On behalf of the children and staff at St. Jude’s Pre-school we would like to offer you a warm welcome and provide you with an overview of our preschool and hopefully provide you with the answers to some of the questions you may have! Our Pre-school offers term time places for children between the age of three and four years, whereby the majority choose to continue their learning journey with St Jude’s school itself.
Children are eligible to begin Pre-school at the start of the term immediately following their 3rd birthday. Parents must complete a St Jude’s Preschool Application Form.
For more information or to request an application form, please pop into school or call 01942 204091.
Our Pre-school Day
Preschool is open during term time and adopts the same term time dates used by the school, which often makes it much simpler for those families that have siblings in Pre-school and in school.
We open our doors at 8.45am and offer a combination of morning and afternoon half day sessions, as well as full day sessions. We will work with you to help you choose the right combination of sessions to suit the needs of your child and family, as this can often vary as they begin to grow and develop in preparation for school life.
Our Pre-school Room and Outdoor Area
Our Pre-school offers places for children between the ages of 3 and 4 years of age. The room itself can accommodate 26 children in a session and is run by a qualified, experienced Early Years teacher and a qualified Early Years trained Support Staff. We offer a free-flow system, whereby the children are able to access an indoor and an outdoor provision.
The Curriculum
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), a framework set out by the Department for Education (DFE). The framework sets the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five years of age.
The EYFS explains how children will learn and ensure their readiness for school, through focusing on 7 areas of learning and development. Initially, 3 prime areas; Making Relationships, Communication & Language and Physical Development. As children continue to grow, the prime areas will support the development in the specific area of learning, which include, Literacy, Mathematics, Knowledge and understanding of the World and Expressive Arts.
Children are unique and will learn and develop at different stages and different rates across each of the areas of learning, where we ensure that the Pre-school provision and activities are tailored to meet the needs of the individual child, offering a fun, stimulating, happy, safe and secure environment in which to learn. We want our children to be happy and confident in their love for learning as they carry on their educational journey into school.
The government produced a document entitled, ‘What to expect, when?’ Guidance to your child’s learning and development in the early years foundation stage. This can be found in the parent area of the foundationyears.org.uk website.
There are currently two separate government funded childcare schemes that offer free childcare for children aged three and four years and each has its own eligibility criteria.
Three Year old funding – 15 hours free government funded early years education (This scheme is open to ALL 3 and 4-year olds. Parents / carers will be able to start receiving the childcare from 1 January, 1 April or 1 September following your child’s 3rd birthday).
30 hours free childcare – 30 hours free government funded early years education (this scheme is dependent upon your employment).
For further information, please refer to the following government website https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ or contact school for further information.
Continuing the Learning Journey
Preparing and supporting our children on their learning journey is vital, leading to their transition into school. We work closely with all staff and parents from an early stage to ensure that this transition is made as seamless as possible for all children. The majority of children choose to continue their education with St Jude’s school because they will have formed friendships and are familiar with the learning environment.
Pre-school Fees
If you do not qualify for one of the government funded childcare schemes or you simply wish to top up your child’s Pre-school sessions, the following fees apply; Morning Session (3 hours) – £18.00, Afternoon Session (3 hours) – £18.00 Preschool is open term time only 8.45am – 3.15pm
For those children attending a full day session and requiring a school dinner, the cost is £1.89. If you wish, you may send a packed lunch for your child instead of ordering a school meal.
Families also have the option of their child attending Wraparound care which is available everyday from 7.45am until 5.15pm. For more information please see our Wraparound Care page.
Opening Times
We offer the following sessions;
Morning session: 8:45am – 11.45am
Afternoon session: 12:15pm – 3:15pm
Full Day Session: 8:45am – 3:15pm (this session will use 6 hours of your 30 hour entitlement – we offer the 30 minute lunch for free)
We will discuss with you the best combination of Pre-school to support your child.
