St Thomas CofE Primary School Nursery

Three-hour sessions give this nursery its practical shape, with separate provision for two-year-olds and children aged three and four. It belongs to St Thomas CofE Primary School in Werneth. The school describes its Christian values through compassion, empathy and kindness, giving families a clear sense of its intended ethos.

For 2025–26, the nursery offered up to 78 part-time places for three- and four-year-olds, divided between 39 morning and 39 afternoon places. A room attached to the Nursery accommodates the Two-Year-Old Provision, so the younger group has its own identified space within the school.

A morning or afternoon, rather than a full school day, is the basic pattern. In the 2025–26 arrangements, children were normally offered five sessions of three hours each. That creates a repeated session pattern for families organising the rest of their child's care.

Learning under the EYFS Framework and Development Matters combines exploring topics with practical experiences. Past nursery themes have included Water, Day and Night, and All about me, alongside activities such as cooking and food tasting. These give parents concrete starting points for conversations about what their child has been exploring.

Past activities have included bread baking, a farm visit and an animal roadshow. Cooking and food tasting have also featured, bringing practical experiences into the learning programme. Snow play and a library visit add further examples beyond topic work. These are examples of the nursery's activities over time, rather than a fixed timetable for every session.

For younger children, Dental Playbox activities have taken place in both morning and afternoon sessions. This gives a specific example of health-related learning within the two-year-old provision.

Before admission, parents on the waiting list are encouraged to join parents and tots during the preceding term. That gives families a way to begin making connections before nursery starts. Settling into Nursery has also featured among past nursery activities.

The school aims to meet additional needs through adapted teaching, small-group work and individual support. SEND coordinators advise staff, while the school aims to keep regular contact with parents and involve them in their child's learning. For a family discussing support, this provides several ways of organising help rather than a single intervention.

Information about disability or health conditions is gathered in early conversations with families joining the school. Sharing those details gives staff a starting point for considering the child's needs before they begin.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place and gives no admission priority. Parents must make a separate Reception application through Oldham Local Authority, using its Common Application Form. Treat this as a fresh application when planning your child's next step.

The move between nursery age groups has its own condition: a two-year-old becoming three can be offered a place in the older nursery provision if space is available. That arrangement is separate from Reception admission and should not be confused with securing a school place.

For 2025–26, morning sessions ran from 8:45am to 11:45am; afternoons ran from 12:15pm to 3:15pm. Places were normally organised as five mornings or five afternoons. Families can therefore assess the half-day pattern against their other care arrangements.

Nursery enquiries go to the school's Admissions Officer. For eligible two-year-olds, the 2025–26 arrangements provided 15 hours of free early education each week. Applications went to Werneth Children's Centre, either directly or through the school, with places allocated in consultation with the school.