Steeple Nursery School is on a green site campus close to the centre of Antrim. The school opened in 1975 with an enrolment of 50 full-time places, throughout the years the school has had to change to part-time places to meet the demands of the community. Over the years our school has been extended and accommodates 156 children for part-time places.

3 Morning Classes x 26 children (9.00am - 11.30 am)

3 Afternoon Classes x 26 children (12.30 - 3.00pm)

Our vision:

We aim to provide a warm, inviting, nurturing, stimulating environment.  We offer a wide range of learning opportunities and experiences that will support children in developing in all six areas of the pre school curriculum, and in becoming happy, confident learners. 

Our emphasis is on learning through play in an environment planned to encourage discovery, independence and social interaction. Children are encouraged to help themselves, take initiative and become increasingly independent in order to develop self-esteem and social competence. It is important that children develop a sense of trust and are comfortable in their environment. A parent or consistent caregiver is asked to stay with the child until teaching staff indicate that a separation is appropriate and can be comfortably accomplished.

Searching for Family Services and Support?

• The children are progressing very well in their overall learning and development in line with the pre school curricular guidance.
• The children are well settled and are developing very positive attitudes and dispositions for learning. They make choices independently, co-operate very well with the daily routines and appear happy and secure in the nursery environment.
• The children use the wide range of art materials creatively and with imagination.
• The children are curious to explore the natural world through appropriate topics and resources both indoors and outdoors and engage well with the staff to discuss their discoveries.
• The nursery environment is stimulating, well resourced and all areas are used effectively to provide a high quality learning environment for the children.
• The learning activities are well planned to promote high quality experiences across all areas of the pre-school curriculum.
• The staff are child centred in their approaches. They listen to the children, and provide consistent high quality caring support and encouragement to them.
• Staff know the children, families, and their needs very well and from the outset keep relevant observations and records of the children.
• The daily timetable is thoughtfully planned to ensure all time is used effectively to promote learning and development. There are smooth transitions between activities and the necessary routines.
• The children identified as needing support with aspects of their learning are all very well integrated and supported effectively in the nursery environment.
• The outstanding pastoral care is exemplified in the excellent working relationships at all levels, the holistic approach to meeting the children's needs, including their emotional well-being, the support for the whole family and the nurturing ethos.
• The nursery provides a broad range of enjoyable and educational experiences for the parents to keep them informed, build relationships and help them to be purposefully engaged in their child's learning.
• In the areas inspected, the quality of education provided by this nursery school is outstanding; the quality of pastoral care is also outstanding. The nursery school has demonstrated its capacity for sustained self-improvement.

Overall findings