St John the Baptist Nursery, Ruyton XI Towns

An integrated nursery within a village primary school gives St John’s its defining character. Children can join from age two, becoming part of St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School and Nursery on Church Street in Ruyton XI Towns. The school describes its ethos through the values of Love, Hope and Respect, giving families a clear sense of its Christian identity.

Since 1 February 2025, the school and nursery have belonged to Shropshire Church of England Academies Trust. Nursery remains part of the school’s provision.

Friendship and recognising differences feature in an example of activities shared with nursery families in June 2020. Children were invited to compare their favourite fruit, languages spoken at home and family circumstances with those of a friend, then draw the similarities and differences. This invitation gave parents a concrete way to talk about individuality and friendship with their child.

The nursery team includes a leader and learning support assistants. Roles within that team also cover breakfast club leadership, lunchtime supervision and after school club work. That connects nursery staffing with other parts of the school day, although families should distinguish those staff responsibilities from the sessions they book.

For additional needs, the school aims to identify difficulties early and arrange targeted support. Parents are involved in agreeing targets and receive updates on progress. Buildings and resources are adapted to individual pupils’ needs, making the discussion about support specific to the child.

A SEND coffee morning takes place each term, bringing parents together with professionals and other agencies. This gives families a forum for discussing support as well as meeting other carers. The school’s SEND coordinator can be contacted on 01939 260445 or at SENDCo@bhsjbfed.shropshire.sch.uk.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through their home local authority, even when choosing a school in another authority’s area. For Shropshire families, the Reception application route is the council’s online school admissions service.

Nursery attendance is not among the stated priorities for oversubscribed places. Those priorities concern children in care or previously in care, catchment residence, siblings, distance from home, and medical circumstances or an Education, Health and Care Plan. Choosing the nursery therefore leaves the Reception application as a separate decision and process.

For September 2026 entry, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That cycle is past. Applications arriving after that deadline without exceptional reasons were considered after applications received on time, which could affect the chance of a preferred school place.

For nursery enquiries, contact the school on 01939 260445. Its address is Church Street, Ruyton XI Towns, Shrewsbury, SY4 1LA. Prospective parents are welcome to visit the school, providing an opportunity to discuss joining the nursery with the team.

Ask the school for current nursery charges. Keep nursery booking arrangements and the later council application for Reception as separate steps when planning your child’s start.