St Mary's Catholic Primary School Nursery Review

Circles, rectangles and seasonal change give the youngest children at St Mary's a concrete starting point for learning. This is the nursery within St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Market Weighton, welcoming children from the term after their third birthday. Its place within a Catholic primary school gives families an explicitly faith-based setting: the school describes Gospel values as central to its life and its relationship with families.

The practical choice is between morning and afternoon sessions, with funded places covering 15 or 30 hours. Full-day attendance is also catered for. That gives families more than one way to fit nursery into their week.

Communication and independence are central to the early-years learning described at the June 2023 inspection. Children took part in activities both outside and indoors, cooperating with one another and showing positive behaviour. For parents, the emphasis is on learning to express ideas and manage increasingly for themselves alongside other children.

Shape vocabulary provides a specific example. Nursery children were learning to describe rectangles and circles, giving mathematical language something tangible to attach to. Adults also connected activities with the closing story, helping children recall what they had learnt earlier. Stories therefore supported the learning as well as bringing the day to a close.

Seasonal change supplies another starting point. Science begins in nursery with observing the changing seasons, investigating and making predictions about the surrounding world. These are practical habits of learning: looking closely, wondering what might happen and developing an explanation. The combination of language, early mathematics and observation gives substance to the nursery's emphasis on exploration and play.

A nursery nurse forms part of the school team, alongside teaching assistants and a SEND coordinator who also teaches. These are distinct roles within the wider staff structure; families have both nursery care and a school-level contact for special educational needs and disabilities.

For children attending a full day, lunch is offered for an additional charge. This matters when planning the longer day, because the meal is a separate extra rather than something to assume is included in funded hours.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the local authority and also return a Primary Supplementary form to the school. Treat these as two steps in the application process, rather than assuming that nursery enrolment completes either of them.

The school welcomes visits before or during the Reception application process. This provides an opportunity to consider the next stage separately from the decision about nursery attendance.

Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoons run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Each lasts three hours. Extra sessions can be purchased, and families using their nursery vouchers elsewhere can also pay for sessions here. Contact the school for current charges.

To arrange a nursery visit, contact the school office on 01430 872330 or email admin@smmwyorks.org. A visit gives families a direct introduction to the setting before choosing their session pattern.