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Nursery at Lyonsdown 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 If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A mud kitchen, water channels and weekly Forest School give Little Lyons Pre-Reception an outdoor thread alongside its early reading and number work. This is Lyonsdown School’s nursery provision for girls from age three, within the independent school in New Barnet. Children join a single Pre-Reception class, supported by at least two Early Years Practitioners. Five mornings form the core attendance pattern, with afternoons added if families choose.
Purposeful play shapes the approach. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together learning to communicate, manage feelings and move confidently with early literacy, maths, creativity and discovering the world. Adults talk with children during play, helping them develop ideas and language rather than leaving exploration entirely to chance. Phonics combines movement with listening, looking and speaking; number activities use games, singing and rhymes. Weekly specialist Music lessons and a singing session add another way to practise listening and expression.
Outside, the Early Years Outdoor Learning Area has spaces for making dens, experimenting with water and building with loose parts, alongside its mud kitchen and creative zone. Changes in ground materials encourage hopping, jumping and balancing. Forest School takes place on site each week with a qualified Forest School Leader, giving children regular time to explore natural materials.
The September 2023 ISI inspection found that early-years teaching used assessment to adjust activities and provided individual help with reading and numeracy. Woodland learning developed vocabulary and mathematical ideas, while picking up objects with large tweezers exercised the small hand movements children need for writing. There was a limitation: resources representing the full breadth of British society were restricted. That matters alongside learning to share, cooperate and understand other people.
Settling starts with parents and daughters meeting their key worker or class teacher, seeing the classroom and getting to know peers. This gives families a familiar adult contact before the new routine begins. Tapestry, the online learning journal, shares each child’s learning with home. Termly Welcome Meetings explain the curriculum; appointments allow informal conversations, alongside formal consultations in autumn and spring and written reports in autumn and summer.
Lunch is part of both attendance options, with snacks also included in the longer school day. The Pre-Reception team provides the everyday staffing, while the school’s learning-support arrangements include SENCO assessment, Support Plans where needed, and classroom or small-group help. These provide routes for responding to an identified learning difficulty. A Medical Room offers a place for children who become unwell, and several staff hold paediatric first-aid qualifications.
At the September 2023 visit, ISI found that early-years staff knew children well, helped them handle small disagreements and implemented effective safeguarding arrangements. Those findings give a dated basis for confidence in everyday care.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Ask the school’s admissions team how Reception admission is handled for existing Little Lyons families. The school accepts enquiries through its admissions team and lists Reception as a distinct entry point.
Keep preparation and admission separate. Before children start, summer-term visits with parents help them become familiar with school life. These opportunities support settling; they do not establish an entitlement to a Reception place.
Mornings run from 8:30am to 12:30pm, including lunch. The School Day option runs from 8:30am to 3:00pm, including lunch and snacks. All girls attend the five morning sessions; families can add afternoons. This suits parents seeking a regular morning pattern, with a longer day available through extra sessions.
Funding and extras. The Pre-Reception fee table incorporates 15 hours of free funding per term and lists lunch separately in its charge structure. Attendance frequency and additional sessions affect charges. Ask the school for current charges when choosing a pattern.
Planning the term. The autumn 2026 half-term break runs from 19 to 30 October, and term finishes on 11 December with a noon finish. Factor those closures into childcare plans.
For enquiries, email admissions@lyonsdownschool.co.uk or call 020 8449 0225. Families can reserve a tour through the admissions team; an Open Morning is scheduled for 15 October 2026.
Girls can join once they turn three. Little Lyons is the nursery provision within Lyonsdown School.
The core pattern is five mornings, from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Families can add afternoons, with the School Day option ending at 3:00pm.
Yes. Early Years children have weekly on-site Forest School sessions led by a qualified Forest School Leader. Their outdoor learning space includes water channels, den building and a mud kitchen.
Tapestry shares individual learning online. Families also have termly curriculum meetings, consultations and written reports.
No. Ask the school’s admissions team how Reception admission is handled for existing Little Lyons families.
