St John's Roman Catholic Primary School Nursery

Catholic faith and early language give this school nursery its context: the school’s mission is One Family in Christ, while the trust’s early years curriculum prioritises vocabulary and language. This is nursery provision within a primary school, so families are choosing a first experience of school life as well as an early years setting.

On Ann Street in central Rochdale, the school takes children from age 3. It describes itself as a one-form entry school. Across the school, families speak over 32 different languages, an important part of the community in which the nursery sits. That school-wide picture gives useful context for parents raising children with more than one language.

The trust’s early years settings follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework alongside Development Matters. These provide the framework for early learning and development. Language and vocabulary receive attention from the early years onwards, making communication a clear curriculum priority rather than simply preparation for later written work.

Reading aloud, book corners and classroom libraries are part of the trust’s approach to reading across its schools. For parents, the emphasis is on children encountering books and hearing language, alongside the wider early years framework. The trust also places Catholic faith within curriculum design, connecting learning with its religious character.

Outdoor learning is encouraged across the school. Children have access to a running track and wildlife habitat, alongside gardening and forest school. These are school-wide features: they give the wider setting a concrete outdoor dimension and place nature and movement alongside classroom learning.

Inclusion forms part of the trust’s curriculum approach. It describes teaching adaptations for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those learning English as an additional language, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Modelling and scaffolding are among its teaching methods, with teaching assistants supporting independence. The practical emphasis is on helping children participate in learning.

At trust level, a Catering Team works with schools on menus, and a Safeguarding Team provides staff training and guidance. These are supporting structures around the schools, rather than a description of an individual nursery child’s care routine. For a safeguarding concern, the first contact is the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, giving families a clear route for raising a worry.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the normal deadline. Treat this as a fresh application.

Admissions are coordinated by the relevant local authority on behalf of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, the admission authority. Families use their home local authority’s admissions process, so the Reception application needs its own place in family planning.

The school is at Ann Street, Rochdale, OL11 1EZ. Contact the school office on 01706 647 195 or email office@stjohnthebaptist.stoccat.org.uk for nursery enquiries.