This weekend St Mary’s Nursery @ St Mary College celebrated its 10 year Anniversary. Past and present children, parents and staff came together for a party organised by Pulse Entertainment.  Activities included a disco, balloon modelling, face painting, glitter tattoos and a visit from Micky Mouse. 

Since St Mary’s Nursery @ St Mary’s College opened its doors ten years ago, its reputation and popularity has grown within the community and further afield. The Nursery was inspected by OFSTED in November 2011 and achieved an OUTSTANDING report. 

Operational hours at St Mary’s Nursery @ St Mary College are Monday to Friday from 7:30am – 6:00pm and there are a wide range of sessions available.

In 2007 St Mary’s College were successful in a bid to offer quality childcare within Wensley Fold Children Centre. St Mary Nursery @ Wensley Fold opened its doors in January 2008 and once again the reputation grew and demand for places continues to be high. St Mary Nursery @ Wensley Fold has not been affected by the changes to the childcare provision offered in Blackburn with Darwen Children Centres and continues to offer full day care for children from 0 – 5 years, five days per week from 8.00am – 6pm.

In November 2012 the Nursery was inspected by OFSTED and received an OUTSTANDING Grade.

The experienced teams of staff at St Mary’s Nurseries are dedicated to providing the best quality care and education for the children who attend. St Mary’s College is committed to supporting professional development and therefore staff regularly attend courses to update their knowledge of current Early Years legislation/regulations and good practices. Staff are proud of their achievements and the progress of the children who have utilised the facilities over the years. Turn over of staff is minimal with most being the original team members from the opening of the settings.

The Manager, Tracy Ellett said “The highlight of the past 10 years has definitely been the two OUTSTANDING reports from the OFSTED inspections. I would like to acknowledge the staff for their dedication and commitment to providing a safe, caring, stimulating and challenging environment for the children in our care and it is due to this that both nurseries have been a success, they are GREAT”.