St Augustine's Catholic Primary and Nursery School: Nursery Review

First sounds, letter tracing and learning how to listen give St Augustine's nursery its clearest character. This is the nursery within a Catholic primary school on Park Avenue in Nottingham, with the school's age range beginning at three. It places early learning within a school setting, rather than a separate childcare provision.

Ofsted judged the early years provision Good at the inspection on 30 and 31 January 2024. That judgement covers the school's early years, rather than giving the nursery a separate rating.

Early reading begins with small, concrete tasks. In January 2024, nursery children were learning starting sounds and practising letter shapes through tracing. These activities connect the sounds children hear with the marks they make, giving parents a specific picture of the nursery's introduction to literacy.

Vocabulary was a deliberate focus across the early years curriculum. Learning was planned to develop children's language, while familiar routines helped them concentrate. Listening, sitting together, hygiene and manners formed part of that daily learning. The emphasis was on becoming accustomed to shared expectations as well as taking part in learning activities.

There were limitations alongside those strengths. In January 2024, the early years learning environment needed further development: resources and activities did not consistently give children opportunities to take their learning further. This matters because the activities available to children should help them build on what they have already learned.

A further improvement concerned checking learning in some wider subjects, including from the early years. Checks were insufficiently established to help leaders identify misunderstandings and adjust the curriculum consistently. The practical issue was whether teaching responded to what children remembered and understood.

Settling into routines was a positive feature of early years in January 2024. Children became familiar with expectations promptly, helping them settle and direct their attention to learning. Adults also encouraged personal hygiene and considerate behaviour, making everyday care habits part of the experience.

For families whose child has special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the distinction between individual support and classroom teaching matters. Across the school in January 2024, adults providing individual support used strategies from pupils' plans, but classroom teaching did not consistently follow those strategies. This was a school-wide concern, rather than a finding limited to nursery. It gives families a concrete issue to consider: how agreed support carries through into activities alongside other children.

Attending this nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Nursery entry and Reception admission are separate processes: families must apply again through the normal Reception application route by the applicable deadline. Familiarity with the school must therefore be kept separate from the question of securing a place. Choosing the nursery is a decision about the child's nursery experience; it is not confirmation of their next school place.

The school address is Park Avenue, Mapperley Road, Nottingham, NG3 4JS. Its telephone number is 01159156995. For families considering the nursery, these provide the location for planning journeys and a direct school contact.