St Paul's CofE Primary School Nursery Review

Daily stories, a classroom book corner and crocus planting give St Paul's nursery its character: language and practical exploration both have a place. This is the school's own nursery in Walkden, within a Church of England primary school, with a nursery teacher and a nursery teaching assistant listed on the staff team.

At the Ofsted inspection on 28 and 29 March 2023, early years provision was graded Good. That judgement covers the school's early years provision rather than a separately inspected nursery. Children in early years were learning to manage their feelings and cooperate in play, useful foundations for sharing activities and getting along with other children.

Books give the day a clear recurring feature. Story time happens daily from nursery onwards, alongside storytelling, performance and time in the class book corner. Families can join reading workshops, and parents of early years children are invited to watch story time. That gives home reading a direct connection with what children experience in class.

Early reading begins with listening: nursery children explore environmental sounds, rhyme and alliteration, then how spoken sounds combine into words. As children approach Reception, teaching introduces the relationship between letters and sounds through Essential Letters and Sounds. The starting point is sound awareness, giving children something concrete to listen for before formal reading develops.

The nursery's recommended books include Superworm, Mad about Minibeasts and Sam plants a sunflower. Half-term newsletters explain learning topics, while English and mathematics plans sit alongside knowledge organisers outlining vocabulary and subject knowledge. For parents, these provide specific ideas for conversations and shared books at home.

Practical exploration appears in the nursery's activity record too. Children planted crocuses supplied by the Rotary Club of Worsley as part of an initiative connected with combating polio. This brings a hands-on growing activity together with a wider social purpose.

A nursery teacher and teaching assistant form the named classroom roles. For communication, families can use Class Dojo or email the office; urgent contact goes by telephone. These routes give parents a way to raise everyday concerns as well as matters needing prompt attention.

SEND support involves parents and appropriate professional agencies, with specialist coordination accessible through the office email using FAO SENCO. Additional learning needs. The March 2023 school-wide findings included weaknesses in how some teachers adapted learning for pupils with SEND, alongside subject-knowledge weaknesses in a small number of foundation subjects. These were school-wide concerns, rather than nursery-specific findings; families should keep their child's individual support needs central to discussions.

For school meals, School Grid lets families select lunches and communicate dietary requirements to the kitchen. The menu rotates over three weeks and includes a daily vegetarian choice. This describes the school's meal arrangements, without implying any nursery entitlement to free meals.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as separate decisions.

The school's homepage links to its admissions policy and the local authority admissions page. Use those routes for the Reception application process; familiarity with the school through nursery attendance should never be treated as a secured place.

The school office is the first contact for nursery enquiries, on 0161 790 7468 or office@stpaulscrompton.org.uk. School visits can be arranged by appointment, offering families a practical opportunity to see learning activities.

School uniform includes grey trousers or a skirt, a white polo shirt and a red sweatshirt or fleece, with black shoes. Clothing should be labelled. A pre-loved uniform scheme is also accessible through the office, giving families an alternative to buying every item new.