St Anne's CofE (Aided) Primary School Nursery Review

Beans, butterflies and books give Gold Class its character. The nursery at St Anne's in Royton combines seasonal topics with outdoor activity, specialist-led movement and stories to share at home. Its morning-only pattern is equally distinctive: children attend during term time, with 15 funded hours across the week. For families whose childcare needs fit that timetable, the practical offer is straightforward.

The nursery belongs to a Church of England primary school on Ormerod Avenue. Christian stories feature in the children's learning, including the birth of Jesus and the Easter story. Ofsted graded the school's early years provision Good at the January 2025 inspection; that judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

The early years foundation stage takes practical form through stories, conversation, movement and exploration. Marvellous Me starts with children's families, preferences and feelings. Fantastic Fairytales introduces The Gingerbread Man and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, while Helpful Heroes brings encounters with people such as nurses and firefighters. These topics give children familiar experiences and characters to talk about.

Growing Great links planting beans with learning about seeds and frogs' life cycles. Later, Marvellous Minibeasts includes watching caterpillars become butterflies and exploring the importance of bees. Awesome Animals adds visits from animals that children can handle. There is plenty here to observe and discuss.

Physical activity has named strands. SPLAY, meaning Sport through Play, starts the year with an Oldham Sports Specialist; weekly sessions with a music specialist begin after Christmas. Forest Fun uses the school field for activities intended to develop communication and social skills. The outdoor area is used in different weather conditions, so wellies and a waterproof coat are everyday equipment.

Books also travel home. Children choose from the class library for an adult to read with them, with exchanges on Fridays and returns due by Wednesday. In January 2025, early years strengths included language development, relationships and mathematical understanding. Depth of learning. Some activities and resources did not extend children's understanding enough, leaving some early years children not fully prepared for Year 1 and beyond. Ofsted asked the school to equip staff to deepen children's learning. Families should weigh that concern alongside the varied programme.

A class teacher and teaching assistant form the nursery team. Settling into routines is part of the first half-term's Marvellous Me topic, alongside discussion of feelings and the people important to each child. This gives the start of nursery a personal focus.

Tapestry carries weekly learning updates, giving parents material to discuss and support at home. Children bring a named water bottle each day, and parents supply the snacks and consumables their child needs. These are practical parts of preparing for each morning.

For additional needs, the school's SENDCo manages support provision. Families can begin with the class teacher; school partnerships include Speech and Language Therapy and Oldham's Early Help Team. Contact with outside agencies requires parental agreement and consent, keeping families involved in decisions about support.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route. The school directs applicants to Oldham Council.

For the September 2026 intake, the deadline was 15 January 2026 at 5pm. That cycle is now past; the admissions page also directs families who missed it to information about late applications. Keep the nursery waiting-list process and the Reception application separate when planning your child's next step.

Mornings run from 8.45am to 11.45am, Monday to Friday, in term time. The nursery offers 15 fully funded hours and currently provides no additional hours. That makes collection before midday a central consideration for working families.

To join the nursery waiting list, return the nursery form to the school office or email info@stannesroyton.oldham.sch.uk. Visits before applying can be arranged through the office on 01616249885. Any additional activities involving payment, such as trips, are communicated beforehand, and requested payments are optional.