Useful Websites:
There are many useful website where you can seek advice or refer to support your child’s learning and development at home;
St Jude’s Pre-school is a governor run early years provision set up under Section 27 of the Education Act 2002 . The Pre-school operates within St Jude’s Catholic Primary School under the trusteeship of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. As a section 27 provision the governing body is solely responsible for taking the decisions on applications for admissions.
St Jude’s Pre-school Chatter
🍎🥪 Snack Time Together! 🥛🍇
09-10-2026
Snack time is a lovely opportunity for our EYFS children to come together, enjoy some tasty treats and share special moments with their friends! 🥰🧡
As we sit together, the children develop their social skills by chatting, listening to one another, taking turns and practising good manners. 🗣️🤝 Snack time also encourages independence as the children learn to manage their own food and drinks and make choices for themselves. 🙌🍎
These everyday moments provide wonderful opportunities to develop communication and language, personal, social and emotional development, and an understanding of healthy lifestyles. 🌟🍓
It’s not just about enjoying a snack; it’s about building friendships, growing in confidence and learning valuable life skills along the way! 💕😊
Our EYFS children have been busy using blocks and construction materials to create some amazing structures! 🏡🧱 From towers and buildings to imaginative creations, the children have been exploring what they can build using their ideas, creativity and problem-solving skills. 💭🌟
Through this hands-on play, the children have been developing their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and understanding of balance, shape, size and space. 📐🔺 They have been learning to think critically, test out their ideas and make changes when their structures don’t quite go to plan! 🤔🔧
There have also been wonderful opportunities to develop communication and language as the children share their ideas, talk about their creations and work together to build something special. 🗣️🤝
🌟 EYFS links: 🧮 Mathematics – exploring shapes, patterns, size and spatial awareness. 🗣️ Communication and Language – describing structures and sharing ideas. 🎨 Expressive Arts and Design – creating and designing imaginative structures. 💪 Physical Development – developing coordination and control. 🧠 Characteristics of Effective Learning – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically.
We love seeing our little builders’ imaginations come to life, one block at a time! 🧱💛🏗️
🍂🌿 EYFS Nature School – Exploring God’s Wonderful World 🌍🍁
09-10-2026
Today, our EYFS children enjoyed exploring God’s wonderful world during our nature school adventure! 🍃☀️ We loved looking closely at the beautiful autumn leaves and discovering all the different colours, shapes and sizes nature has to offer. 🍂❤️💛🧡
The children had lots of fun sorting the leaves by colour and shape, developing their observation skills, mathematical language and understanding of the natural world. 🍁🔍 We talked about the changes we could see around us and marvelled at the beauty of God’s creation. 🙏🌳
🎶 We also sang songs about the outdoors, celebrating nature through music, movement and lots of happy voices! 🎵🐦
Our outdoor learning provided wonderful opportunities to develop communication and language, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design, all while learning through play. 🌿👐
We are so proud of our little explorers and the curiosity, wonder and joy they bring to every adventure! 🥰🍃
Our EYFS children have been exploring the beauty of autumn by working together to create a beautiful collage using autumn leaves! 🌿🍃
The children enjoyed looking at the different colours, shapes, sizes and textures of the leaves before choosing where to place them in our collaborative artwork. 🎨🖐️
This activity supported our EYFS learning by developing fine motor skills, creativity, communication and language, and teamwork. The children shared ideas, made choices and worked together to create something special! 🧡🤝
🌟 EYFS links: 🍂 Expressive Arts and Design – exploring materials and creating collaboratively. 🗣️ Communication and Language – talking about the leaves, describing what they noticed and sharing ideas. 🤲 Physical Development – strengthening fine motor skills through handling and arranging the leaves. 🤝 Personal, Social and Emotional Development – taking turns, sharing resources and working together.
