All Saints CofE Primary School Nursery

Play, movement and children's own choices shape nursery learning at All Saints. This is the school's own provision on Upper Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood, with one part-time class and 26 places. Its Church of England setting gives the nursery a place within a school shaped by Christian values.

Ofsted graded early years provision Good at the inspection on 3 and 4 December 2024. That judgement covers the school's early years provision, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

Children learn through exploration and activity, with opportunities to choose independently and join others. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, physical and social development with early literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative work. Teachers plan across these areas around individual needs, so children's choices sit alongside adult support.

Stories, rhymes and songs give children opportunities to practise listening and speaking. Books are shared with the class and in smaller groups each day. Early mathematics takes practical form through matching, sorting and counting. For creative work, children can use paint, chalk and pastels, explore role-play and make music. Weekly specialist music teaching includes instruments and rhythm; the PE coach also teaches physical skills once a week.

Learning extends outside the classroom. Adults support movement, balance and climbing, while handling small objects and using pencils develop finer control indoors. Brain Breaks introduce mindfulness during the day to help children manage feelings. In December 2024, nursery teaching supported the planned learning skilfully, and early years children were learning patience, kindness and respect through taking turns.

Tapestry connects learning at school with life at home. Families and staff can exchange photographs, videos and written observations, giving parents a way to contribute their child's experiences. A separate folder keeps examples of children's work to share.

Speech, language and communication are a specific early years support focus. Parents can raise concerns with the class teacher, then meet with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) to discuss support. Individual targets are linked to teaching strategies and reviewed with families. The school's SEND policy also provides for medical care plans developed with parents and health professionals where appropriate. This gives families a defined route for discussing learning and care needs.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must submit a separate application through their home local authority's Common Application Form, naming All Saints as a preference. Applications for a Foundation place also require the school's supplementary form.

The 2025–2026 admission arrangements gave no Reception priority for nursery attendance: their oversubscription criteria covered care status, exceptional medical or social need, siblings and distance. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions, with the applicable local authority timetable governing the latter.

Session timing. The admissions page gives a morning session of 9am to noon, with gates opening at 8.45am. The school-day timetable instead gives morning collection at 11.40am and also describes an afternoon door opening at 12.30pm, followed by collection at 3.15pm. These timings conflict, so confirm the session arrangements before organising childcare around them.

Applications for nursery go directly to the school office, which supplies the forms; families can join a waiting list if a place is unavailable. Visits can be booked through the office with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. Collection takes place at the nursery door, giving families a specific handover point.