Nursery at St Christopher's School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Butter your own toast, bake bread rolls and learn to pour a drink: independence here starts in a child-sized kitchen. St Christopher's nursery in Epsom welcomes children aged 2 to 4, with Nursery and Pre-Reception groups forming part of the wider school. Assemblies, performances and the Pancake Race bring the youngest children into school life rather than keeping their day entirely separate.
The nursery describes its Lid-Off approach as a belief in children's limitless potential. In practice, children prepare snacks, tidy materials and choose activities alongside small-group teaching. Responsibility begins with manageable tasks.
Six learning areas include a creative studio, a kitchen and a room for role play. Children move between open-plan exploration and organised group activities, with themes connecting the seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This means developing language, movement and social skills alongside early reading, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world.
Small Key Groups meet for registration at 8:35am. Daily phonics introduces letters and sounds through games; Wake & Shake adds movement. Cooking gives learning a practical purpose: weighing ingredients and kneading hedgehog bread rolls exercise both mathematical thinking and small hand movements. Pre-Reception children take books home, while library borrowing extends reading beyond the session.
Outside, children have free-flow access to their own playground, with bikes, water play and mud kitchens. Weekly Forest School brings log balancing, searches for mini-beasts and outdoor art. Specialist teaching also includes French each week, two music lessons weekly and a weekly singing session. PE takes place in a weekly 20-minute session, introducing balance, movement games and simple gymnastics.
At the June 2023 ISI inspection, nursery children listened with sustained attention and spoke confidently when sharing ideas, supported by activities planned around their interests. Practical number work included handling, counting and sorting objects. These are concrete foundations for conversation and mathematical understanding, rather than learning confined to worksheets.
A qualified nursery teacher works with Key Group leaders, giving the day both teaching input and a smaller group structure. Settling begins the term before entry: a parent meeting comes first, followed by a month of online stories twice weekly, a parent-and-child tour and short weekly taster sessions. Children can build familiarity before their full sessions begin.
Evidence Me connects families with learning moments. ParentMail carries news and events and handles wraparound bookings. Mighty Minds supports emotional understanding, while shared use of Zones of Regulation gives children a way to recognise and discuss feelings.
Lunch is at noon, freshly cooked by the catering team, with roast, pasta and fish dishes across the week. At the Snack Café, children practise pouring drinks and preparing fruit and vegetables with an adult present. Eating is another opportunity to practise independence.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Contact the Admissions Team about the steps required for your child's Reception entry. Reception applicants follow the school's registration and offer process: where a place is available, registered children are invited to a taster with informal observations, followed by a formal offer after a successful visit.
Preparation for the move is a separate matter. Children already use the hall and bigger playground and meet specialist staff. Summer classroom sessions introduce the Reception team, and a July Moving Up Morning brings new teachers and classmates together. A Parent Information Evening supports the family side of the transition.
Schedules are chosen term by term. Mornings run from 8:30am to noon, extended mornings finish at 1:30pm with lunch, and full days end at 3pm. Nursery requires at least three mornings weekly; Pre-Reception requires at least five, increasing to a minimum of five mornings plus two afternoons in the summer term. Extra individual sessions can be booked through the office, subject to staffing.
Current wraparound runs from 7:45am to 6pm and costs extra. From January 2027, the nursery will open year-round, with extended days from 7:30am to 6pm and 15 or 30 funded hours for eligible families.
Currently, universal funding provides up to 15 hours weekly from the term after a child's third birthday until the term they turn five, allocated between 9am and noon on weekdays during term time. Specialist teaching, enrichment and snack consumables attract additional charges; funded-only places are limited. Contact the school for current charges.
Enquiries go to admissions@st-christophers.surrey.sch.uk or 01372 721807. Personal tours can be booked, with weekday morning visits at 9:30am.
Children attend from age 2 to 4, through Nursery and Pre-Reception.
Yes. Extended mornings finish at 1:30pm and include a hot lunch; full days finish at 3pm.
Preparation begins the term before entry, with a parent meeting, online stories, a tour together and short weekly taster sessions.
No. Reception admission follows the school's registration, taster and offer process. Transition activities help children prepare for the move; they do not guarantee a place.
From January 2027, the nursery will open year-round, with extended days from 7:30am to 6pm and 15 or 30 funded hours for eligible families.
