St Mark's Church of England Primary School Nursery Review

Fence painting, fruit growing and conversations with two-year-olds give St Mark's nursery its character: learning starts with things children can touch, try and talk about. The provision welcomes children aged two, three and four, with ten places in its two-year-old group. It sits within St Mark's Church of England Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees.

Two-year-olds have a purpose-built room, while the nursery occupies a spacious open-plan room with separate activity zones and an outdoor area reached directly from indoors. In March 2026, Ofsted judged the school's early years provision to be Strong standard. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Play and conversation shape the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) here. In everyday terms, children build language, independence and physical skills through activities matched to their development. Staff hold ELKLAN speech and language training, and the setting has both Communication Friendly Setting Accreditation and SchemaPlay Accreditation. These give the team shared approaches to supporting talk and recognising children's next steps.

Daily stories and nursery rhymes sit alongside small-world play and acting out ideas. Early literacy includes preparation for Read Write Inc, rather than the full taught programme. Staff help children extend their thinking through conversation; the March 2026 early years findings highlighted the depth of exchanges with two-year-olds and the way adult guidance develops independence during children's chosen activities.

Writing begins with movement. Children paint fences with brushes and draw outdoors with thick chalks; Kinetic Letters includes the Strong Bear posture in both the twos and nursery groups. These activities build the strength and coordination needed before finer pencil work. Maths is equally practical: two-year-olds explore numbers up to three, nursery children work up to five, and counting milk and fruit with five-frames brings numbers into snack time.

Outdoor access supports exploration as well as movement. Nursery children have grown, harvested and eaten fruit and vegetables, and watched caterpillars develop into butterflies before releasing them. Those experiences make changes in the natural world tangible.

Settling begins at home. A key worker visits with the class teacher or Nursery Manager before a child starts, giving families time to share interests, routines and support needs. A family visit follows. The starting point is agreed between parents, staff and the child, allowing settling to respond to individual readiness.

The two-year-old room has its own toileting facilities, a kitchenette and a quiet space for meals and sleep. All EYFS staff have paediatric first-aid certificates. Each early years class uses a separate entrance and exit, with staff available for handovers; Class Dojo also lets parents and teachers exchange messages about learning and their child.

School lunches are available, with Chartwells Schools providing catering and a nursery menu. Families can discuss allergies or intolerances with the catering team's medical diet specialists. For additional needs, the March 2026 early years findings confirmed early identification, adapted learning and focused support. Parents are asked to discuss identified needs before starting so support can be planned. Zones of Regulation introduces early years children to recognising emotions, giving feelings a place in daily learning too.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's admissions service and meet the normal Reception application deadline. Applications can be made online or on paper.

Transition support is a separate matter. The Early Years Lead and SENDCo work with Reception staff to prepare children for the change. Across class transitions, children spend time with their next teacher and classroom, while additional support can include extra visits and photographs or videos to discuss at home. Familiarity helps children prepare; it does not secure admission.

Standard nursery sessions run from 9am to noon, noon to 3pm, or 9am to 3pm. Thirty-hour places for two-, three- and four-year-olds follow an 8.50am to 2.50pm pattern, with a flexible ten-minute window for collection and drop-off. Fifteen-hour places for three- and four-year-olds use mornings; two-year-olds can attend mornings or afternoons. Funded provision operates in term time, with eligibility conditions applying to extended hours. Paid afternoon sessions are available for preschool children who do not qualify for funding.

Breakfast and after-school care are available through EYFS clubs. Wraparound bookings use ParentPay, with a Thursday booking deadline. Contact the office at stmarks@oneexcellence.co.uk or 01642 580774 to arrange a visit. Return a completed nursery application form by email, to the school office or by post. Ask the school for current charges.

Active uniform is compulsory in nursery: a purple jumper, cardigan or hoodie, a white or purple polo shirt, plain black shorts or tracksuit bottoms, and black trainers, which may have a white sole but no coloured logo.