A consultation is under way at a Catholic primary school looking to establish a nursery, as part of a government expansion of childcare across the country.

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Ipswich, in the Diocese of East Anglia, is asking parents and staff for their views on enabling up to 34 children aged two to four years to attend an on-site nursery on either a full time or part time basis.  

The school, which is part of Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Multi Academy Trust, was rated as Outstanding in its most recent Ofsted inspection last year, including for Early Years provision.  

Last autumn the government’s Department for Education invited bids from schools interested in setting up the first wave of what is hoped to be a national roll-out of school-based nursery provision.

Joanne Berry, Headteacher, said: “It just seems like an ideal opportunity, we thought, right, this is our moment to go for it.It's something that we've been talking about for a long time, about how we can best start working with families earlier.”

If the bid is successful, it could help get children school-ready and build relationships with parents earlier so they know what St Mary’s can offer, as well as the school potentially sharing expertise with the nursery.

Children join St Mary’s from several different nurseries at present, each with different curricula and different approaches. The school nursery would enable a continuity of curriculum, to build on learning from an earlier stage.  

Parents of those attending the nursery could become involved earlier in the Catholic life at the school, for instance as part of celebrations, or attending a school Mass at the start and end of each school term.

The nursery proposal has the support of the school governors, as well as that of the local authority, due to a need for early years places in that part of Ipswich. 

Joanne said: “Our beliefs just seem to align so well with this, working together and serving your local community, supporting parents to give children the very best start. It really fits with the Catholic ethos of being a family in school.”

The Catholic Church is an experienced provider of early years and nursery childcare and education, with approximately 26,500 children attending nurseries in Catholic schools across England.  

Find out more about establishing school-based nursery provision