At St. Joseph’s we provide a happy and safe environment in which children can grow and learn through play. Our fully qualified and experienced staff support children’s learning and discovering through fun and play based activities following the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). With ample space and exciting resources children are able to explore and learn at their own pace with encouragement from their very own key person to become independent learners.
In 1937 the Parish Priest of the Church of the Annunciation, at that time Father Humphrey Wilson PhD, invited the Daughters of Divine Charity to establish a Convent in Chesterfield. This led to the foundation of St. Joseph’s Convent School.
Through the years, which included those of the Second World War, the School continued to flourish and expand. The raising of the School leaving age resulted in St. Joseph’s educating pupils to the former G.C.E. ‘O’ level standard. A group of 26 weekly and termly boarders gave an added perspective to the life of the School and Parish.
In 1971 St. Joseph’s became a Co-educational Primary School with a Nursery attached and since then successfully continued to educate children aged from 2½ to 11 years, while continuing to improve the site, buildings and curriculum.
The Daughters of Divine Charity (“FDC”, from the Latin, Filiae Divinae Caritatis) is an active apostolic religious order. We were founded by Mother Franciska Lechner in Vienna, Austria on November 21, 1868. We are impelled by the unconditional love of God and imbued with the Charism of our Foundress, to “make God’s love visible” to all. We strive “to do good, to give joy, to make happy and to lead all to Heaven.” Since the arrival of the sisters in England in 1914, our main apostolate has been in education. In our Parishes where our Convents are situated, many of the Sisters are Eucharistic ministers, visit the sick, elderly and housebound among other needs.
Our sisters around the world make God’s love visible in various ways. Some of us work in the hospitals, in nursing homes and in the local parishes. We prepare children for first Holy Communion and Confirmation. In some communities, we provide food for those who are in need. We also have a missionary community in Uganda.
Our staff are all Level 3 qualified practitioners, with many years experience. Our staff are very passionate about the work they do and the children in our care and work very closely with the manager to achieve the nursery’s aims and to provide children with the best nursery experience.