St Bartholomew's Nursery Review

Rhyming words and colour patterns give St Bartholomew's nursery its clearest character: early learning starts with small, concrete activities. This is the nursery within St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School (Aided), on Goathland Avenue in Longbenton. Its setting is a church primary school, with a Christian ethos and a welcome for families of different beliefs and backgrounds.

The nursery belongs to the school rather than operating as a separate childcare setting. For parents, the useful distinction is between joining that nursery community and securing a later school place. Those are separate decisions.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted described nursery children listening attentively as they made repeating patterns using colours, with early phonics beginning through rhyme. These are tangible starting points: recognising a sequence, listening to language and noticing how words sound.

Colour-pattern activities bring an early mathematical idea into something children can make and discuss. Rhyming gives the beginnings of reading a spoken starting point. Together, these examples show learning through manageable tasks, with attention and listening involved alongside the activity itself. They offer a more useful picture of nursery learning than the primary school's wider results.

Support for additional needs sits within the school's SEND arrangements. Class teachers identify additional help and discuss concerns with families; SEND support plans are reviewed with parents at least once each term. That gives families a recurring opportunity to discuss progress and the next steps in support.

The school's support options include visual timetables, spaces with fewer distractions and small-group work. Speech and language support can involve outside specialists, alongside advice from educational psychology and occupational therapy. These are school-level arrangements, with support selected according to a child's needs.

Personal care assistance is included where needed, and staff receive training relating to sensory needs. Ramps at every school entrance and accessible toilet facilities are concrete access features. Families can contact the SEND coordination team directly, giving questions about support a specific route alongside the class teacher.

Attending the nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. The school directs North Tyneside families to the council's school admissions process; families living outside the authority should apply through their own local authority, naming St Bart's as their preference.

Treat the nursery application and the Reception application as two distinct steps. Joining nursery should be a choice about the child's early experience, rather than an assumption about a later allocation.

Nursery applications can be completed online or submitted on paper to the school office. Eligible parents can access flexible 30-hour provision through partnerships combining the school's nursery with other settings. This arrangement matters for families whose childcare needs extend beyond their nursery attendance alone.

School visits can be arranged through the office. For enquiries, telephone 0191 625 0870 or email office@stbartscofeschool.org.uk; an online office contact form provides another route. The school also shares news through newsletters and social media, with class pages offering a further place to follow updates.