What a lovely way to celebrate the changing seasons and enjoy the magic of autumn! 🍁🌳🧡
🌸🌼🌷 Today some of our Preschool children enjoyed a lovely walk around the school grounds. 🚶♀️🚶♂️ As we explored, the children noticed the beautiful flowers growing around us and took time to admire their bright colours and wonderful shapes. 🌺🌻🌹🌼
🌍✨ The children reflected on how thankful they are for God’s amazing creation and were inspired to hold an impromptu Celebration of the Word 🙏📖 to thank God for the flowers 🌷🌸 and the wonderful world He has made. 🌞☁️🌈🦋🐝
💛 It was a very special moment filled with awe, wonder and appreciation. One child beautifully summed up our thoughts by saying, “I love God’s flowers.” 🌼💐🥰
🌿🌺 We are so proud of the children for recognising the beauty in God’s creation, taking time to pause and appreciate it, and giving thanks for the many blessings around us. 🙏✨💚🌍
This week, we have been reading the story “Sam Plants a Sunflower” 🌻📚. We have been learning about the different parts of a plant, including the roots, stem, leaves, and flower 🌱🪴.
The children have also explored the beautiful colours found in plants and flowers 🎨🌼. Using their creative skills, they painted their own wonderful sunflowers, carefully choosing colours and adding lots of detail 🖌️🌻✨.
We are so proud of their enthusiasm and creativity this week! 😊🌱💛
🏗️ This week in preschool it has been amazing to see the children’s building skills developing so beautifully! Their creativity is really shining through ✨
We have created a 🏙️ skyscraper-style tower, a 🚜 farm and tractor park, and even a 🛖 den. The children worked together to plan, build, problem solve and share ideas, showing fantastic teamwork and imagination throughout 🤝💡
Construction play is such an important part of early learning 🧠 Building helps to develop core strength, coordination and the pivotal movements needed for early writing skills ✏️ while also encouraging communication, mathematical thinking and creativity 🎨📚
We are so proud of all the wonderful ideas and effort the children have put into their creations this week 🌟
Today our Preschool children enjoyed a lovely Hungry Caterpillar picnic 🐛🍎🍓
The children explored the story together before sharing lots of tasty healthy foods during our picnic. We talked about healthy eating, different fruits and our favourite parts of the story 📚🍐
This activity supported children’s learning within the EYFS through Communication and Language, Literacy and Understanding the World 🌟
We had such a fun day learning through stories and play 💚
We were delighted to welcome our Preschool and Reception families for a special Stay and Pray session as we prepare for Easter.
Parents and Grandparents joined us for a calm and reflective collective worship, where we gathered together to think about the true meaning of Easter. The children listened beautifully as we shared the story of the Last Supper, helping them to begin to understand this important part of the Easter story.
Together, we spent time reflecting on how we can be like Jesus in our everyday lives. The children reflected on being kind, helpful and loving towards others, both at home and at school.
It was a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community, and it was lovely to see the children engaging so respectfully alongside their families. Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the session so special. 💜
As always, we were delighted to welcome families into school to celebrate and share all the fantastic effort children have put into their homework projects. Thank you for supporting your child to be creative and share their learning. We were so impressed with each and every project.
Preschool went on our second CAFOD Lent Walk! 🚶♀️💛🪴
06-03-2026
We had a lovely surprise on the way when we saw Mr Keen bringing some beautiful flowers to plant, getting everything ready for spring. 🌼🌷 The children enjoyed stopping to look at them and talking about how they will grow.
During our walk we looked at all of God’s wonderful world around us. We spotted lots of spring flowers beginning to blossom and enjoyed the sun shining as we walked together. ☀️ It was a lovely opportunity to talk about how the world changes in spring and to appreciate the beauty of nature.
All 6 chicks are now in their cage together and they are doing great. They are fluffy, happy, and busy eating and drinking. The children were very excited today when we gently lifted the lid so everyone could have a look inside.
There were lots of big smiles and excited faces watching the chicks moving around and chirping. It’s already becoming a very special experience for the children. 🐣
Next week the excitement will grow even more because the children will be able to carefully hold the chicks for the first time. We can’t wait to see their reactions! 🌟
Today our Preschool children took part in a special CAFOD Lent walk around the school grounds. As we walked, we looked closely at God’s wonderful world and searched for signs of spring.
We spotted blooming flowers, new buds on the trees and listened to the birds singing. We talked about how spring is a sign of new life and how important it is to care for our world.
