St Matthew's Church of England Primary Academy Nursery

Three-hour sessions and a separate nursery building give St Matthew’s Pre-School a distinct place within this Preston primary academy. Provision is teacher-led, with a fully qualified teacher, and takes children aged three and four from their third birthday until they start school. The nursery building has wheelchair access, toilets and changing facilities, practical features for children who need support with personal care or mobility.

The early years provision received a Requires improvement judgement at Ofsted’s inspection on 14 and 15 January 2025. That judgement covers the school’s early years provision; it is not a separate nursery rating. Relationships and language teaching present different pictures here.

Learning sounds begins in Nursery, giving children an early introduction to the building blocks of reading. In January 2025, the early years curriculum identified the knowledge children should acquire at successive stages. For parents, that means a planned sequence of learning rather than activities alone.

Delivery needed more attention. The curriculum was not sufficiently adjusted for the youngest children’s communication needs, and adults’ spoken examples and conversations were inconsistent. Children consequently acquired less vocabulary than they should. Some also lacked the wider knowledge needed for their next educational stage. Activities across all phases were sometimes poorly matched to learning aims, while checks on understanding needed greater precision. Language development. These findings make everyday conversation and vocabulary teaching important points to consider when choosing this nursery.

Settling starts with contact at home: the nursery teacher and teaching assistant visit families before children begin. This gives parents a chance to share concerns and information before the first session. In January 2025, early years staff formed positive relationships with children, and Nursery children showed consideration towards one another and shared.

Speech and language support includes groups extending from Nursery onwards. Early years practitioners have taken part in the Hanen Language Project, with skills shared with learning support and special support assistants. These are concrete support arrangements, rather than evidence that the inspection’s concerns have been resolved.

Classdojo carries messages between staff and families, and parents can translate messages into their first language. For children needing additional support, the school uses an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle, agreeing support and reviewing it with families. Milk and fruit are provided without charge.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority. For September 2027 entry, the application window runs from 1 September 2026 to 15 January 2027; Lancashire residents can apply online through Lancashire County Council.

For that intake, children registered in and attending the Pre-School Unit at application time receive priority under the fifth oversubscription criterion, ahead of other children. Higher criteria still take precedence. Applications relying on faith criteria also require a supplementary form returned directly to school by 15 January 2027. Children starting Reception have Stay and Play sessions, while nursery teachers can help families with Reception application forms.

Morning sessions run from 09:00 to 12:00; afternoons run from 12:10 to 15:10, Monday to Friday. Both funding patterns allocate three funded hours per day. Provision operates for 38 weeks and is term-time only, so families need separate arrangements for school holidays.

A voluntary contribution supports nursery resources. Contact the school for current charges. Nursery enquiries go to the school office on 01772 794482 or at psmoffice@cidari.co.uk; the nursery application uses a different form from the school application.