Holy Rosary RC Primary School Nursery Review

A Foundation Stage playground and a place within the main school building give Holy Rosary’s nursery a clear school setting. This is provision for children aged three to four in Oldham, with morning and full-time attendance options. For the September 2025 intake, the nursery admission number was 30.

Catholic identity shapes the surrounding school community. Holy Rosary describes its ethos as strongly Catholic, and the school shares its site with the Parish Church of the Holy Rosary. For families, faith is part of the setting’s character rather than simply a label.

The morning session starts at 8.45am and finishes at 11.45am; full-time attendance continues until 3.15pm. That is a practical choice between a morning of nursery education and a day that includes school meals.

Learning follows the Early Years Foundation Stage, or EYFS. Its seven areas bring together language and communication, physical development and personal, social and emotional development with mathematics, literacy, expressive arts and understanding the world. In parent terms, the curriculum looks beyond early reading and number work: movement, relationships, expression and understanding are part of learning too.

Holy Rosary’s early-years approach recognises that children develop at different speeds. It emphasises relationships, experiences responsive to individual needs and partnership with parents. That gives home learning a place alongside what happens in nursery.

The Foundation Stage Unit sits within the main building, while the Foundation Stage playground provides an outdoor space alongside the indoor setting. These are the physical features to keep in mind when considering the nursery day: early learning has its own unit and playground within the wider school site.

A nursery teacher works within the Foundation Stage team alongside teaching assistants. Communication about learning uses Tapestry: staff share photographs, videos and moments of achievement, and parents can contribute experiences from home. This gives families a way to see their child’s learning and add to the picture themselves.

Full-time nursery children take school meals, which carry a separate charge. Lunchtime supervision itself is not charged, and there are currently no additional charges for non-food consumables such as wipes or nappies. Those distinctions matter when comparing the practical commitments of a morning place with full-time attendance.

For families considering additional needs, the school has a SENCO. Oldham’s Local Offer provides advice about support services and local groups, including information about speech and language therapy. It is a useful companion to discussions about a child’s needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet its deadline. The route is an Oldham Local Authority Preference Form or an online application through oldhamprimaryadmissions.co.uk; consideration under religious criteria also requires the school’s Supplementary Form.

For the 2025–2026 admissions cycle, nursery attendance was not an oversubscription criterion. Keep the nursery choice and the later Reception application as separate decisions.

Eligible three- and four-year-olds can access up to 15 funded hours each week for 38 weeks of the year. Eligible working families may qualify for 30 hours. Funding is delivered within normal school hours across the school week; additional hours are optional, and the school charges for them. Ask the school for current charges, including meals.

To register interest in nursery or arrange a school visit, contact the office on 0161 624 3035. Visits are by appointment, giving families a direct route to see the setting before deciding.