Cardwell Primary School Nursery Review

Phonics, play and a weekly on-site Forest School give Cardwell’s nursery its character: an introduction to school life with room for children to explore. This is Cardwell Primary School’s own nursery in Woolwich, offering places after a child’s third birthday. Its admissions page lists 30 morning places and a 15-hour week.

Ofsted judged the school’s early years provision Outstanding at the inspection on 26 and 27 November 2024. That judgement covers early years within the school, rather than a separately inspected nursery.

A session moves from registration to phonics, then free-flow activities, before tidying and finishing with singing or a story. A visual timetable shows children the sequence. It gives them something concrete to refer to as they learn what happens next.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together seven areas of learning. Cardwell describes friendship and turn-taking alongside speaking, movement, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. In practical terms, children handle books, compare objects, count during play and experiment with paint or collage. Learning happens through activity and conversation.

Indoor and outdoor classrooms support this play-based approach. Weekly Forest School sessions take place on site, led by a qualified Forest School Leader. Children choose activities and have time to explore; construction, wildlife activities and physical play are among the possibilities. Activities are assessed for risk and can be adapted to children’s requirements.

Curriculum examples add detail to that picture. Nursery and Reception children copy movements and invent their own in dance, practising coordination and balance. Across EYFS, drawing includes adding facial details and discussing the feelings a picture represents. These are opportunities to express ideas through movement and marks, alongside the session’s early reading work.

Communication with families is part of Cardwell’s foundation-stage approach. Its parent guide encourages ongoing contact about children’s interests and learning, with the early years coordinator as a contact for questions. That gives parents a route to discuss their child’s experience beyond the classroom.

The school’s SENCO works with teachers and teaching assistants to organise support according to children’s needs. The team also includes access to an educational psychologist and speech and language therapists. A Child Welfare Officer helps families with housing, social services and medical issues, giving parents a contact for difficulties that extend beyond learning.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Cardwell. Families must make a separate application through their home local authority: Royal Greenwich residents apply through Greenwich, while residents of another borough use that borough’s route even when choosing Cardwell.

For the September 2026 entry cycle, the application deadline was 15 January 2026. That date has passed. The nursery decision and the Reception application should therefore be treated as separate decisions and processes.

The nursery application is completed through Cardwell’s online Nursery Application Form. Office staff can help parents complete it, making the school office a practical starting point for an enquiry.

Morning timetable. The admissions page gives a session of 8:45am to 11:45am, while the attendance page lists Nursery AM as 8:30am to 11:30am. Those conflicting times matter when arranging work and collection; resolve the timetable with the admissions team before making childcare plans.

For general enquiries, use the contact form or call 020 8854 1051. The form allows families to direct their message to the relevant team.