Catchgate Primary School Nursery Review

A shared garden, school woodland and an EYFS library give Catchgate’s nursery day several places to unfold. This is nursery provision for children aged 2–4 within Catchgate Primary School, with separate groups for ages 2–3 and 3–4. Different rooms allow activities and resources to be organised around each age group.

The youngest children have their own room with furniture made for their age, plus daily use of a bigger space for movement. Outdoors is part of the routine across Early Years, including in wet weather. For families, that means choosing a nursery where waterproof clothing belongs alongside books and play resources.

Play shapes the day, with adults introducing activities and responding to children’s interests. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together seven learning areas: relationships and emotions, language, physical development, literacy, maths, understanding the world and creative expression. Activities are planned around individual needs, rather than treating those areas as separate school lessons.

For two-year-olds, early sound work uses brief activities woven into routines. Stories, rhymes and songs give children opportunities to listen and speak; maths appears through matching, sorting and counting, including during snacks and tidying. Across the week, children encounter cooking, messy activities, movement, woodland walks and art. These are practical ways to explore language, materials and quantities.

In the older nursery group, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds supports daily phonics through nursery rhymes and spoken blending games. Number Sense involves comparing quantities, counting fingers, making towers and using dice. Children also have a hall session for PE on Wednesdays. The emphasis remains on doing and talking.

Indoors, the three-year-old provision includes construction, small world, sand and home-corner areas, alongside spaces for books, maths and creative work. Both nursery groups visit the EYFS library regularly. Outside, the shared garden and woodland support Forest School; the wider Early Years outdoor environment also includes a mud kitchen and large sandpit. Children can explore sound at an outdoor music wall using objects made from wood, plastic and metal. Learning has room to become physical.

The two-year-old room operates with a staffing ratio of 1:5. Its team includes a room lead and teaching assistant, while the older nursery group has a teacher and teaching assistant. Families’ information about their child’s interests helps staff shape learning from the start.

For children staying through lunch, families can supply a packed lunch or arrange a school meal. Snack sessions also form part of nursery routines. Across Early Years, adults help children express emotions, handle disagreements and develop independence in personal care, so relationships and everyday needs sit alongside learning.

SEND support sits within the school’s wider team. The SENDCo works with families and staff to assess needs and plan support, involving outside professionals where appropriate. Parents can raise concerns between scheduled meetings; SEND reviews take place termly, with annual reviews according to a child’s needs. This gives families a route to discuss and review adjustments.

Attending Catchgate’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route by the applicable deadline. Treat that application as a separate decision from choosing nursery sessions.

Preparation for the move includes a parent meeting, a joint stay-and-play opportunity and an invitation for children to try lunch at school. Staff also gather information from previous early years settings about development and additional needs. These activities introduce people and routines; they do not establish an admissions advantage.

Morning nursery runs from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from noon to 3pm. Both age groups offer five mornings, five afternoons or a 2.5-day pattern: Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday morning, or Wednesday afternoon with Thursday and Friday. The full days within those patterns run from 8:30am to 3pm.

Thirty-hour funded places are offered, subject to eligibility. Families of three-year-olds can purchase extra sessions when space allows, with current charges handled by the school office. Nursery applications use online forms, and the office is the enquiry route on 01207 234252.

Early Years clothing includes a red hoodie, black leggings or joggers, a plain white or red polo shirt or T-shirt, wellies and a red waterproof all-in-one. Label clothing clearly. The practical priority is dressing for active play indoors and outdoors.