Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Nursery Review

Painting with a purpose and outdoor learning that revisits earlier activities give Sacred Heart’s nursery its character. This is the nursery within Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School on Windermere Road, Southend-on-Sea, with morning and afternoon nursery sessions.

At the inspection on 9 and 10 July 2024, Ofsted graded the school’s early years provision Good. That judgement covers early years within the school; it is not a separate nursery rating. The nursery-specific findings give parents something more concrete: adults understood children’s individual starting points and shaped their learning accordingly.

Learning builds on what a child can already do. Within the early years foundation stage (EYFS), the nursery combines ongoing learning opportunities with targeted activities supporting physical and social development. Painting, for example, gives children practice with fine motor skills. The activity has a developmental purpose as well as a creative one.

Outdoor learning extends earlier work, giving children another opportunity to practise and consolidate it. The outdoor learning space therefore forms part of the teaching, rather than simply providing a break. In July 2024, nursery activities were matched to children’s existing knowledge and abilities, making their starting points relevant to what happened next.

Carpet time also has a place. Children were ready to sit and learn during the July 2024 visit. Cooperation begins in nursery too: children learn to work together within the school’s Christian ethos. These are practical foundations for taking part in a group, alongside the physical skills developed through activities such as painting.

Two nursery teacher posts sit within a wider early years team that includes teaching assistants. Parents can arrange a conversation with their child’s teacher through the school office, providing a direct route for discussing concerns. Queries about special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can also go through the office to the SENCo.

Food brought into school must exclude nuts, including nuts in biscuits, and the kitchen also excludes them from its food. This school-wide rule matters for families managing allergies. Cans and glass bottles are prohibited; parents are also asked to avoid crisps and chocolate biscuits.

An urgent Ofsted inspection on 22 October 2025, prompted by concerns about the school’s safeguarding culture, found safeguarding effective. This was a school-wide, ungraded inspection. Early years children were learning about risks and managing them, while staff training and the reporting of concerns supported the wider safeguarding arrangements.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the deadline for their entry year.

The main-round route is Southend Borough Council’s Single Application Form, alongside a school Supplementary Information Form and a baptismal certificate where applicable. For the 2024 cycle, the council deadline was 15 January 2024 and the school form deadline was 22 January 2024. Those dates belong to that past cycle.

Morning nursery runs from 8:45 to 11:45; the afternoon session is 12:30 to 3:30. Each gives families a distinct attendance window, which needs to fit around work and collection arrangements.

For enquiries, contact the school office on 01702 534546 or email office@sacredheart.southend.sch.uk. School tours can be booked by telephone through the office, giving parents a practical way to explore the provision and its Catholic ethos.