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Nursery at St John Bosco RC 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Mixed-age learning shapes nursery life at St John Bosco: Nursery and Reception children share an EYFS class, with smaller teaching groups within it. This is school-based early education in Blackley, Manchester, within a Catholic primary school. For families, the distinctive feature is the balance between learning alongside older children and having some teaching organised by age.
The school's overall Ofsted grade is Requires Improvement. That is a whole-school judgement, rather than a separate nursery inspection outcome.
Small groups give the day its structure. Maths and English teaching is mostly organised by age, while other learning takes place in mixed-age key worker groups. Adults lead some activities; children direct others. This gives nursery children both guided teaching and opportunities to follow their own interests.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum covers seven learning areas. In parent language, these include talking and listening, relationships and managing feelings, physical skills, early reading and writing, number, understanding the world and creative expression. Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters help staff judge children's development and plan their next steps. Project questions organise learning, with children exploring topics rather than only receiving information.
Indoors and outdoors, resources are arranged for continuous provision: children can return to activities and practise what they have been learning. Staff add resources or activities to address misunderstandings and extend skills. Art and craft materials can be used daily in both spaces, giving creative work a place beyond a single adult-led lesson.
How children learn matters alongside the subjects they encounter. Playing and Exploring encourages investigation and trying things out. Active Learning focuses on concentration, persistence and the satisfaction of finishing something children set out to do. Thinking Creatively and Critically involves developing ideas and making connections. For parents, these priorities mean the curriculum considers children's approaches to a task as well as what they learn from it.
Catholic teaching also has concrete classroom features. Each class has a prayer focus area with a cloth coloured for the liturgical season. EYFS children use CAFOD animal mascots to explore Catholic Social Teaching, making ideas about faith and how people treat one another more accessible to young children.
Key worker groups form part of the teaching structure. The school aims to build relationships with families and uses RUAH, meaning respect, understanding, affection and humour, to describe how staff model relationships with children.
For additional needs, the class teacher is the first contact, with the SENDCo and Learning Mentor also available. Early years staff have training in speech, language and communication, and use First Response to support children with communication difficulties. This gives families a specific starting point for discussing a child's language needs.
School-wide SEND support includes visual timetables, a sensory tent and ear defenders. Parents take part in termly Assess, Plan, Do and Review meetings, with targets shared for use at home. The practical benefit is a shared plan that can be revisited as a child's needs change.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal school admissions route. Manchester City Council is the route given for school admissions; the deadline of Monday 13 January 2025 applied to the 2025 Reception intake and is now past.
For children with SEND joining Reception, transition arrangements include contact between key workers, the SENDCo and the child's nursery to discuss support. This preparation concerns continuity of care and learning, rather than entitlement to a place.
EYFS lunchtime runs from 11:30am to 12:30pm. The wider school day runs from 8:45am to 3:15pm; these are school hours rather than a nursery session booking pattern.
Nursery enquiries go through the school office. Families can arrange a school visit by calling 0161 740 7094 or emailing contact@st-johnbosco.manchester.sch.uk. The school is on Hall Moss Road, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7AT.
Yes. They share an EYFS class, with mostly age-based groups for Maths and English and mixed-age key worker groups for other learning.
The Early Years Foundation Stage, supported by Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters. Learning combines adult-led activities, children's own exploration and project questions.
Yes. Indoor and outdoor areas have continuous provision, including daily access to art and craft materials.
No. Reception requires a separate application through the normal school admissions route.
Start with the class teacher. The SENDCo and Learning Mentor are also contacts for support.
