St Thomas the Martyr Primary School Nursery

Rhymes, stories and learning familiar routines give this nursery its clearest character. St Thomas the Martyr Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School includes provision for two-year-olds, bringing younger children into its early years provision in Up Holland.

The nursery belongs to a Church of England primary school on Highgate Road. Its day deserves attention in its own right: for a young child, the immediate experience is about care, language and learning how to take part, rather than the school’s later academic outcomes.

Singing rhymes and listening to stories are concrete features of nursery learning here. In February 2023, children enjoyed both. These give parents a useful picture of the language experiences within the nursery day: spoken words, rhythm and stories feature in children’s learning before the later demands of reading.

The early years curriculum, including the provision for two-year-olds, had a clear learning sequence in February 2023. Ofsted found that it prepared children appropriately for the learning ahead. For parents, the useful distinction is between simply offering activities and arranging learning so that one experience can build towards another.

Routines are another part of that picture. In February 2023, early years children became familiar with the school’s routines quickly. Learning what happens next and what is expected matters alongside learning through stories and rhymes. The nursery experience therefore combines early language activities with becoming accustomed to the patterns of school life.

Care is the strongest directly evidenced point about children’s experience. At the February 2023 inspection, staff cared well for children in the early years. This finding applies to the younger children themselves, making it more useful for nursery parents than a general judgement about the whole school.

The finding about learning routines also matters here. Becoming familiar with daily expectations is part of settling into a school setting, alongside the care children receive from adults. Together, those findings give a dated picture of children’s support and adjustment to school life.

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

The distinction matters even when nursery provision sits within the school a family hopes their child will continue attending. Familiarity with school routines is a learning experience; it should not be treated as an admissions entitlement. Keep the Reception application as a separate task in your family’s planning.

The school’s address is Highgate Road, Up Holland, Skelmersdale, WN8 0HX. Nursery enquiries can be made by telephone on 01695622970.

For families considering this provision, that gives a direct contact route and a precise location to use when planning the practicalities of attending.