The children were thoughtful and excited to share what they noticed. We are very proud of them! 🌱💛
Today our preschoolers had so much fun creating sea life art! 🌊🎨
We used special sea animal stampers to make colorful underwater pictures. 🐠🐙🐢 The children loved pressing the stampers to see which ocean friend would appear next! 💙✨
Such a fun and creative way to explore sea life! 🐳🌊
In preschool we have had a wonderful time celebrating Pancake Day today! We enjoyed learning all about the meaning of Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday. The children discovered that this special day comes before Lent and is traditionally a time to use up ingredients like eggs, milk and flour before the start of the season.
We talked about how families might celebrate at home, shared our favourite toppings, and of course enjoyed some delicious pancakes together! The children practised their listening skills during our discussion and did a fantastic job sharing their ideas.
It has been a fun-filled day of learning, laughter and tasty treats! 😊🥞
In preschool the children used the peg people to retell the story in their own words, pretending they were Jesus blessing the children ✝️👶🧍♂️ They showed great understanding and imagination following on from our lesson earlier this week 🌟😊 Well done everyone 👏✨
This week in preschool our story is The Three Little Pigs 🐷📖
The children independently made their own house using bricks 🧱 They were so excited to discover that the Big Bad Wolf couldn’t knock their houses down! 🐺💨
Lots of problem solving, creativity, and big smiles all around 😄👏
Winter weather didn’t stop our preschoolers from enjoying water play outside ❄️💦 The cold didn’t bother us as we splashed, poured, and laughed together, staying active and having fun ☀️🪣 Outdoor play in all seasons helps children build confidence, resilience, and a love for learning 😄🌿
Nursery, Reception and Year 6 all joined together for a very special Celebration of the Word. Father Michael came in bless our cribs. Each Reception child had made a manger and during Advent we have been adding hay to get it ready for Jesus’ birth. After the blessing, Receptions Year 6 buddies gave them a baby Jesus to put into their mangers they had made.
This morning in preschool to celebrate Bonfire Night we have made some chocolate sparkler sticks. We loved to decorate our breadsticks and are so excited to take them home at the end of the day. ❤️🎇
Preschool have been planting spring bulbs in our spiritual garden. 🪴 We have planted these in a shape of a cross to remind us that God loves everyone. ❤️
We will watch and observe our bulbs grow throughout the seasons. ☺️
This week in RE Pre-school and Reception have been learning about the story of creation. The children learnt about how all the things God made were ‘very good.’ We decided to share a Prayer and Liturgy together in the Spiritual Garden, where we celebrated God’s wonderful world. After, we searched for things God had made and thought about what he would say about it.
This week, we’ve started learning all about the Bible! The children have been excited to discover why the Bible is such a special book. ❤️
We’ve also been talking about Pope Leo and how he helps lead the Church. The children were so excited that they went home and told their parents all about Pope Leo! 🙌🏼
It’s been a fun start to our new topic, and we can’t wait to learn more! 😊
What an incredible start to the year, little stars! ✨ We’ve made new friends 👯♀️, explored exciting activities 🎨🧩, and had SO much fun together! From playing games 🏃♂️ to learning new things 📚, every moment was filled with laughter and smiles! 😊💖
Here’s to a year full of new adventures, growing together, and making even MORE memories! 🌈🚀 We can’t wait to see what next week brings! 🎉🌟
🌟 📚 Do you have a child due to start Reception Class in September 2025? Applications have opened on the Wigan Council website and will close on 25th January 2025. Between now and the closing date is your opportunity to visit local primary schools and choose the right school for your child. ❤️
📚 To give prospective families a closer look at our fantastic reception class and the experiences we offer, we invite you to our Open Evening on Wednesday, 27th November from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
🍎 Join us to tour school, meet our dedicated staff and discover all that St. Jude’s has to offer. It’s a perfect opportunity to ask questions and see firsthand how we create a supportive and stimulating environment for our youngest learners. Don’t miss your chance to be part of our nurturing, vibrant school community! We can’t wait to welcome you and your child.
