St John's Church of England Primary School Nursery Review

Sapphire Class brings play, conversation and early reading together within St John's Church of England Primary School in Failsworth. This nursery caters for children aged 3 to 4 and forms part of the school's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) unit. The school aims to help children become more independent and confident, with language development a central ambition.

Little Stars is a separate proposal for two-year-olds, with opening conditional on council approval. Families should distinguish that proposed provision from Sapphire Class when choosing their child's nursery place.

Play and communication shape the nursery's aims. The school aims to develop creativity, emotional wellbeing, independence, confidence and language through play and interaction. Read Write Inc. is the school's reading and writing programme, beginning in the foundation stage. Sapphire's teacher also leads early years and RWI phonics, connecting nursery teaching with those wider responsibilities.

Learning about the world starts with familiar experiences. Early years geography involves observing the surrounding environment and comparing life in different countries. History begins with talking about events in children's own lives and their families' lives, helping them make sense of past and present. Science experiences take place both inside the classroom and outside it. These give children concrete starting points for conversation and discovery.

Get Set for PE extends into early years. Nursery children have also taken part in an exercise session involving movement to music and discussion of healthy eating and teamwork. For World Book Day 2026, Emerald Class visited the nursery to share a story, giving younger children an encounter with readers elsewhere in the school.

Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Good at its inspection on 25 and 26 April 2023. Curriculum consistency. In April 2023, teaching across some early years learning areas varied, leaving children less prepared for parts of their subsequent learning. Consistent opportunities across the full early years curriculum were an improvement priority, a useful focus when considering the nursery's teaching.

The nursery teacher combines classroom teaching with the Early Years Lead and Assistant Headteacher roles. This places nursery provision within the school's leadership structure, rather than treating it as a separate service.

For families seeking SEND support, the school's SENCO is usually based at the Lower School Site. Oldham's Local Offer, POINT Send Services and Oldham SEND IAS Service provide further routes to information and family support. These are distinct resources for parents considering education, health or social care needs.

Parents can speak with teachers in the playground at the beginning and end of the school day. Longer conversations can be arranged through the office, giving families a route beyond a brief exchange.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Choosing Sapphire Class should therefore be a decision about the nursery experience itself, with the later school application treated as a separate step.

Nursery finishes at noon. That collection time matters for families arranging work or care for the rest of the day.

For the proposed Little Stars provision, the planned choices are 9:00am to noon or 9:00am to 3:30pm, Monday to Friday in term time. Subject to approval, either 15 or 30 funded hours would be offered according to family eligibility, with a lunchtime top-up charge. These conditional arrangements belong to Little Stars, rather than establishing Sapphire Class's booking model. Refer to the school for current charges.

Visits can be booked through the school. Contact the office on 0161 694 8096 or email info@stj.fa1.uk. Parents must notify the school if collection arrangements change, including when someone different will collect. The school will not release a child if it does not recognise the collector or has not been informed of a change to collection arrangements. The school also encourages walking because nearby roads become congested, a practical consideration for collection.