Sunshine Nursery at Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School

Sunshine Nursery brings a Catholic school setting to the preschool years in Cowley. It is the nursery provision at Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School on Oxford Road, taking children from age three. The school's RUAH values mean respect, understanding, affection and humour, giving families a clear sense of its approach to relationships.

Ofsted judged early years provision Good at the inspection on 29 and 30 March 2022. That judgement covers the school's early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play and children's interests guide the early years approach. The school aims to combine children's own exploration with adult help that lets them tackle something beyond their independent abilities. In plain parent language, its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) approach makes room for children to choose and investigate while adults help learning move forward.

Indoor and outdoor learning environments form part of that plan. The school aims to use both to support learning across the curriculum, alongside experiences beyond the classroom. Its emphasis on children's interests gives exploration a starting point that matters to the child.

Early reading begins in nursery. The March 2022 inspection found that nursery children were already benefiting from well-taught early reading. Children also learned cooperation through shared play and work. These are useful foundations for both learning and getting along with other children.

Support for additional needs starts with watching children's development and listening to families. Early years staff are expected to respond to emerging difficulties, involve parents when extra provision is made, and keep support under review. The SENCO coordinates provision, giving families a defined role to turn to when discussing their child's needs.

For children receiving SEND support, the class teacher and SENCO arrange three parent meetings each year. Assessment, planning, action and review form a repeating cycle, so support can be adjusted rather than left unchanged.

Lunch is a practical responsibility for families: nursery children cannot have hot school meals, so parents provide a healthy packed lunch each day. Children eat together, making lunchtime a chance to practise social skills as well as pause for food.

A Sunshine Nursery place does not guarantee entry to Reception. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process, using the Oxfordshire County Council school-place application route and meeting its normal deadline. Treat the nursery booking and the Reception application as separate decisions.

Three session choices shape the booking model: mornings run from 08:30 to 11:30, afternoons from 12:00 to 15:00, and the full day from 08:30 to 14:30. For full-day children, supervision until 15:00 is optional and charged separately; collection at 14:30 avoids that charge. Ask the school for current charges.

Universal funding provides 15 hours a week during term time, across 38 weeks, beginning the term after a child's third birthday. Eligible families can use 30 funded hours, starting the term after HMRC confirmation. A valid, verified code is needed to confirm a place under that entitlement, and eligibility must be reconfirmed every three months.

Payments are handled through Arbor. Fees remain due for term-time absences, including illness and holidays, and changing booked hours or withdrawing requires a full month's written notice. These conditions matter when planning family holidays or adjusting childcare.

For enquiries, contact the office on 01865 779176 or office@ourladyscowley.co.uk. Visits can be arranged through the administrative office.