Caterpillars Nursery at St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Number songs, new vocabulary and outdoor lessons give Caterpillars its character. This is the nursery class within St Mary's Church of England Primary School on Old Road in Writhlington, Radstock. It introduces children to learning through language, counting and shared routines, with relationships forming early.

Ofsted judged the school's early years provision Good at the inspection on 10 and 11 December 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating.

Communication has a clear place in the nursery's learning. In December 2024, adults demonstrated how to pronounce challenging new words, giving children examples to hear and practise. Stories were selected for children to enjoy from Nursery onwards. For parents, the practical emphasis is on building the language children need to express themselves and take part in learning.

Counting also has a concrete starting point: nursery children learnt through number songs. Singing puts numbers into an activity children can join in with, rather than treating counting as an isolated exercise. These are recognisable foundations for early learning.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning about language, movement and relationships with early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Outdoor learning is part of the nursery experience too. In December 2024, children understood the safety circle during an outdoor lesson and followed the early years routines. That example connects learning outside with practising how to participate safely in a group.

Relationships begin early here. In December 2024, children were building positive connections with adults from the point they joined Nursery. That matters for a young child learning to trust the people caring for them.

Support for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) also starts in Nursery: staff identified needs promptly and worked with families over the help children required. There is a nursery SEND coordinator, and the nursery lead also holds a deputy designated safeguarding role. This gives families a nursery-specific point of contact for additional needs, with safeguarding responsibility included in the team structure.

Attending Caterpillars does not guarantee a Reception place at St Mary's. Families must make a separate Reception application through the local authority where they live, even when applying to a school in another authority's area, and meet the normal application deadline.

Nursery enrolment goes through the school office. Keeping these two applications separate is essential: joining the nursery is one decision, securing a school place is another.

Morning nursery runs from 9am until noon; the afternoon runs from noon until 3pm. Children who have siblings at the school may come from 8:45am for the morning session. That conditional earlier start may help families coordinating siblings' journeys.

To apply for Caterpillars, contact the office for an enrolment form. Nursery tours can be booked with the headteacher or the deputy and early years leader, giving parents a chance to discuss their child before applying. The office can be reached on 01761 434548 or at office@stmaryswrithlington.co.uk.