a graduated process: staff adapt teaching, monitor progress and discuss further help with parents and the SEND co-ordinator when needed. Individual Education Plans are written and reviewed termly for children added to the SEND register, giving families repeated opportunities to discuss support.
Speech and Language services, occupational therapists and Educational Psychologists are among the specialist partners the school works with. Referrals require parental consent. In June 2023, Ofsted identified systems for recognising additional needs that included early-years children, alongside teaching adaptations that helped children with SEND learn with their classmates.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no priority under the 2027–2028 admission arrangements. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. For September 2027 entry, the Common Application Form deadline is 15 January 2027. A Supplementary Information Form is also requested for applications under oversubscription criteria 1–4, with supporting documentation returned by the closing date.
Practical transition support is a separate matter. During the summer term before nursery children move to Reception, the SEND co-ordinator liaises with nursery staff about children progressing who are on the Early Years SEND register. That passes information about additional needs into the next stage; it does not change how places are allocated.
Nursery applications go directly to the school office or to admin@St-johnfisher-st-thomasmore.manchester.sch.uk. Families provide a birth certificate, address evidence and, for Catholic children, evidence of baptism. The office can also arrange a school tour.
Parents or carers bring nursery children into the Primus Centre. Drop-off and collection require someone over the age of 16, and cars must stay out of the playground. These arrangements matter when planning who will handle the daily journey.
Uniform includes royal blue knitwear or a sweatshirt, white tops and grey skirts or trousers during autumn and spring, with black school shoes. Clothing must carry the child's name. Debonair and Marks and Spencers supply school uniform.
Caterpillars caters for two-year-olds; Butterflies caters for children aged three to four.
Children combine play they choose with adult-guided tasks within the EYFS. Reading and speaking are priorities, and outdoor learning takes place daily.
No. It does not guarantee a place or confer priority under the 2027–2028 arrangements. Families apply separately through their home local authority, by 15 January 2027 for September 2027 entry.
Staff use a graduated response involving teaching adaptations, progress monitoring and discussions with parents. Children added to the SEND register have termly Individual Education Plans, with specialist support arranged where needed.
Return the nursery application form to the school office or admin@St-johnfisher-st-thomasmore.manchester.sch.uk, with a birth certificate, proof of address and evidence of baptism if Catholic.
