Sacred Heart Catholic School Nursery Review

In May 2023, sorting shapes meant talking about them at Sacred Heart: children were encouraged to explain similarities and differences as they learned. That small example gives this school nursery a clear point of interest for parents: language develops alongside the activity itself.

The nursery belongs to Sacred Heart Catholic School on Cecil Road in Paignton. It sits within the school's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) team, with Nursery Lead and Nursery Support roles. Sacred Heart describes its Catholic ethos as welcoming families with other faiths and those with no religious background. For parents, faith is therefore part of the setting's identity, alongside its stated welcome to different beliefs.

Communication has a concrete place in nursery learning. In May 2023, children sorting shapes were encouraged to explain how the shapes compared. The activity brings mathematical observation and spoken language together: children work with the shapes, then put their thinking into words. At the May 2023 inspection, oracy, meaning the development of spoken communication, began in Nursery here.

Drawing also starts in Nursery and forms a foundation for the school's artwork. It gives children another way to express ideas alongside speech. Sacred Heart aims to use art to help children explore feelings, creativity and opinions. These examples show two aspects of early learning in plain parent terms: explaining an observation aloud and expressing an idea through drawing.

Nursery staffing includes a lead role and a support role within the EYFS team. Beyond that team, the school has a Pastoral Manager whose responsibilities also include deputy safeguarding and deputy special educational needs coordination. This gives families distinct nursery and school inclusion roles to approach when discussing their child's needs.

Safeguarding support includes the Torbay Education Safeguarding Service (TESS), working with schools, social care and other agencies. Information is shared on a need-to-know basis to help protect children and support their welfare; schools should discuss shared information with families to support joint working.

A June 2026 change affects communication with parents. Plymouth CAST suspended new online pupil images across digital channels, including ClassDojo and emailed newsletters, until further notice. Updates were to concentrate on written accounts of children's achievements and school life. Families should expect that restriction to shape photo updates.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate formal application through the local authority in the normal admissions round and meet the applicable deadline. Treat choosing the nursery and applying for Reception as two separate decisions.

Plymouth CAST is the school's admissions authority and is responsible for admission policies and decisions. A nursery place should therefore never be treated as confirmation of a later school place.

For enquiries and a visit, call 01803 558298. Visits can be arranged at a mutually convenient time, giving parents an opportunity to discuss joining before making an application. Nursery entry has its own application form.

The school address is Cecil Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 2SH. Use the nursery application route for nursery entry and keep the local authority Reception application as a separate task.