⭐️ For more information and to apply, visit the Wigan Council website today! https://www.wigan.gov.uk/resident/education/schools/school-admissions/primary-schools.aspx
In preschool today we decided to show people in our school environment how much we care about them. 🥰 We made some lovely cards and brought some delicious chocolates. Then we went around school showing random acts of kindness to others. 🥰
🌟 📚 Do you have a child due to start Reception Class in September 2025? Applications have opened on the Wigan Council website and will close on 25th January 2025. Between now and the closing date is your opportunity to visit local primary schools and choose the right school for your child. ❤️
📚 To give prospective families a closer look at our fantastic reception class and the experiences we offer, we invite you to our Open Evening on Wednesday, 27th November from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
🍎 Join us to tour school, meet our dedicated staff and discover all that St. Jude’s has to offer. It’s a perfect opportunity to ask questions and see firsthand how we create a supportive and stimulating environment for our youngest learners. Don’t miss your chance to be part of our nurturing, vibrant school community! We can’t wait to welcome you and your child.
⭐️ For more information and to apply, visit the Wigan Council website today! https://www.wigan.gov.uk/resident/education/schools/school-admissions/primary-schools.aspx
What a lovely morning we have had in our early years department this morning. ⭐️ We have been using our water play equipment, we have been pouring, mixing and strengthening our developing gross and fine motor skills.
In our RE topic this week we have been looking and learning all about how God loves everyone and how Mary loved Jesus. To celebrate this we made a collage heart to hang in our RE area. ❤️🙏
We have been learning all about bonfire night today. ❤️ We have made some salt art fire work pictures. 🎆 We have watched about what we need to do to stay safe on bonfire night. 🔥 And we have celebrated our learning in our floor book. 😊
In preschool this morning we have been continuing our ‘Meg and Mog’ story. We went into the school grounds with our nature wands, and made some nature potions. 🧪❤️
🌟 📚 Do you have a child due to start Reception Class in September 2025? Applications have opened on the Wigan Council website and will close on 25th January 2025. Between now and the closing date is your opportunity to visit local primary schools and choose the right school for your child. ❤️
📚 To give prospective families a closer look at our fantastic reception class and the experiences we offer, we invite you to our Open Evening on Wednesday, 27th November from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
🍎 Join us to tour school, meet our dedicated staff and discover all that St. Jude’s has to offer. It’s a perfect opportunity to ask questions and see firsthand how we create a supportive and stimulating environment for our youngest learners. Don’t miss your chance to be part of our nurturing, vibrant school community! We can’t wait to welcome you and your child.
⭐️ For more information and to apply, visit the Wigan Council website today! https://www.wigan.gov.uk/resident/education/schools/school-admissions/primary-schools.aspx
This morning in preschool we have been reading one of our termly stories “Meg and Mog” and in the story they made a potion, so preschool decided what an amazing idea it would be to make our own potion. We worked together to mix, pour and stir our amazing potion. We will keep checking our potion to see how it changes from a liquid to a solid. We look forward to updating you with our marvellous creations. ❤️
Preschool went for a walk in our school grounds, and we have been looking for signs of autumn. 🍁 We went to the spiritual garden to observe the leaves changing on our trees. 🌳
In art preschool have been learning all about Yayoi Kusaman, and how she painted spots on pumpkins. We got our own pumpkins together and set off to work, we worked together to make our spotty pumpkins, we was showing amazing sharing and turn taking skills. Well done preschool. 🧡🎃
Mr Wilson came to preschool and he brought one of his favourite stories with him, We’re Going On a Bear Hunt 🐻. The children were so excited, we thought we need to document this special moment in our floor book. ❤️
In preschool we have been learning all about hedgehogs. We had an amazing idea to make our own clay hedgehogs. We used our fine motor skills to model and mould our clay. When we had made our hedgehog shapes, we then added our eyes, nose and the very important spikes. Well done preschool.
Our topic this autumn is All About Me. We can all identify the parts of our face. We decorated some biscuits and spoke about how everyone is different and how out biscuits are different too.
