Noor Ul Islam Pre-School

Islamic teaching runs through play, stories and everyday manners at Noor Ul Islam Pre-School in Leyton. The five pillars of Islam, short surahs and daily du’as sit alongside early language, physical development and learning to get along with others. For families seeking an Islamic ethos within preschool education, that integration is the defining choice here.

Ofsted rated the setting Good in May 2022, with Outstanding judgements for personal development and leadership and management. Those judgements belong to that date. The current provision welcomes children aged 3 to 5 and has 80 places in total; this whole-setting capacity should not be read as the number attending a particular session.

Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered during term time. Parent Groups and an optional Book Scheme extend family involvement beyond conversations with staff, giving parents ways to contribute and share reading at home.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the educational framework: children learn through play while developing communication, movement, relationships and early understanding of the world. Here, free play alternates with adult-planned activities, stories and rhymes. That gives children both room to choose and opportunities to join something organised.

Islamic Development adds explicit religious content to that framework. Children encounter stories about the Prophets, the importance of Jummah and short teachings about manners, alongside the five pillars and Qur’anic surahs. These are woven into activities across the areas of learning, rather than treated as a separate subject.

In May 2022, children used creative materials to make boats and talked about sea creatures. Another activity involved sharing play dough while making pizza together. These examples connected making and talking with cooperation: children had something concrete to explain, and shared materials required them to take turns.

The same month's group work was less consistent. Some activities led by less-confident staff failed to hold every child's attention, and the improvement priority was to organise group learning so that everyone remained involved.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor and outdoor activities are part of the session routine, with children able to use equipment in both spaces during free play. In May 2022, comfortable quiet spaces outdoors and inside offered somewhere to pause, while outdoor opportunities supported physical activity. The quieter provision is a useful counterweight to shared play.

Home learning also has concrete content. The Learning Together Project provides family activities involving counting, measuring, storytelling and making, with cards such as Let’s go on a shape hunt and Let’s make cosy reading spaces. These offer manageable ways to continue learning through ordinary play at home. Parents can also contribute their own interests, accompany staff-led outings and take part in community or fundraising activities.

Relationships and Communication

A key person builds the link between each child's family and the pre-school. Parent Groups bring together families from individual sessions to discuss ideas for the provision and make connections with other parents. This creates two routes for involvement: individual dialogue about a child and shared discussion about the setting.

Stay ‘n’ Play Sessions are optional, paid settling opportunities for registered children before their start date, with an accompanying adult required. They give a child time with a familiar person in the preschool setting before beginning independently. An induction meeting follows acceptance of a place, with registration paperwork and identification completed before a start date is issued.

In May 2022, staff used what they learned about their key children to plan subsequent activities. Children also practised independence by selecting and preparing snacks and drinks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support helpful, with individual targets addressed through one-to-one or small-group work alongside collaboration with families and other professionals. This is a dated assessment of practice, rather than a current guarantee.

Today, a SEND coordinator supports families through identifying additional needs and signposts further help; children with SEND follow the same admissions procedure. A Designated Safeguarding Lead supports staff training and child-protection arrangements.

In May 2022, puppets and books helped children work through feelings, and staff introduced different languages and cultures during shared activities. Emotional support and learning about other people therefore had concrete materials and conversations behind them.

The pre-school works with a child's next school to support transition, and families receive their child's individual achievement pack when they leave. This carries learning information forward while giving parents a record to keep.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting's address is 717 High Road, Leyton, London E10 5AB; its preschool contact address spans 717-723 High Road. Enquiries go to preschool@noorulislam.org.uk or 020 8558 0786, option 3.

From Monday to Friday, morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am, afternoons from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and full days from 8.45am to 3.30pm. Attendance is term-time only, across 38 weeks. The shorter sessions offer a different routine from a full day, while the 3.30pm finish sets a clear limit for families arranging care around work.

Applications to the waiting list are accepted once a child turns 2, with attendance starting after their third birthday. Applying before age 2 leads to rejection of the application. Joining the waiting list is free, and a preferred session is not guaranteed. Keeping contact details updated is part of the application process.

Funding and Paid Extras

The setting accepts Universal Free Early Education Entitlement and Extended Free Early Education Entitlement (30 hours), delivered during term time rather than stretched across the year. The extended-entitlement arrangement covers three days here, subject to availability; families may take the remaining 9.75 hours per week at another provider operating the same number of weeks per year. The universal entitlement covers up to 15 hours weekly without additional top-up fees for those hours; childcare beyond funded entitlement can be purchased separately. Eligibility and a place at this particular setting remain separate matters.

Full-day children bring packed lunches, while snacks supplied during sessions carry a separate charge, including for funded attendance. Snacks follow a repeating two-week menu, and the pre-school's menu policy excludes nut products; families share allergy information at registration.

A non-refundable registration charge applies when a place is offered, with parents unable to pay invited to discuss this with the manager. Families using more than the universal 15-hour entitlement pay a deposit, refunded after their child's first term of regular attendance. Late collection also attracts a charge under the collection terms. Current prices should form part of the nursery's written quotation; the fees and charges page explains the structure.

The optional Book Scheme lets children select a book to take home each week. Its deposit is returned when the child leaves, but is lost if books come back damaged.

Noor Ul Islam Primary School is a separate next step. Preschool attendance does not guarantee a place there, and families wishing to apply must use the primary school's own application process from their child's third birthday.

• Group participation. In May 2022, some organised activities lost children's interest. On a visit, ask how staff adapt group activities for quieter children and those who disengage.
• Term-time timetable. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside full days, but the setting closes outside its 38-week pattern. Consider how the chosen session and holiday arrangements fit your family.
• Funding and extras. Snacks are charged separately and full-day lunches come from home. Ask for a written breakdown covering your intended attendance, funded-hour allocation and any non-food consumables.
• Settling and onward applications. Stay ‘n’ Play requires an accompanying adult before the start date, and preschool attendance brings no guaranteed primary-school place. Discuss settling arrangements during the induction and keep any primary application separate.

Noor Ul Islam suits families wanting Islamic teaching woven into preschool play, with either morning or afternoon sessions, or full days during term time. Key-person relationships, Parent Groups and home-reading opportunities give family involvement practical shape.

The May 2022 assessment was positive overall, but group engagement was an explicit improvement point. The choice rests on the religious curriculum and attendance pattern as much as that dated judgement: both need to fit the child and the family.