St Anne's RC Primary School Nursery Review

Bikes, boat-building and books give St Anne’s nursery its character: early learning combines movement, making and listening within a Catholic school in Ancoats, Manchester. The nursery class takes children each September who have turned three by 31 August. It is the school’s own provision, on Carruthers Street.

Faith shapes the learning as well as the school’s identity. St Anne’s describes respect for each person as part of its mission. For families, this means choosing a nursery where Catholic stories and beliefs are part of everyday education, alongside early language, number and physical development.

The 2025/26 early-years programme gives a concrete picture of learning indoors and outside. Children explored through painting, cutting and modelling, with bikes, building and dance adding larger movements. These activities bring practice for hands and bodies into play rather than treating them as separate exercises.

Nursery’s number work included handling quantities of one, two and three: giving objects, taking them and showing amounts. Exploring routes and positions extended that learning across the indoor and outdoor spaces. White Rose is the school’s maths scheme from Early Years onwards.

Language begins with careful listening. Nursery’s Phase 1 phonics work in 2025/26 involved rhymes and attention to surrounding sounds, alongside a People Who Help Us topic about the local community. Twinkl Phonics is the school’s named phonics scheme. A new shared book each week brought stories into class life, with Owl Babies and Whatever Next among the titles. Nursery homework included a book for an adult and child to share.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) also includes investigating the world. In an early-years boat-making activity, children predicted which materials would resist water or float, tested them, then built their own boats. It connects creative work with asking questions and checking ideas. Religious education uses To Know You More Clearly, with Oxford University Press resources for Early Years; the 2025/26 learning included the Annunciation and Nativity.

An EYFS teacher and teaching assistants form the classroom team, with a special educational needs co-ordinator within the school. St Anne’s aims to remove obstacles to learning for children across different backgrounds and needs. That is an inclusion aim rather than a promise of a particular support package.

Dojo provides a connection between home and class: families were invited to send photographs and videos of learning at home. The school also offers Early Help through its Family Worker, including assistance with housing difficulties, access to essentials and emotional wellbeing. A Thursday drop-in runs from 9.00 to 9.30.

School meals are cooked on the premises each day. Main-course choices, a salad bar and fruit or yoghurt give families a picture of the school’s lunch offer; the menu rotates over three weeks. Contact the school for current meal charges.

Reception admission is separate. Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply again through the normal Reception process: applications for other year groups go through Manchester City Council. Choosing the nursery should therefore be a decision about early learning and care, rather than an assurance of a later school place.

Nursery applications go directly to St Anne’s using its application form. Questions can be taken to the school on 0161 273 2417.

The school’s core timetable runs Monday to Friday, 08:45 to 15:15. Its uniform combines a navy jumper or cardigan, blue shirt or polo, black or grey bottoms and black shoes. A logo is optional on the jumper or cardigan, and families can buy uniform from supermarkets. Used uniform can also be requested through the office or Family Support Worker.