St Joseph's RC Infant School Nursery Review

Growing food gives early learning a practical focus here: a weekly gardening session forms part of the early years programme, with an allotment plot giving children somewhere to grow and harvest their crops. It connects learning with something tangible.

The nursery belongs to St Joseph's RC Infant School, a Catholic school on Crown Dale in Upper Norwood. Families can choose mornings or a longer nursery day, with wraparound care extending the hours further.

Play gives children a reason to use what they know. At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found nursery children using their number knowledge in a fishing game, alongside early years activities that encouraged independent practice. Counting had a purpose within the game.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the curriculum framework. In June 2024, children covered its full breadth and used learning resources with enthusiasm. The fishing game gave nursery children an opportunity to apply their number learning independently. Independent practice sat alongside learning to work with other children.

Gardening adds another concrete strand. The weekly EYFS session links growing food with learning about diet and preparation, while the school allotment assigns a patch to each year group. Children have a practical context for exploring where food comes from. This is learning with a physical task attached, and a crop to care for.

Sharing and taking turns were part of early years learning in June 2024. These everyday habits matter within a group: children practise making room for someone else's turn as well as pursuing their own activity.

Support for special educational needs and disabilities sits within the federation's inclusion structure, which includes a Head of Inclusion and a SENDCo. Teaching adaptations address children's academic and social development, with external support brought in when needed. For families whose child needs additional help, that provides a route into discussing learning needs with the inclusion team.

An induction day brings new parents and children into the joining process. Families also bring their original application documents for verification at that stage.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must apply separately through the normal Reception admissions process.

For the 2026–27 intake, the route was the eAdmissions Local Authority Common Application Form for the borough where the family lives, followed by the school's supplementary information form. That cycle's deadline was 15 January 2026, which has passed. The admissions page allows late applications through the local authority, with any offer dependent on places being available. Keep the nursery booking and the Reception application as separate decisions.

Five mornings, from 9am to noon, make up the 15-hour option. The 30-hour provision runs from 9am to 3pm. Wraparound care can extend the day from 7.30am to 6pm, giving families a longer care window than the nursery session itself.

The admissions offer includes a universal funded 15-hour entitlement and an eligibility-dependent funded 30-hour option. Families using the latter must give the office their eligibility code; additional hours can also be paid for. Contact the school for current charges.

Nursery enquiries and applications go through the school, using its online form or a paper copy from the office. School tours can be booked through the office, including Wednesday morning visits between 9.30am and 11am.